"TEMPLE OF BOODHOO AT VILLIGAAM.

MA

ARCH 30,-We came to Villigaam or Billigāām, a place of fome confideration, near a bay of the coafts; houfes are scattered about, among the trees and cocoa woods, which obftruct all view, and give the idea of a thick planted grove or garden rather than of a village. Being defirous of feeing a Cingalefe temple here of fome repute, I was conducted by a winding road of about half a mile to a fmall eminence enclosed at top by a low ftone wall, furmounted by a kind of balustrade, in the midst of thick furrounding groves. At the gate, to which we afcended by fome fteps, the priests received and conducted me to the door of the temple: they were bare-headed, and their hair cut clofe; they had none of the diftinguishing marks worn by the Hindus on the forehead; their garment confifted of a cloth of a dufky fnuff colour, which folded round the body and defcended to the feet; their dark complexions and inanimate features exhibited no symptom of fuperior intelligence, of deep pene

tration, or of keen genius; nor did any of that mild cast of countenance, or chaftened refigned features, which fometimes diftinguifh the recluse or devotee of every nation, appear here; neither fevere nor fhy, their looks rather indicated a kind of apathy or indifference. The building had no decorations without; a clofe gallery ran round the body of it, to which only one door opened, that rendered it fo clofe, for want of fresh air, with the ftrong fumes of the oil of feveral lamps burning, and the aromatic odour of yellow flowers, profufely fcattered on a raifed terrace before the idol, that. it almost overcame me on entering the interior apartment. On our being introduced, a curtain which enclosed the fhrine was drawn back, and the figure of Boodhoo, of a gigantic fize, reclining at full length on his fide, was at once difplayed. His head lay on a pillow, fupported by one hand, the other extended on his body; the habit was very simple, of a faffron colour, covering him from the neck to the heels; and the only decoration was a kind of plain belt across the body. This ftatue was about L3 eighteen

eighteen feet long, and well proportioned; but whether made of wood or of compofition I could not learn. The countenance was mild and full, and the top of the head painted to reprefent the hair in feveral fmall curls of a black colour. This was the grand idol of the place; but on approaching it, placed thus at full length on a raised terrace on which feveral lamps and a profufion of flowers were placed, no external figns of adoration or respect were shown by the priests. In a corner of the room was a smaller figure reprefented fitting crofs-legged on a coiled fnake, the expanded head of which fhaded him. From the -fame habit and the fame rotund turn of feature, it was eafy to fee that Boodhoo was alfo here reprefented. A female figure, the natural fize, decently, and not ungracefully, arrayed in the fame garb, was reprefented standing in another corner, and holding a lamp in the extended hand. In a third corner ftood a male figure faid to reprefent Vistnhu: and in the fourth Rama Swamy, of a dark blue colour, and diftinguished by his peculiar attributes of feveral hands and the correfpondent Hindu ornaments of bracelets, rings, and chains. How a figure fo totally different in its drefs and ornaments came to be placed here, I was not, for want of an interpreter, able to learn. We may however conclude, that the votaries of Boodhoo do not exclude the worship of the other Avatars. The gallery which fan round the inner apartment was entirely covered with paintings, in compartments rudely fimihed, each apparently containing the hiftory of fome event of the life of Boodhoo: thefe, they told me, were also narrated in a

great book always kept by the moodtlier of the place: one of thefe paintings feemed to reprefent the birth of the divine "child; others reprefented his youthful adventures; fome of which feemed akin to the fportive Kishen's amufements on the plains of Muttra. In one, a youth held earnest converse with a nymph, among deep fhades and woods, while a monkey, hid by the branches of a tree, feemed to liften with mifchievous intent: in another, the God appeared as a youth flyly ftealing and diftributing handfuls of coin from a cheft, towards which an aged man approached with cautious fteps, holding a huge key in his hand: on others procesfrons appeared: feafts feemed prepared; food was diftributed to the poor of various nations (as appeared by their various habits); and the different habits and manners of men in active life were pourtrayed. A large white elephant made a confpicuous figure in most of these aflemblies. The ftyle or coftume of thefe paintings was entirely different from that of the Hindus on the peninfula, and plainly belonged to a different people, though they undoubtedly fhowed those of the Cingalefe and the followers Boodhoo. On obferving in thefe reprefentations, chairs, tables, metal lamps, and raifed feats, fuch as are ufed by the present race inhabiting the coaft of the European part of Ceylon, which I had at firft fuppofed they had borrowed from their prefent mafters, I reflected that thefe indicated a connexion with the nations to the eastward which fill use them, and that custom fo widely different from that of the Hindus, who always feat themfelves on carpets, or cloths fpread on the ground, might have been imported from China,

Siam, or Pegu, with their other customs and religion."

