The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-04-26
CEYLoN CITIES LONG BURIED.
Sites Upon Which They Once Stood
Covered by LuSuriant Tropical
GrOWthS.

1t may still be counted among things
not generally known that in the lux
Uriant forests of CeyI0n the ruins OF
cities are concealed not inferior in bold
ness of conception and richness of de-
sign to any in the world, says the Lon
don Standard. They lie in the north
ern half Of the island, almost buried
among vegetation, and in some cases
still difficult of access. They were
visited and described by Sir Emerson
Tenant in his classic work on Ceylon.
in which also several small illuStra-
lions were published, and from time to
time they have received notice from
other travellers, but now many of thu
most remarkable ruins are accurately
depicted in the reproductions of photo
graphs which adOrn H. w Caves new
volume on the Ruined Cities of Cey-
lon" They have been smitten in by
gone ages by the fury of cOnqueror5;
they have suffered yet more severely
from the hand Of time. Trees have
taken root on walls and roofs and have
wrenched them asunder; the rank for
est vegetation has buried ornamental;
carvings and sculptured figures. Yet
what remains is wonderful, and what
would reward excavation meay easily
be inferred.
The ruins belong 10 very varied
dates, some going back we'll before the
Christian era, others to three or four
centuries after 1t, while one very
beautiful and extensive group belongs
mainly If not wholly. to a COMPARE
lively late period in Singhalese pros
perity, the midle of the twelfth CEN
fury. Their connection with Buddhism
is very close, the most conspicuous re-
mains at the present being commonly
temples, monasteries and dagabas--
huge, dome-like structures, which IN
magnitude are not unworthy rivals of
the pyramids of Egypt
One of the most remarkable Of the
groups Of ruins is Mihintale, the
mountain city. A rocky mass rises alb
ruptly from the plain to a height of
1000 feet. The slopes are now covered
with dense forest and from the base
almost to the top, except on the space
where a gigantic stairway Of granite
slabs leads up to the summit. This
might we'll be taken for a part of the
natural hill; in reality it is a huge
ruined edifice, the remnant of a daga-
ba in the construction of which mill
ions of bricks have been employed
Near it are other dagabas of great size,
and, beside these, rock-cut chambers
and many other remains of the an
cient monastery. The city is associat-
ed with sacred memories in the history
Of Ceylon. Here it was that the ma
ton, in the third century before
Christ. adopted Buddhism. Gotama
himself is said to have visited the Isl!
and, the inhabitants Of which were
snake worshipers. and to have con-
verted the king. On second visit
he left his footprint on the rock as he
rose into the air from the summit Of
Adams peak. But this sign is appro-
priated, as is well known, by the fol-
lowers of different creeds to diverse
personages. The Mohammedans at
tribute it to Adam, the Portuguese
Christians were divided in opinion as
to whether TT had been left by st.
Thomas or by the eunuch Of Candace,
queen of the Philippians. Indeed, some
critics go so far as to doubt whether
Buddha ever visited Ceylon at all
whatever may be the origin OF the foot
print.