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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XXI. 



In former times, indeed till quite recently, the Kandyan 

 nobility, even the great Adigars, learnt to sing, dance, and 

 play on musical instruments. It was an accomplishment 

 among them then as it is now among the Westerns. The 

 dancing and the playing I refer to must not be confounded with 

 the dancing and playing usually seen performed by " devil 

 dancers. " The vind and the udekki were I believe the only 

 instruments used by the upper classes, and the dances and 

 the dancing something like what is described below. 



Hands moving as if intent on portraying a number of pictures, 

 feet moving as easily and as quickly and as harmoniously with the 

 music of the vind as mercury amalgamates with gold. — Guttila. 



The Adigars, Disawas, and other wealthy Nilames had 

 their private bands of musicians attached to their walaw, 

 kept up at great expense. The Devala and Vihara had their 

 own establishments maintained at much expense ; while the 

 famous Kavikdra Maduwa attached to the Mahd Wdsala 

 (Kandyan Court) was under the immediate supervision of no 

 less a personage than the Prime Minister himself, the Palle- 

 gampaha Mahd Nilame. Honorary rank, landed property, 

 and rich presents used to be bestowed on the musicians 

 for talent and proficiency. All the celebrated poets, musi- 

 cians, and wits were at one time or another attached to his 

 Kavikdra Maduwa for a certain period. But this is all past 

 history. Not one Nilame to-day to my knowledge takes the 

 least interest in things of this sort, due probably to force 

 of circumstances. They have neither the money nor the in- 

 fluence to keep a thing of this kind going for any length of 

 time. His time he spends in business, which hardly brings 

 him a sufficient income to keep up a becoming position 

 according to his rank; and the native musicians are left to 

 shift for themselves. 



In the olden times musicians depended on the chieftains 

 for maintenance and support, for their profession was not 

 remunerative, and they had to devote much of their time in 

 learning, and improving what they had learnt. Daily they 

 had to devote a number of hours for this purpose, which 

 more or less precluded the possibility of their engaging in any 

 remunerative manual labour. Since they have been abandoned 



