Mediaeval Sinhalese Art c19.64

c19.64

“Afterwards he ornamented the vihāra with many painted arches round the circuit of the vihāra wall, of great size and beauty,—arches that looked contemptuously on the beautiful bow of the Chief of the Gods; with white parasols that looked like the moon in her fullest splendour, and beautiful flags of five colours and divers shapes, like beautiful dancers dancing in the firmament of heaven; with rows of splendid halls glittering with jewels, like beautiful rows of mansions that were come down from the world of gods; with numerous images of Brahmas dancing in rows with parasols in their hands, that were moved by instruments; with moving images of gods of divers forms that went to and fro with their joined hands raised in adoration; with moving figures of horses prancing hither and thither with the beauty of waves, rising and falling one after the other in the great sea; with moving likenesses of great elephants, clothed in the trappings of elephants, making men doubt whether they were not rain-clouds that had descended to the earth;—with these and divers other shows of this kind which delight the world, and are used at feasts, did he make the vihāra exceeding attractive.