CHAPTER XX.
CHAPTER XX.
Arrival in Ceylon — Visits the King at Battala — Natural productions — Pearls — Obtains permission
to visit Adam's Peak — Arrives at Manar Mandall — Port of Salawat—Kanhar, the capital of
Ceylon, described — Mosque of the Sheikh Othman — The Emperor Kinar : his vohite elephant
— large rubies found all over Ceylon — Description of the cave Ista Mahmud — Buzuta
Monkies — Estuary of reeds — Old womans house— Cave of Baba Tahir — Of Sibak— The fierce
leech— The seven caves — Ridge of Alexander — Description of Adam's Beak— Customs of PiU
grims — Fish Port — Village of Karkun — Cf Dildinuh — Of At Kalanja — City of Dinaur Great
Idol-Temple, with Brahmins, Jogees, and daughters of the Nobility — Kali — Kalambu
Battala.
When we sailed, however, the wind changed upon us, and we were
near being lost ; but arrived at last at the ® island of Ceylon, a place well
known, and in which is situated the mountain of ’ Serendib. This appeared
to us like a pillar of smoke, when we were at a distance of nine days from
it.* When we got near the land, we saw a harbour, into which we endea-
voured to put, but were threatened by the Reis, who was in a ship. The
reason of this was, the harbour was in a district belonging to an infidel
prince, who had no intercourse with the captains of Mohammedan vessels,
as other infidel princes had. He was likewise a very stupid being. He
had also ships with which he occasionally transported his troops against
the Mohammedans. Beside all this, we were in danger of drowning,
unless we could enter the port : I said to the Reis, therefore. Allow
me to come on shore, and I will ensure thy safety, and that of those
about thee, with the King. To this he consented, and myself, with some
of my followers only, were brought on shore. The infidels then came about
us and said : What are you ? I answered, I am a relation of the King of
the Maabar districts, and am on a voyage to visit him : whatever is in the
* Knox says, “ it is sharp like a sugar-loaf.” — Ceylon, p. 5.
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CEYLON.
ship, is a present for the King of the Maabar. They then went to their
king, and told him this. He therefore sent for me, and I went to him.
He is king of the city of *Battala,* which is small, and surrounded by two
wooden fences. The whole of its shore abounds with ‘cinnamon wood,
bakam, and the "kalanjl aloe;t which, however, is not equal to the
" Kamarl, or the Kakull, in scent. The merchants of Malabar and the
Maabar districts transport it without any other price than a few articles of
clothing, which are given as presents to the king. This may be attributed
to the circumstance, that it is brought down by the mountain torrents, and
left in great heaps upon the shore. Between this city and the Maabar
districts, there is a voyage of one day and night. The king of Ceylon,
"Ayari Shakarti, by name, has considerable forces by sea. When I was
first admitted to his presence, he rose and received me honourably, and
. ^ ^ . jjii y . ^
* Perhaps the Batticalaw of Knox, which he expressly tells us lies to the westtvard of the
island, while the maps place Batticaloa (which I suppose must mean the same place) to the
eastward. — Ceylon, p. 3.
f The Medical Dictionary of Ibn Hosain speaks of -the Kakuli in the following terms :
f-Vx* bo ^ ^ tXijbo * bj ^
, Jyj j Jjti jJ Ojj The Kakuli is a plant like the Alkali. In
taste it is salt and astringent; its stone, as Ibn Imran says, is like the Dodder plant in operation:
it is of a warm and dry nature : and Edrisi, speaking of Fandaraina says (8th part of the 2d climate),
I cbo ^biAj ^ bAj)
AjibiJl i_5;i!b j^r^\ ji*ll
. AibiJl j Into this place put the merchant vessels from
the islands of India and Sindia. On the north of it is a very high hill, abounding in trees, with
villages and cattle : about the skirts of it grows the kakula, and hence is transported to other
parts of the earth. This plant is of all things the most like to the shahranj placentarum
genus? Castell). The Kamiirl or Kiniari, is, according to Golius, so called from a place
namedjU.j Kimar, in India. Ibn Batuta tells us, a little farther on, that both aiiljs Kakula
and ^b*j Kamara, the places where these plants are produced, are situated in Java
Mul Java).
