No. 63. — 1910.] AGE OF SRI PARAKRAMA BAHU VI. 
31 
to us the memory. " Tliis king had no son, but liad a daughter 
who was married to Cholca Raya of the race of the ancient 
kings, by whom he had a son, whom his grandfather swore in 
as heir to the throne. In the time of this king there arrived 
at the city of Cota (Kotte) from the opposite coast a panicaP- 
of the caste of those kings, a man of great activity and sagacity, 
whom the king welcomed, and married him to a woman of rank, 
by whom he had two sons and a daughter ; these lads were 
brought up in companionship with the prince (i.e., Jayavira^), 
with whom there was also a first cousin of these lads, the son 
of a sister of his mother's. These three lads grew up, and 
came to have such power in the kingdom, that the king noticed 
in them a change of disposition, from which he feared that 
on his death they would murder his grandson.^ And dissem- 
bling in regard to this, he resolved to separate them, which he 
did, commanding the two brothers to go and subject for liim 
the king of Jaffnapatao, which had rebelled against him, 
conferring on the elder one, who was called Queba Permal 
(Champaka Perumal), the title of king of that dominion with 
the obligation of vassalage. This man, who was a very great 
horseman, and of the greatest size and strength of any of that 
time, in a few days made himself master of that dominion." * 
Before closing the record of this reign one important act 
of civil administration deserves to be noted. When he had 
consolidated the country Sri Parakrama Bahu appears to have 
placed on a proper basis the taxation of the country. There 
is no information available from which we can ascertain the 
basis on which the adjustment proceeded. However, it is 
probable that the reform was of far-reaching effect, though 
the priestly chronicler would have us believe that it was 
1 Ordinarily Panical or Panikar is indentical with the class of 
*' fencing-masters " or "astrologers" {vide Hobson-Johson). I am inclined 
to think that Panical here is the proper name Pannikan, common in the 
neighbouring coast. Besides, Panical is described as being a member 
of the royal caste, which he would not be if he belonged to the class of 
" fencing-masters" or panicals. 
2 Son of Ulakudaya Devi and the grandson and heir-apparent of Sri 
Parakrama Bahu VI. 
3 An apprehension which subsequent events justified. 
^ De Couto, Journ., R.A.S. (C.B.), vol. XX., pp. 08 and 69, 
