70 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). 



[Vol. XX. 



kingdom to him, he being the most valorous of all the princes of 

 the island 1 . This came to the ears of his brother the king of the 

 Corlas, who forthwith hastened to take part in this business, 

 claiming the kingdom for himself 2 ; but when the brother 

 arrived, although they had many disputes, Queba Permal 

 became king, and changing his name called himself thence- 

 forward Boenegabao Pandar, which signifies " king by 

 strength of arm " 3 . This king married a gentlewoman, whom 

 the king of Candia gave him as wife, saying that she was his 

 daughter, which was not the fact ; but he called her so because 

 of having brought her up from childhood 4 . By this lady he 

 had a son called Caipura Pandar, who on the death of his 

 father succeeded to the kingdom 5 . He was not crowned more 

 than four times (because those kings were accustomed to be 

 crowned once every year on the same day as that on which they 

 were first crowned ; and for this reason the years of their rule 

 are counted by the number of times that they were crowned 6 ). 

 So this king, having been already crowned four times, was 

 slain by the king of the Corlas, who made himself emperor 

 by force, and changed his name, calling himself Javira Pra- 

 cura Mabago Pandar 7 . This king already had four sons 8 , 

 and was not crowned more than three times. On his death 

 there succeeded to the empire his eldest son called Drama 



1 All the above is entirely at variance with the Rajavaliya (70), which 

 simply says that, on the accession of Vira Parakrama Bahu, Sapumal 

 marched from Jaffna to Kotte, slew the king, and assumed the 

 sovereignty. 



2 The Rajavaliya says nothing of this. 



3 Sapumal on ascending the throne (? 1469) took the title of Sri 

 Bhuvaneka Bahu VI. Couto's explanation of the title is para- 

 phrastic. 



4 The Sinhalese chronicles are silent regarding any marriage of 

 Bhuvaneka Bahu VI. 



5 What Caipura represents I do not know. According to the 

 Rajavaliya (70) a prince who had been brought up by Bhuvaneka Bahu 

 VI. was, on the death of the latter, proclaimed king under the title of 

 Pandita Parakrama Bahu (? 1485). 



6 This statement appears to be founded on some misapprehen- 

 sion. « 



7 The Rajavaliya (70) tells us that, on hearing of the death of Bhuva- 

 neka Bahu VI. , Kuda Kumara of Ambulugala marched from the Four 

 Korales, defeated the royal army, proceeded to Kotte, slew Pandita 

 Parakrama Bahu, and ascended the throne (1485) under the title of 

 Vi'ra Parakrama Bahu (VIII.). 



8 The Rajavaliya says a daughter also. . 