Knox tells us, that the cinnamon-tree grows wild in the woods as other trees, and by them
no more esteemed. It is as much in plenty as hazel in England, &c. — Ceylon, p. 31. On the
aloes, &c., see Knox, pp. 36, &c. ; edition by Philalethes, p. 5 and 7, &c.
CEYLON.
185
said : You are to be my guest for three days. Security shall be forwarded
to the people of the ship, because your relation, the King of the Maabar,
is my friend. After thanking him, I remained with him, and was treated
with increasing respect.
One day, when I was admitted to his presence, he had with him a great
number of pearls, which had been brought from the pearl-fishery, and
these his companions were sorting. He asked me, whether I had ever seen
pearl-diving, in any country which I had visited. I said, yes, I had, in
the island of "Flnas. He said: Do not be shy; ask for what you wish.
I answered : My only desire in coming to this island was, to visit the
blessed foot of our forefather Adam;* whom these people call Baba, while
they style Eve, Mama. This, replied he, is ea^ enough. We will send
some one with you, who shall conduct you thither. The ship (said I)
which brought me here, shall return to the Maabar ; and Avhen I return, you
shall send me there in one of your ships. He answered. It shall be so.
When I told this to the commander of the ship, he refused to accede to it ;
and said, I will wait for you, should you be absent a whole year. This I
told to the King, who said: He may stay at my charge until you return.
He then gave me a palanquin, which his servants carried upon their
shoulders. He also sent with me four Jogees, who were in the habit of
visiting the foot-mark every year ; with these went four Brahmins, and ten
of the King’s companions, with fifteen men carrying provisions. As to
water, there is plenty of it to be found on the road. We then proceeded
on our journey; and on the first day crossed a river in a boat made of
reeds, and entered the city of * Manar Mandall, which is handsome, and
situated at the extremity of the territory of the infidel king, who had
entertained and sent us out. We then proceeded to the port of ‘’Salawat,
* This is, without doubt, the foot of some Buddh, as already noticed, p. 30. Knox says
of this hill, “ On the south side of Conde Uda is a hill, supposed to be the highest on this
island, called in the Chingulay language Hamalell, but by the Portuguese and European nations
Adam’s Peak. It is sharp like a sugar-loaf, and on the top a flat stone, with the print of a
foot like a man’s on it, but far bigger, being about two feet long. The people of this land count
it meritorious to go and worship this impression,” &c., — Ceylon, p. 5. The Cingalese assert,
that the foot-mark is that of Buddh. Ib. p. 144 ; Addition, pp. 210, 215.
2 B
186
CEYLON.
which is a small town. The roads, however, over which we travelled,
were rough and abounding with water.* * * § In these there were many ele-
phants: but they never touched either pilgrims or strangers, in conse-
quence of the blessing obtained by the Sheikh '^Abu Abd Allah Ibn
Khafif, the first who opened this road of pilgrimage to the foot. The infidels
would not formerly allow the Mohammedans to make this pilgrimage, but in-
jured them ; nor would they either sell, or give them any thing to eat. But
when it happened that the elephants killed all the companions of this Sheikh,
one of them sparing and carrying him on his back from among the moun-
tains to an inhabited district, the infidels ever after thought highly of the
Mohammedans, admitted them into their houses, and fed them. And to
this very day they speak of the Sheikh in the most extravagant terms of
respect, and call him the greatest Sheikh. ”j* After this we arrived at the
city of Kankar,;]: which is the seat of the Emperor of Ceylon. It is built
in a valley between two hills, upon an estuary called the estuary of rubies,
and in which rubies are found. Without the city is the mosque of the
^Sheikh Othman of Shiraz, which both the Emperor and the people of the
city visit, and for which they have great respect.
