No. 63.— 1910.] 
TANTRI-MALAI. 
93 
length of the building. The roof is flat, and is similarly made of 
cut stones. Cornices of carved stone project on the outside edge. 
There is a tradition that ancient manuscripts were kept in this 
" book house " (S. Pot-ge), and a copy of a portion of the MaJid- 
wansa is said to have been found in it about a hundred years ago. 
At the base of the rock and immediately below the ' ' book house " 
is an oblong chamber, 11| ft. long, cut into the solid rock to a 
depth of 7| ft. It is not a chamber built up on the slope of a 
rock, as is usually found, but is cut square into solid rock. The 
front must have been closed in by cut stones, part of which still 
remain in position. 
The remains of an old palace \_siG\ similar to those at Anuradha- 
pura are to be found on the rock on the opposite side to this 
chamber. 
On the slope of another rock is the recumbent figure of Buddha 
carved out of the solid rock, standing out slightly ; and scattered 
about are pillars, &c. There is also an old b6-tree surrounded by 
a very old dry stone wall. 
I had to give up further exploration on account of heavy rain. 
Four holes in rock above chamber to let beams in, pillars, &c. , 
showing that there was a room in front of the chamber. The size 
of the book house is, height 5 ft., 5 ft. broad, and 5 ft. long, by 
rough measurement. 
A Buddhist priest from the Seven Korales, Kurunegala District, 
came and asked for permission to occupy and improve Tantri- 
malai, as pilgrims were in the habit of going there, and that he 
wished to testore the place with the aid of alms and contribution. 
He said he had a book in his village containing a full description 
of Tantri-malai. He described it as an old history of the place. 
It stated that the stone chamber on top of the rock was a ' ' book 
house," and that it was rifled of its contents during the time of 
the Dutch. 
Asked the priest to produce the history, and said that I would 
recommend to Govermnent the granting of the rocks to him, 
provided he gave some guarantee that he would restore the 
place. — Diary, December 18. J889- 
C. A. MURBAY, 
Government Agent , 
North -Central Province. 
VI. 
The Tantri-malai ruins have been described by Mr. Haughton 
in his Diary of July, 1883, but his description of the sitting Buddha 
and surrounding figures is not quite right. 
The " guardians " on each side of the central figure are on a level 
with its shoulders, and underneath each of them is a makara 
(mythical aniTial composed out of a crocodile, an elephant, 
