118

THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.

by the Buddhists, and it is a place of great interest, worthy of being maintained as a historical monu ment, being the only rock-temple of any impor

tance in Ceylon, and possessing a painted roof which * is the best example of Buddhist art in the island. To this wibära belong large and valuable forests, which should be preserved for supplying the necessary timber for the maintenance of the buildings belonging to the wibāra, and also for the benefit of the willára tenants—to whom the wild

honey, jungle ropes, and pasture for cattle, to be found in these forests, are of considerable value.

The incumbent of the wibära, without

regard to the interests of which he was the guardian, sold to a low-country carpenter all the

valuable timber in one of the large forests and omitted to pay the money into the wihāra chest. Complaint was made to the Commissioners, but

they had no power to act. They however called the attention of the ecclesiastical authorities to the

matter, and the incumbent has been called upon

to pay in to the credit of the willăra upwards of £170, probably less than a third of the amount he has received. It is doubtful whether he will pay even this. Certainly he will go unpunished. The people know that their priest has committed the greatest crime a Buddhist can commit, for, in

their language, “he has robbed Buddha.” They know also that he has committed a great offence against our laws, having appropriated to himself the property of which he was the trustee. The

Buddhist authorities will not seek to remove him, because they cannot act without the aid of our Courts. The tenants will not act, because they are afraid to take steps against a man of influence with money at command. Others will not act, because the expenses would come out of their

[APRIL, 1873.

own pockets. This is only one example out of

many; and nothing can be more injurious, nothing more demoralizing, than for the people to see frauds of this kind committed by trustees of temple property go unpunished. It is not easy to suggest a remedy for fear of the outcry, “The Government is supporting Buddhism, &c. &c.”.. It would be well if this question could be dealt with merely as a matter of good government, untrammelled by the odium theologicum. It is simply the question of preserving for the public those public lands at present set apart for religious purposes, which, unless closely looked after, will gradually become lost to the public altogether. In the course of the past year there have been two im portant judgments delivered by the Supreme Court, which it may be useful here to notice. The first is known as the Adam's Peak Case.

In 1853 the

Crown relinquished the right to appoint to Buddhist offices, but the power of removal was retained. . . If these judgments were publicly known and understood, and if the powers which they declare to exist were systematically exercised, much might be done to check peculation and embezzle ment; but it is doubtful whether any real good can be effected unless some such supervision is exercised over the temple property here as is found necessary in the case of Friendly Societies in England. There can be no security against fraud until the temple lands are placed in charge of a Government officer, at any rate to the extent of no lease or agreement being valid unless it be entered in his office, and until all trustees of tem

ple property are required to send in annually, to a Government officer, accounts showing the revenues, whether in kind or in money, and details of the expenditure.t

ARCHAEOLOGY OF MAISUR.

From the Ireport of the Administration of Mysore for 1871-72. The Province abounds with inscriptions on scriptions, of which the Begåru stone, in the stone or copper, recording royal benefactions and Government Museum at Bengalur, may serve as a specimen. In others of Jain origin, as in the other public gifts; the historical data derivable rock inscriptions of Śrāvana Belagola, they are from which are perhaps the most authentic extant, more like the Låt and old Pāli forms. Towards while at the same time they throw much light on the earlier forms of the language, and furnish the east the Grantha character, with some admix other collateral information of considerable in ture, is frequently met with, as in the Kolār terest. But in the case of inscriptions of prior Amma temple.

date to the year 1000 of the era of Šlivāhana, or 800 years ago, a difficulty presents itself in the

A

number of these Šasanas

have

been de

These are found in many cases to resemble the letters of the Western Cave and old Gujarāt in

ciphered and translated from photographs. A catalogue is further being prepared of all inscrip tions to be found in the country, with the view of selecting for translation such as appear to be of

• See Ind. Antiq., vol. I. p. 139 fig.

+ From the Report for 1871.

strange and obsolete characters of the writing.