Ancient Ceylon

The book is organized into three major parts. Part I, “The Aborigines,” studies the first inhabitants of Ceylon, the ancient and modern Vaeddas, their social customs, religious practices, and the primitive deities of the island. Part II, “Structural Works,” examines the physical remains of ancient civilization, especially irrigation systems, tanks, dāgabas, stone constructions, and related engineering achievements. Part III, “Arts, Implements and Games,” turns to the cultural and material life of ancient Ceylon, including tools, weapons, artistic forms, games, symbols, coins, and religious signs such as the cross and swastika. The contents and illustration lists also show the importance of maps, architectural drawings, temple figures, tanks, ruins, inscriptions, weapons, and ritual imagery in the book’s documentation. Overall, the work presents ancient Ceylon as a historically layered society in which indigenous traditions, Buddhist culture, hydraulic engineering, ritual life, and archaeological remains together illuminate the island’s early civilizational development.