The reliques being, according to
the Idolaters, those of that king's son.
NOTE 1. - Sagamoni Borcan is, as Marsden points out, SAKYA-MUNI, or
Gautama-Buddha, with the affix BURKHAN, or "Divinity," which is used by
the Mongols as the synonym of Buddha.
"The Dewa of Samantakuta (Adam's Peak), Samana, having heard of the
arrival of Budha (in Lanka or Ceylon) ... presented a request that he
would leave an impression of his foot upon the mountain of which he was
guardian.... In the midst of the assembled Dewas, Budha, looking towards
the East, made the impression of his foot, in length three inches less
than the cubit of the carpenter; and the impression remained as a seal to
show that Lanka is the inheritance of Budha, and that his religion will
here flourish." (Hardy's Manual, p. 212.)
[Ma-Huan says (p. 212): "On landing (at Ceylon), there is to be seen on
the shining rock at the base of the cliff, an impress of a foot two or
more feet in length. The legend attached to it is, that it is the imprint
of Shakyamuni's foot, made when he landed at this place, coming from the
Ts'ui-lan (Nicobar) Islands. There is a little water in the hollow of the
imprint of this foot, which never evaporates. People dip their hands in it
and wash their faces, and rub their eyes with it, saying: 'This is
Buddha's water, which will make us pure and clean.'" - H.C.]
[Illustration: Adam's Peak.
"Or est voir qe en ceste ysle a une montagne mont haut et si degrot de les
rocches qe nul hi puent monter sus se ne en ceste mainere qe je voz
dirai"....]
"The veneration with which this majestic mountain has been regarded for
ages, took its rise in all probability amongst the aborigines of
Ceylon.... In a later age, ... the hollow in the lofty rock that crowns
the summit was said by the Brahmans to be the footstep of Siva, by the
Buddhists of Buddha, ... by the Gnostics of Ieu, by the Mahometans of
Adam, whilst the Portuguese authorities were divided between the
conflicting claims of St. Thomas and the eunuch of Candace, Queen of
Ethiopia." (Tennent, II. 133.)
["Near to the King's residence there is a lofty mountain reaching to the
skies. On the top of this mountain there is the impress of a man's foot,
which is sunk two feet deep in the rock, and is some eight or more feet
long. This is said to be the impress of the foot of the ancestor of
mankind, a Holy man called A-tan, otherwise P'an-Ku." (Ma-Huan, p.
213.) - H.C.]
Polo, however, says nothing of the foot; he speaks only of the
sepulchre of Adam, or of Sakya-muni.
