No. 63.— 1910.] 
TANTRI-MALAi. 
Si 
and beginning of the fourth century a.d., and in these he is 
variously called Senanaka and Naka. So, if my view of this 
can be accepted, we get third-fourth for first-second century. 
In other caves at Billewa* there are inscriptions of various 
dates. They can only be judged by the form of the script ; 
but two appear to belong to a period at least as early 
as the first century B.C. So we have in one place lithic records 
covering a period of about 400 years. If I am correct in this 
it must greatly detract from the value of the bricks as data. 
We have no means of judging to which part of this 400 
years they belong, save by their own intrinsic characteristics ; 
but as they are given as data this would be mere moving in 
a circle. 
It is with reluctance that I disbelieve a theory so well 
calculated to solve many of Ceylon's archaeological puzzles ; 
but I am convinced that brick measurements as criteria of 
dates must be accepted with the greatest caution, f 
APPENDIX A. 
Paintings found in Caves. 
Plate I. — A: Group consisting of the sun and three figures, 
two human and the third doubtful, from the roof of a small cave 
at Tantri-malai. B : Group of animals or birds and two human 
figures, apparently of an adult and a child, from a large cave at 
Tantri-malai. 
Plate II. — Group from the same cave. The central figure is a 
leopard with red and black spots ; the figure standing behind it is 
* Mr. Bell (Archl. Report, 1896) calls it Billewa, and so it sounded to 
me ; Mr. Parker calls it Millewa ; but we all mean the same place. 
f Mr. Still's view is supported by the Archaeological Commissioner. 
After many years' examination of brick ruins of all ages, mostly in the 
North-Central Province, Mr. Bell has had reluctantly to abandon the 
brick theory," except to the very limited degree of the broad generali- 
zation, arrived at by Mr. Still independentlj. , that " old bricks are large 
and newer bricks smaller." All bricks of 18 in. in length and upwards 
indubitably belong, with extremely rare exceptions, to an early period.— 
B., Ed. Sec. 
