No. 43.— 1892.] 



PROCEEDINGS. 



and if this is correct, the king referred to in it was Parakrama 

 Bahu III.,* or else all our other authorities are wrong in the 

 date they assign to his grandfather, Parakrama II. 

 Again, it has the following reading : — 



Tawada bohodenatat pin purawana pinisa tama upan Nanbambara 

 sita Dambadeniyata satara gavuvaka ten pululin visi riyanak tenda 

 blieri talayak men tana kalu weli piya sudu weli atuta waduwen pas 

 riyanakata pili toranakda. 



from which it will be seen that Nanbambara was four 

 gavs off Dambadeniya. Modern copies cut this knot by 

 omitting the date 1824 A.B. as above quoted. 



Again, in foot-note on page 316 [of the English translation 

 of the] Mahdwansa, it is stated that the Mahdwansa seems 

 to have been expressly tampered with about this time.f 



As regards the birthplace of Parakrama II. we are in one 

 authority, No. 103 of my library and Descriptive Catalogue 

 (MSS.), expressly told that his birthplace was Kandawuru- 

 nuwara, the identity of which with Kandenuwara is gene- 

 rally admitted. The Kurunegala Vistare (a worthless little- 

 work in the main, but holding some old traditions) speaks of 

 his son's education by the Maha Tera of Asgiriya at Kandy, 

 and another little work, No. 389 of my library, mentions the 

 king's marriage in his 22nd year (whether natal or regnal ?) 

 to Sunetra Devi of the Giriwansa, whom I take to be the royal 

 princess from Asgiriya, assigned by tradition as instrumental 

 to the endowment of the Asgiriya Vihare at Kandy. 



I have not leisure to unpack my Pali books and refer to 

 my own copy of the Mahdwansa, but many copies are 

 available at Colombo. 



I may state that about twelve years ago I made some 

 personal researches at Dambadeniya, and then heard the 

 local tradition that the old palace was some miles off — I 

 forget how many — on a piece of land sold by the Crown 

 some years ago, and then owned by a Chetty, who had 

 removed the few stones of interest still left from the ruins 

 to Colombo ; but I did not visit the spot for want of time, 

 and so forgot its name. If this is Nanbambara, it-will support 

 further the proposed identification. 



Without at all questioning the identification proposed for 

 Sirivaddhanapura, I wish to say that at present I regard it 



* Parakrama Bahu III., 1288-93 A.D. {Mahdwansa editors), 1314-19 A.D„ 

 (Tumour). — B., Hon. Sec. 



t What is really stated in the note (J p. 316) is that there are, as the 

 translator thinks, " strong grounds for suspicion " that the narrative of the 

 reign of Parakrama Bahu III. [grandson of Parakrama Bahu II. of Siri- 

 varddhanapura] has been tampered with to suppress one disgraceful 

 incident. — B., Hon. Sec. 



64-92 F 



