No. 54.— 1903.] KING KIRTI SRI'S EMBASSY TO SI AM. 33 
After performing our religious exercises at this holy place on the 
morning of Tuesday, which was the first quarter of the moon, the 
Siamese officers informed us that there were several other sites to be 
visited, and accompanied us a distance of about gaio ; here we 
worshipped at the innumerable images we found at the viharas and 
caves. One of the latter wound about in three directions and 
contained many images ; but the darkness was so intense that we were 
obliged to conduct our worship by torchlight. The caves and 
viharas here were to be counted by the thousand ; gilt dagabas 
crowned the summits of the mountains. At all these we worshipped 
and did our obeisance to the holy priests who had retired to live 
among them. Wherever we turned, as far as the eye could reach, on 
every level rock and cave, there appeared a gilt dagaba or an image ; 
and towards all these we worshipped. 
Round about were streams and mountain torrents of cool water and 
tanks and lakes with the banks carefully built up with stone and 
mortar. Among these we wandered, resting in delight beneath the 
shadow of the lofty trees, till we had made a circuit of this holy spot. 
We celebrated worship again this night and listened in the preaching- 
hall to a learned priest well versed in the Dharmma^ who discoux\sed from 
the commentaries on the lives of the great disciples of the Lord. The 
next day we worshipped again both morning and evening, and also 
again on Friday morning ; after which we bid farewell to the Great 
High Priests and the other priests who abode here, and immediately 
began the descent, accompanied by the Siamese officers. When we had 
left the sacred precincts behind we mounted our elephants and 
proceeded till we reached the river, where we joined the boats. We 
travelled all through the night, and about eight peyas before dawn on 
Saturday we reached our halting-place. 
On Monday morning three officers took us in boats up the river 
till we came to a vast stretch of fields. Here in innumerable running 
streams of cool water were growing the five kinds of lotus, — emhiil, 
upul^ olu, nelun, and malm net : encircled by these were three or four 
thousand amunams of fields and gardens, among which we wandered 
till sunset. The grain was in every stage ; the young shoot, the 
ripening ear, the flower, the tender corn, and some already mown. 
At last, when we had reached one of its boundaries, we were told in 
reply to our inquiries that this stretch of fields extended as far as the 
city of Ava. We then made our way by a cross road across the fields 
to the river and rowed over to the western bank. 
Thirteen fathoms further on was a spot where long ago a series of the 
kings of Siam had erected a three- storied temple with a great throne on 
which was placed a recumbent statue of the Buddha, with relics, as well 
as a standing figure ; but the river had burst the embankments, and the 
flood-water had reached within two fathoms of the temple gate. 
And so it came to pass that when his present majesty visited the 
spot in the twenty-fifth year of his anointing as king, he was greatly 
distressed ; and exerting his royal zeal he had the image safely carried 
by his strong men with the help of various engines a distance of 80 
fathoms to a spot where he had erected a new resting-place for its 
repose. Over this he also built a temple of three stages, which was 
adorned with gilding, and from the gate to the river over the 80 
fathoms that the image had been carried he erected a covered passage 
of one stage. He also built a preaching-hall and a new vihare, and 
D 29-03 
