No. 58.— 1907.] 



ELDLINGS. 



193 



In the Mahavansa* it is stated that Kasyapa I. (479- 

 497 a.d.) repaired the Isurumuniya Vihare, making it larger 

 than before, and calling it after the names of his two daughters 

 and after his own name. His own name was Kasyapa, 

 and his daughters were named Uppalavanna and Bodhi. 



The inscription slab, which (it is practically certain) came 

 from a position 50 yards south of the building in which the 

 coins were found, bears two inscriptions. f Both of these 

 chronicle grants made to the monastery Bo-Upulvan-Kasub- 

 giri Vehera- 



Even without any further evidence there can be hardly any 

 doubt that the site known as Vessagiriya is that occupied by 

 the vihare built by Kasyapa in the 5th century a.d. But 

 further evidence is found in the resemblance of the style of the 

 recently excavated buildings to the style of much of Sigiriya, 

 Kasyapa's fortress capital; in the fact that in a cave 

 immediately opposite the supposed site of the inscription 

 slab, and within 40 yards of the excavated buildings (writing 

 in September, 1906), there is an inscription, not legible, but 

 of that period, as told by the form of the letters ; and in the 

 existence in another cave, within twenty yards of the first, 

 of the remains of a painting in which all that is left strongly 

 resembles in character the famous Sigiriya frescoes. 



.It may thus be taken as proved that the excavations 

 now in progress are bringing to light a 5th century vihare 

 named Bo-Upulvan-Kasub-giri Vehera. 



But both of these inscriptions which mention the name are 

 of far later date. One is dated in the 9th and the other in 

 the 10th year of the reign of Mahinda IV., who reigned, 

 according to Wijesinha's computation, from 975 to 991 a.d. 

 So we are certain that this Bo-Upulvan-Kasub-giri Vehera 

 was flourishing up to about 1000 a.d. This has been 

 already stated in Epigraphia Zeylanica, but I have added a 

 little information here to that given in that publication, and 

 have stated the case at greater length, because this find of 



* Mahavansa, ch, XXXIX., vv. 10-12 ; also mentioned in Epigraphia 

 Zeylanica, vol, I., page 31, 



f Epigraphia Zeylanica, vol, I., page 29, 



