. Ceylon : an account of the island, physical, historical, and topographical with notices of its natural history, antiquities and productions. Natural history -- Sri Lanka; Sri Lanka. CliAP. II.] CARVED STOXE AT AXARAJAPOORA. 619 the conviction that tlie tree which they encompass has been watched over with abiding sohcitude and regarded Avitli an excess of veneration that could never attach to an object of dubious authenticity. The marvellous tree is situated in an enclosure ap- proached through the porch of the temple, the priests of Avhich are cliarged with its presentation. The principal bu
. Ceylon : an account of the island, physical, historical, and topographical with notices of its natural history, antiquities and productions. Natural history -- Sri Lanka; Sri Lanka. CliAP. II.] CARVED STOXE AT AXARAJAPOORA. 619 the conviction that tlie tree which they encompass has been watched over with abiding sohcitude and regarded Avitli an excess of veneration that could never attach to an object of dubious authenticity. The marvellous tree is situated in an enclosure ap- proached through the porch of the temple, the priests of Avhich are cliarged with its presentation. The principal buikhng is modern and plain, but amongst the materials of which it is built are some antique carvings of singular excellence. The most remarkable of these is a semicir-. CARVED STONE AT ANAEIAJAPOOR' cular slab, which now forms a doorstep to the principal entrance, and surpasses, both in the design and execution of the devices by which it is decorated, any similar relic that I have seen in Ceylon. Its ornaments consist of concentric fillets, the three innermost of which represent the lotus in its various stages of bud, leaf, and flower ; that in the centre is a row of the liaiiza or sacred goose\ and on the outer one is a procession of the horse, the elephant, the lion, and Brahmanee ox. In the vicinity of the Bo-tree is the spot i-endei'ed memorable by the death-struggle and tomb of the cliival- ^ See ante, Vol. T. Pt. iv. eh. Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Tennent, James Emerson, Sir, 1804-1869. London : Longman, Green, Longman, and Roberts
Size: 2155px × 1160px
Photo credit: © Library Book Collection / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthort, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860, booksubjectsrilanka