"Without the temple, but within the enclosure, was a folid building, with a cupola-figured roof: it had no opening whatever; within it they told us Bood hoo was interred, or rather the facred elephant.

"On my expreffing a wifh to be poffeffed of a book containing the history and drawings of the deeds of Boodhoo, the priests informed me, through a very indifferent interpreter, that it could not be copied off within a fortnight, but they promised to have a drawing of the principal figure ready on my return from Matura.

"They were as good as their promife; for on my return on the evening of the 31st March, they had ready for me the outlines of the principal figure of Boodhoo, with fome account of it, in the Cingalefe character.

"Near a mile from Matura we were shown another temple of Boodhoo, in the deep receffes of woods and fhrubs, the whole country being covered with them, and the habitations difperfed among thefe enclosed by gardens and little plantations. This temple, or rather houfe, was decorated in front with flowering trees and fhrubs; among which was a clump of bamboos, remarkable for being of a bright yellow colour, with fmall ftripes of green branching from below the joints. The priests, with much complaifance, permitted us to cut one as a fpecimen, and prefented us with flowers, among which.was the yellow moogry. Within was an image of Boodhoo, and feveral other figures illuminated by lamps and inclofed by curtains, as at the other temples. In like manner the terrace or raised altar was covered with flowers, and the walls with

paintings. The drefs of the priests was the fame as already defcribed, an orange or tawny-coloured cloth enveloped the body, the colour decaying turned to a kind of fnuff colour.

"We were conducted by a narrow ftair-cafe to an upper room, wherein was placed a painting of one of the figures below, (a female,) but we could not get a diftinct account of it from want of an interpreter.

"The head priests of these temples, we understand, were called terrinanie. The inferior orders ga ninnanra.

"Ruins of a Hindu Temple (or Dewullum) on Dewunder-head, or Diví-nóor, (called in the Charts Dunder-head, the Southerly Point of Ceylon.)

"About three miles from Matura, the road paffing along the feabeach of the bay formed by the promontory to the east, we afcended a gentle declivity clothed with woods of various kinds of trees, but chiefly the cocoa, and in about a mile's walk came to a Cingalefe temple of a circular shape, of about 160 feet in circumference and twelve high, forming a terrace, from the centre of which rose a bell-shaped fpire, crowned with a fmaller cone, on a fquare pedestal, the height of the whole fupposed to be thirty feet; a parapet ran round this terrace, to which a door and ftair-cafe led up; and here, expofed to the open air, as we approached foon after fun-rife, we obferved fome Cingalefe men and women walking round, bending and inclined towards the fpire, apparently praying: they retired before we afcended the fteps. A fmall thatched but disfigured a corner of the terrace, which feemed defigned to lodge one of the priests,

who received us as ufual with complaifance. No figures, infcriptions, nor any thing elfe remarkable, appeared, excepting a fingle granite pillar four feet high placed on end, perhaps intended to receive a lamp at night. This ftructure we were told was folid; it had no doors, windows, or any opening: they faid one of the teeth of the facred elephant was buried in it. It was, on a large fcale, what the fpire within the inclofure at Billigaam was in miniature, and feems to be the peculiar fhape of a fhrine or appendage of a temple of Boodhoo.

"After a fhort view we were -conducted from thence to the feabeach of Dewonder-head, fcarcely 1400 yards diftant, by a gradual defcent along a walk or avenue in the woods; in walking over this ground, feveral remains of ancient buildings refembling the Carnatic temples ftruck us forcibly, and induced as narrow an infpection as could be made in a couple of hours.

"Clofe to the beach we find the firft avenue or building, probably defigned for the ufe of the devotees, immediately before or after ablution in the sea, which is not above forty yards off; the defcent over the bank is not difficult, though the coaft below is lined with maffes of granite washed by the waves. It confifts of a colonade of fixteen pillars of granite about nine feet high, the four centre ones of which only are cut to regular form with bafes and capitals: it exactly fronts the line of the avenue to the temple on the height on its north fide are pillars alfo fculptured, forming an exact fquare with the two central ones of the colonade, in the centre of which is a fquare opening of about two and a half feet, on the fides faced with ftone,

but nearly filled up with earth; this feems to have been the fituation of the interior recefs where the object of worship was placed, of which and of the roof no veftige remains.

