tanks, some in utter ruin, others recently repaired-
They were mostly of enormous dimensions,—worthy
monuments of Ceylon’s former greatness and civilization,—
and their number throughout the island, it is
said, can be counted by hundreds. Their restoration
by the Government is now rapidly progressing,
The ruins of Anarajapore are perhaps the most
interesting and stupendous of any hitherto excavated,,
and probably of the same period as those of Pollanarua,
commenced soon after the permanent establishment o f
Buddhism in Ceylon, which occurred B.C. 307. The
largest and finest dagoba is that called “ Thuparame,”
which must have been a wonderful structure before it
fell into partial ruin. Its circular platform of a diameter
of fifty feet, and fourteen feet from the ground,
is reached by stone steps from two opposite sides, and
the wall supporting it on the outside is built of brick,
embellished with mouldings and pilasters. The platform
is paved with large granite slabs, upon which
there are four concentric rows of graceful octagonal stone
columns, all monoliths of different height, no doubt
originally for the purpose of supporting an umbrellashaped
roof, forming part of the bell-tapering which
has always been a prominent feature in the architecture
of dagobas, resembling the pagodas of Burmah
and the topes of Afghanistan. These columns, whose
height was twenty-four feet the inner row, twenty-
two, nineteen, and fourteen, respectively, the other
three rows, had capitals decorated with grotesque
figures in every conceivable position, excepting the
third row which had eagles with outstretched wings
instead. The proportions of the columns, as well as
that of their individual distance from the centre, increasing
towards the outer ring, and the gap left
opposite the two approaches in the same ratio, are very
perfect, and could not possibly have been improved
upon, even by the Greeks.
There are many indications th a t the Thuparame
dagoba had been richly decorated throughout. All
the brick-work was originally covered with fine plaster
and ornamented with mouldings and figures; moreover,
the whole of the interior, roof, pillars, and altars had
probably been elaborately gilded and coloured, as is
pretty clearly proved by recent excavations of similar
structures most carefully made at Anarajapore and
elsewhere. The walls on each side of the stairs had
been covered with carved stone, portions of which are
still extant, representing figures bearing vases containing
the sacred lotus, reminding one of the wall-
omamentation of those magnificent monuments of
Upper Egypt and Assyria, in both of which the same
flower held such a prominent position. Raised portions