the possession of a very few
individuals, and the poor were all the poorer in comparison; despotism
was rampant, and royalty commanded at will the unpaid services of the
million.

Near the site of the Brazen Palace of Anuradhapura are several
dagobas, partially hidden by rank tropical verdure. One of these
peculiar structures was originally over four hundred feet in height,
antedating the Christian era by many years. Does the reader realize
what an amount of solid masonry such a structure represents? When we
say that this dagoba was nearly twice the height of Bunker Hill
Monument, and that it was three hundred and sixty feet in diameter at
the base, the comparison may aid the imagination. Verily, nothing but
the Egyptian pyramids compare in magnitude with these shrines of
Ceylon, while no modern engineering enterprise excels in immensity the
artificial lakes which were created upon her surface. One writer has
gone into a careful calculation regarding the structure, and says that
it contained material enough originally to build a wall ten feet high
from London to Edinburgh.

These peculiarly shaped dagobas are scattered all over the island,
each being the receptacle of some saintly relic. Tradition says they
are thus formed to resemble a bubble floating upon the water, but they
are really bell-shaped, and most of them have a low, ornamental spire.
Near the summit is the secret chamber wherein is deposited the sacred
treasure. Time effaces all mundane things. With the exception of the
Temple of the Tooth, at Kandy, no one can say what special relic any
one of these remarkable structures was originally designed to shelter.

Let us quote for the reader's edification an ancient native
description of this famous city of the plain when it was in its glory.
It is a literal translation from the original:--

"The magnificent city of Anuradhapura is refulgent from the numerous
temples and palaces whose golden pinnacles glitter in the sky. The sides of
its streets are strewed with black sand; they are spanned with arches
bearing flags of gold and silver; on either side are vessels of the same
precious metals, containing flowers; and in niches are statues holding
lamps of great value. In the streets are multitudes of people, armed with
bows and arrows; also men powerful as gods, who with their huge swords
could cut asunder a tusk elephant at one blow. Elephants, horses, carts,
and myriads of people are constantly passing and re