About forty miles due east of Damboul is Pollanarua,
the capital a couple of centuries prior to the former,
and in order to reach it, especially owing to the overflown
rivers, I had to undergo many trials and great
fatigue. Here are some very remarkable remains of
an early civilization, in fact an entire town is being
excavated in the depth of the forest. The Gal-Vihara
is a rock-hewn temple after the manner of those of
Ellora, indicating some good sculpture, but completely
ruined. This, and another I shall presently mention,
were supposed to be the only examples of that style of
architecture in Ceylon; which, however, may be
doubted, and we shall probably hear of others by-and-
by, since the unearthing of several of the old Singhalese
towns has been seriously taken in hand by the
Government. At the Gal-Vihara there is, leaning
against its outer wall, a reclining figure of Gautama,
forty-five feet in length, similar to those found in
Burmah and Siam, also an upright one of twenty-three
feet, and a sitting image sixteen feet in height.
The Agiria-Vihara at Pollanarua is another fine
specimen of enormous size and excellent proportions,
the north side of which still exists in its entire length,
and has all the resemblance of the ruins of a splendid
palace richly ornamented with pilasters, recesses, and
carvings of every description, now covered with shrubs
and creepers, giving it a very picturesque appearance.
Pollanarua, being the very hot-bed of fever, I got
out of it as soon as possible, and my route now lay
through forests and vast sandy plains, here and there
dotted with low jungle and swamps, sterile deserts, but
rarely relieved by fertile valleys or tracts of patanas,
coarse wiry grass affording pasture for cattle, so common
in most parts of Ceylon.
Anarajapore was the capital of the Singhalese kings
from B.C. the fifth to a .d . the eighth century, and is
situated N. Lat. 8 , and E. Long. 80, or very nearly so.
Its site, by the way, has recently been selected for the
seat of Government of the newly-created North-Central
province. In the eighth century, owing to encroachments
by the Malabars into the northern district,
Pollanarua became the capital, and after that Damboul,
as already stated ; then between 1266 and 1410 half a
dozen other towns took their place, when Kandy
was chosen as the residence of the native king. As
early as a .d . 477 the Singhalese built a fort of great
strength and beauty upon a high rock, called “ Sihagiri,”
situated near the centre of the island.
Already on the road to Anarajapore, as well as in
its immediate neighbourhood, I noticed a great many