The Emperor is an infidel, and is known by the name of ^Kinar.§ He
has a white elephant, upon which he rides on feast days, having first
placed on his head some very large rubies. This is the only white elephant
* Knox says, “ the king careth not to make his country easy to travel, but desires to keep it
intricate.” — Ceylon, p. 5.
f According to Knox, a certain former king granted permission to the Mohammedans to
build a mosque at Candy, with other privileges. — Ceylon, p. 171. See the notes, p. 42.
:j; This is, "perhaps, a corruption of the Tattanour of Knox, “ in which,” he says, “ stands
the royal and chief city Candi.” — Ceylon, p. 3. The district of Canducarre (which approaches
nearer in sound to our word), might, indeed, have been the seat of royalty in his times.
§ According to the list of Emperors subjoined to Knox’s Ceylon, p. 340, Dalam Agali Raja
must have ruled Ceylon at this time ; his reign continuing from A.D. 1327 to 1347. The name
Agali, however, seems much nearer in sound to our Ayarl case, either our
traveller or the author of that list has mistaken a Governor for the Emperor. All that can
be said, perhaps, is that the coincidence in the name is curious. Knox tells us, however, that
this country formerly consisted of nine kingdoms. — Ceylon, p. 63.
CEYLON.
187
I had ever seen.* The ruby and * carbuncle are found only in this country.
These are not allow^ed to be exported, on account of the great estimation in
which they are held : nor are they elsewhere dug up. But the ruby is
found all over Ceylon. It is considered as property, and is sold by the
inhabitants. When they dig for the ruby, they find a white stone abound-
ing with fissures. Within this the ruby is placed. They cut it out, and give
it to the polishers, who polish it until the ruby is separated from the stone.
Of this there is the red, the yellow, and the cerulean. They call it the
'‘Manikam.l It is a custom among them, that every ruby amounting in
value to six of the golden dinars current in those parts, shall go the Em-
peror, who gives its value and takes it. What falls short of this goes to his
attendants. All the women in the island of Ceylon have traces of coloured
rubies, which they put upon their hands and legs as chains, in the place of
bracelets and ancle-rings. I once saw upon the head of the white elephant
seven rubies, each of which was larger than a hen’s egg. I also saw in the
possession of the king ^ Ayarl Shakarti, a saucer made of ruby, as large as the
palm of the hand, in which he kept oil of aloes. I was much surprised at
it, when the King said to me. We have them much larger than this.
We then proceeded from Kankar, and came to a cave known by the name
of ™Ista Mahmud, then to the estuary of ”Buzuta,;|, which in their language
signifies monkies, animals which are in great numbers in the mountains of
these parts. These monkies are black, and have longtails : the beard of the
males is like that of a man. I was told by the Sheikh Othman and his son,
two pious and credible persons, that the monkies have a leader, whom
they follow as if he were their king. About his head is tied a turban com-
* Knox saw an elephant in the king’s possession “ spotted or speckled all the body over.”
Ceylon, p. 41.
f This is most likely a Sanscrit or Pali word, although we do not find it in Mr. Wilson’s
Sanscrit Dictionary. It is to be found, however, in the Bengali Vocabulary of Mr. Forster, as
well as in the Bengali Dictionary of Dr. Carey, the latter of whom gives it in the -two following
forms, viz. and maniko and manikyo, a precious stone, a ruby. Every tra-
veller, I believe, bears testimony to the production of precious stones of this sort in this island,
but I believe they are not very valuable.
J This appears to me to be a corruption of the Persian word tuji buzna, a monkey. See
Knox’s Ceylon, pp. 49-50, who describes them as exceedingly daring and mischievous.
2 B 2
188
CEYLON.
posed of the leaves of trees ; and he reclines upon a staff. At his right and
left hand are four monkies, with rods in their hands, all of which stand at
his head whenever the leading monkey sits. His wives and children are
daily brought in on these occasions, who sit down before him ; then comes
a number of monkeys, which sit and form a sort of assembly about him.
