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



as " not proven." There is, as I said, much contradiction 

 over the history of this period, and I have briefly pointed 

 out some of the facts known to me, in the hope that they 

 may assist in the discussion. 



5. Mr. W. P. RanesinGHE read some notes on the same 

 subject : — 



I found some learned men to be decidedly of opinion 

 that the Sirivaddhanapura mentioned in chapter LXXXV. 

 of the Mahdivansa is Kandy. I was therefore lead 

 to study the question more closely. I examined several 

 manuscripts — one of them a very old one — and the words 

 [verse 5] in every one of them are addha yojanusabha 

 (qs«D& @c&ac5<jges«B) " half a yojana and one usabha" and the 

 Pali printed work has the same words, so that the English 

 translation [p. 286] is not warranted by the text. 



Now, the next question is, whether there is any further 

 evidence in the Mahdwansa itself as to the situation of this 

 city. I think there is, though not quite convincing.* 



From verses 30-2 we learn that the distance translated as 

 being " eight yojanas and one isba " (really " half a yojana 

 and one usabha") was a street. It is there called "the 

 decorated highway." 



In verse 32 it is stated that after the procession arrived at 

 this place the king made preparations to have offerings made. 

 In verse 33 it is said that in the morning the people began 

 to make offerings of flowers, &c, to the relics. Though the 

 time is not mentioned when the procession started, it would 

 from this seem that it was on the morning of the next day 

 that offerings were begun to be made. 



Next we find the king engaged in repairing temples at 

 Kurunegala, Attanagalla, and lastly he goes to Dondra, and 

 repairs the temple of Vishnu there, and returns. Where ? 

 Not to Kandy, where the relics were supposed to have been, 

 but to Dambadeniya. It is not likely that a king like 

 Pandita Parakrama Bahu, who was a very zealous Buddhist, 

 wouid have allowed these relics to remain at Kandy, a dis- 

 tance, as is supposed, of 96 or 97 miles, | and remained at 

 Dambadeniya. 



Then we read that he built a temple at Dambadeniya, and 

 placed the relics in it. There is no ceremony observed in this 

 instance in bringing the relics back from Kandy, supposing 

 they were there. 



* Before going into that question I have first to point out that the 

 words in the English translation [p. 286, verses 1,2] "and endowed ?"£ 

 with great possessions. It consisted of stately houses and open halls," 

 &c, refer to the Malid Vihare, or Great Temple, and not to the city. 



f Eight yojanas and one usaoha would make the distance a little more 

 than one hundred and: one miles. 



