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



chief industry and main source of national wealth at the time 

 of Wijayo's landing and for " several centuries afterwards " 

 was agriculture, and that it was directed almost entirely to 

 the cultivation of the staple food of the people. What that 

 food was will form the first subject of inquiry. An enume- 

 ration of all the passages that have reference to food in the 

 Mahdivansa will leave no room for doubt on that subject. 

 They are as follows : — 



The first mention of food is that of the repast given by 

 Kuweni, the princess, to Wijayo and his party, which consisted 

 of " rice and a vast variety of other articles." 



The next allusion to food is in regard to a visit of the 

 young Prince Pandukabhaya to Girikandasiva, uncle of a 

 rich Brahman, who, at a cost of 100,000 pieces of money, had 

 raised an army of 1,200 warriors to support the young prince's 

 claim to the succession. The words of the narrative are the 

 following : — 



" At that time Prince (Girikandasiva) was superintending 

 the reaping of a harvest of 100 karisa of land : his daughter, 

 named Pali, was a lovely princess. She, radient in beauty, 

 attended by a great retinue, and reclining in a palanquin, was 

 on her way taking a prepared repast for her father and the 

 reapers. * * * The princess, descending from her palan- 

 quin, * * presented the Prince (Pandukabhaya) with rice 

 in a golden dish." 



This, be it observed, occurred in the reign of Wijayo's 

 immediate successor. 



In the next reign but one, that of Devanampiya Tissa, 

 307 B.C., in an interchange of precious gifts, Dhammasoka 

 sent 160 loads of " hill paddy" from India to his friend in 

 Ceylon, accompanied by a diadem, a sword of state, a golden 

 vase, and a royal virgin, among other articles of great value. 

 The apparent incongruity of hill paddy in such company 

 is explained by the circumstance that it is said to have 

 been brought from some mysterious country by parrots. 

 At page 16 of the Mahdwansa it is described as "royal 

 food." 