One of the four monkeys then addresses them, and they disperse. After this
each of them comes with a "nut, a lemon, or some of the mountain fruit,
which he throws down before the leader. He then eats, together with his
wives, children, and the four principal monkeys ; they then all disperse.
One of the Jogees also told me, that he once saw the four monkeys standing
in the presence of the leader, and beating another monkey with rods ; after
this they plucked off all his hair. I was also told by respectable persons,
that if one of these monkeys happens to attack, and be too strong for a
young woman, he will ravish her.
We next proceeded to the ^’estuary of reeds, where rubies are also
found. The next place we arrived at is known by The house of the
old woman,” which is the farthest inhabited part of the island of Ceylon.
Our next stage was the cave of ’ Baba Tahir, who was one of the pious :
the next, the cave of * Sibak, an infidel king, who retired to this place for
the purposes of devotion. Here we saw the ‘fierce leech, which they call
the“zalaw. It remains in trees, or in the grass near water. When any
one comes near to it, it springs upon him, and the part of the body attacked
will bleed profusely. People generally provide themselves with a lemon
for this occasion, which they squeeze over him, and then he drops off.
The place upon which the leech has fastened they cut out with a wooden
knife made for that purpose.
It is told of a pilgrim who passed by this place, that a leech fastened
upon him, so that the skin swelled ; and, as he did not squeeze the lemon
on him, the blood flowed out and he died.*
* Knox describes these leeches as being rather troublesome than dangerous ; his words are :
“ There is a sort of leeches of the nature of ours, only differing in colour and bigness ; for they
are of a dark reddish colour like the skin of bacon, and as big as a goose-quill ; in length some
two or three inches. At first, when they are young, they are no bigger than a horse-hair, so that
CEYLON.
189
We next came to a place called the seven caves, and after this to the
^ridg-e of Alexander, in which is a cave and a well of water. At this
place is the entrance to the mountain. This mountain of Serendib is one
of the highest in the world : we saw it from the sea at the distance of nine
days. When we ascended it, we saw the clouds passing between us and
its foot. On it is a great number of trees, the leaves of which never fall.
There are also flowers of various colours, with the red rose,* * about the size
of the palm of the hand, upon the leaves of which they think they can
read the name of God and of his Prophet. There are two roads on the
mountain leading to the foot (of Adam) ; the one is known by “ the way of
Baba,” the other, by “the way of Mama,” by which they mean Adam
and Eve. The way called that of Mama is easy : to it the travellers come
upon their first visiting the place ; but every one who has travelled only
upon this, is considered as if he had not made the pilgrimage at all. The
way named Baba is rough, and difficult of ascent. At the foot of the
mountain where the entrance is, there is a minaret named after Alexander,
and a fountain of water. The ancients have cut something like steps,
upon which one ihay ascend, and have fixed in iron pins, to which chains
are appended and upon these those who ascend take hold. Of these
chains there are ten in number, the last of which is termed ““ the chain
of witness,” because, when one has arrived at this, and looks down, the
frightful notion seizes him that he shall fall. After the tenth chain is the
cave of ’’ Khizr, in which there is a large space ; and at the entrance a
they can scarce be seen. In dry weather none of them appear, but immediately upon the fall of
rains, the grass and woods are full of them. These leaches seize upon the legs of travellers.
Some will tie a piece of lemon and salt in a rag, and fasten it unto a stick, and ever and anon
strike it upon their legs to make the leeches drop off : others will scrape them off with a reed, cut
Jlat and sharp in the fashion of a knife," &c — Ceylon, pp. 48-9. See also the addition by Fhi-
jalethes, p. 264.
* “ There are roses red and white, and several sorts of sweet smelling flowers.” — Ceylon, p. 38.
f “ Pilgrims and travellers climb to the sacred summit of Adam’s Peak by means of an iron
chain, which is fastened to the rock, and the links of which serve as footsteps.” — Knox’s Ceylon
Add. p. 210.
J Various are the opinions of the Orientals as to this personage, whether he was a prophet, a
wall, a saint, or an angel; whether he was Moses, Jeremiah, Elias, Elisha, St. George, &c. &c.
