52 Rock Inscription, 



hanging ledge of rock. The internal walls are ornamented 

 in the customary manner with crude vividly coloured paint- 

 ings, which pourtray the tortures to be endured in a future 

 state of existence by the wicked. A few mutilated but very 

 neatly carved Budhoos lying near the door way, and a half 

 ruined Dabgoba, completely the resemblance between this 

 and the hundred structures of a similar character to be met 

 with here. 



A flight of stairs rudely cut out of the solid rock leads to 

 the summit of the peak, from whence one obtains an exten- 

 sive view over a country flat and fertile in its general cha- 

 racter, but diversified by numerous isolated granitic groups. 

 On a precipitous face of rock opposite the banna maddooa, 

 I found that a space about four feet square had been brought 

 to a smooth surface and then covered with a long inscription, 

 partly in Singhalese and partly in Pali. Not having time to 

 copy the whole of this, the head priest obligingly caused it 

 to be transcribed on an ola which he presented to me on 

 the spot. This ola I placed at different times in the hands 

 of two well informed natives, and having compared the trans- 

 lations made by them, beg to lay the perfected English 

 version before the Society. 



It will be observed that the inscription is simply a grant 

 to the priests of this Vihare of certain villages and lands ( so 

 far as their produce is concerned) for the purpose of defraying 

 the ordinary expenses of the establishment. 



It is dated in the year Saka, 1701, which I believe corres- 

 ponds to 1779 A.D., and is stated to havebeen issued in accord- 

 ance with the wishes of the King, Kirti Sri Rajah Singha, 

 who, according to the Maha Wanse, reigned from 1747 to 

 1781, a statement in so far according with the inscription. 

 It is only necessary to add, that the arrangement of words 

 and clauses has been only so far altered as to make the 

 translation tolerably intelligible. 