Proceeding thence by an easy afcent, we crofs the ruins of a wall, probably the inclosure of the grand temple, marked by feveral pillars and upright ftones; but no fculptures are to be seen till we reach the Cingalefe temple, nearly fronting which stands the inner portal of a Hindu temple, confifting of two upright ftones fupporting a cross one, all carved on one face, with ornaments fimilar to those of the interior parts of the pagodas on the coaft; the centre of the cross stone occupied by a fierce fantastic head, the fides by a running border of foliage, and the bafement fupported by figures exactly in the fame style and taste.

"To the left of the Cingalefe building are more ruins, evidently the remains of other temples: the fteps leading up to the raised floors of thefe are decorated with the heads of elephants, carved out of ftones placed on either fide; an ornament frequently to be obferved in Hindu temples, as the entrances of Egyptian building were ornamented with those of the fphynx.

Near these we meet a deep well, acrofs the mouth of which was placed a flat granite ftone, with a perforation of fix inches fquare through its centre, between the figure of the prints of two feet raifed on the stone: the figure occupying the left of the tone is fcooped out to the depth of two feet. It is probable this well was inclofed within fome of the buildings now no longer exifting; its ule does not appear; the cross

ftone

ftone was too heavy to be eafily moved, and occupies too much room to admit of water being drawn from it for any common ufe; the figures carved on it indicate fome connexion with the lingam and phallus; and may furnish a key to the object of worship here.

"On narrowly examining thefe remains, little doubt remained in my mind that this was the fite of an ancient Hindu temple, on the ruins of which the Cingalefe building was raifed at a much later period. The revolutions of religion, in which the first was overturned and almost every veftige of its worfhip destroyed, to make room for the other, would probably be explained by the Cingalefe hiftory, an abstract of which is published in Valentyn's book, under the article Ceylon.

"The name of the place Divin-oor Dewalla, favours the opinion; and when we recollect the partiality of the Hindus to build their religious ftructures in places near the fea, to water, to the spring heads of rivers on the tops of remarkable hills, and mountains and fituations favourable to retirement from the world, and to purer ablutions, according to their ideas; in places to which the extraordinary length and toil of the journey attached a fuperior degree of merit; as inftanced in the pilgrimages to Jagarnat and Ramifur; to the wilds of Purwut tum; to Tripetty; to the fources of the Godavery at Trimbuck Naffer, and of the Kiftna at Balifur; we need not be furprifed to find a fane of Mahadeo reared on the utmoft bounds of Lankadeep, and their habitable world; and thall be ready to fuppofe that the ablutions at the furthest point of Ramifur became the greatesft extent of their

pilgrimages only, when revolutions, of which we have yet, no diftin&t accounts, and the introduction of a foreign religion and nation into Ceylon, rendered the pilgrimage to Devinoor no longer practicable.

"We may then fuppofe that, previous to the introduction of the Cingalefe language from the caftward, that of the Hindus in one of its dialects prevailed. Some of the Dutch now tell us, (as Baldeus did long ago) that the inhabitants of Ceylon from Chilaw north, and round to Batacaloa on the east, fpeak the Malabar (or Tamul); while the Cingalefe to the fouthward, and the Candians, fpeak the language faid to be derived from Siam. In examining many of the names of places throughout the ifland, we find many apparently derived from the Hindu languages; and, judging by analogy, may infer that this was prior to the other, from giving names defcriptive of certain qualities peculiar to these places-a rule as applicable in India, where the names of all the remarkable rivers, towns, and hills, are thus derived from a language defcriptive of their qualities or hiftory, as to the north and west of Europ, where the Celtic language is traced in the fame manner; and particularly in our native iflands of Britain, where the original inhabitants may be traced, from many of the names, after various revolutions, and fucceffive fettlements of Romans, Saxons, Danes, Normans, and Germans.

"The head man of the village, a Cingalefe, who could give no account of the origin of the ruins, propofed to conduct us to another, to which we went by a path winding among the woods about three quarters of a mile distant, gradnally

afcending