However, all agree in thinking very highly of him ; some believing him to be in heaven, others
190
CEYLON.
well of water,* full offish, which is also called after his name. Of those,
however, no one takes any. Near this, and on each side of the path, is a
cistern cut in the rock. In this cave of Kliizr the pilgrims leave their
provisions, and whatever else they have, and then ascend about two miles
to the top of the mountain, to the place of (Adam’s) foot. The holy foot
(mark) is in a stone, sq that its place is depressed. The length of the
impression is eleven ‘’spans. The Chinese came here at some former time,
and cut out from this stone the place of the great toe, together with the
stone about it, and placed it in a temple in the city of Zaitun : and pil-
grimages are made to it from the most distant parts of China. In the
rock, too, in which the impression of the foot is, there are nine excavations
which have been cut out : into these the infidel pilgrims put gold, rubies,
and other jewels : and hence you will see the Fakeers, who have come as
pilgrims to the well of Khizr, racing to get first to the excavations, in order
to obtain what may be in them. We, however, found nothing but a little
gold with some rubies, which we gave to our guide.
It is customary for the pilgrims to remain in the cave of Khizr for three
days; and during this time to visit the foot both morning and evening.
This we did ; and when the three days were expired we returned by the
path of Mama, and came down to the cave of ‘^Shlsham, who is ®Sheth,
the son of Adam. After this we arrived at the-^fish port, then at the vil-
lage of ^Karkim, then at the village of ^‘Dildinuh, then at the village of
*At Kalanja, where the tomb of ^Abu Abd Allah Ibn Khaflf is situated.
All these villages and tilled lands are upon the mountain. At its foot,
and near the path, is a * cypress, which is "Targe and never drops the leaf.
But as to its leaves, there is no getting to them by any means ; and these
people’s heads are turned with some strange and false notions respecting
. ™ ^ . cjLa-L ^ C..'! *
still on the earth, but invisible. Mr. Hamaker, in his notes on the “ Liber de expugnatione
Memphidis et Alexandriae,” has perhaps given the greatest and most authentic variety of opinions
about him. See pp. 161-2, with the authorities there cited ; and the Kamoos, sub voce
which he has not noticed.
* This is, probably, the well mentioned by Philalethes in his Additions to Knox’s Ceylon;
p.212.
CEYLON.
191
them. I saw a number of Jogees about the tree, waiting for the falling of
one; for they suppose that any person eating one of them, will grow
young again, however old he may be.* Beneath this mountain is the
great estuary at which the rubies are obtained ; its water appears wonder-
fully blue to the eye.
From this place we proceeded, and in two days arrived at the city of
’'^Dlnaur, which is large, and inhabited by merchants. In this is an idol,
known by the same name, placed in a large temple ; and in which there
are about a thousand Brahmins and Jogees, and five hundred young
women, daughters of the nobility of India, who sing and dance all night
before the image. The officers of the city revenue attend upon the image.
The idol is of gold, and as large as a man. In thp place of eyes it has two
large rubies ; which, as I was told, shine in the night-time like two lighted
candles.
From this place we travelled to "Kali, which is a large town; then to
^'Kolambu (Colombo), which is the finest and largest city in Serendib.
After three days we arrived at the city of ®Battala, from which we had
been sent by its king, with his servants, to visit (Adam’s) foot. This we
entered, and were received honourably by the king, who furnished us with
provisions.
.aJlL-? .Jb"
* This is, probably, the Bagauhah, or god-tree of Knox, which, he says, “ is very great and
spreading ; they have a very great veneration for these trees, worshipping them upon a tradition
that the Buddou, a great god among them, when he was upon the earth, did use to sit under
this kind of trees.” It is held meritorious to plant them, which they say he that does, shall die
mthin a short while after, and go to heaven. That is, as our traveller, perhaps, understood it,
shall be re-born into another and better state of being : the Buddhists holding the metempsychosis.
t
192
HINDUSTAN.