it the words ‘Ran Devisi Kalanday’ have been
engraved. Those letters belonged either to the 8th
or 9th century A.D. ‘Kalanda’ is a unit used to
measure weight. An inscription, discovered in
Wessagiriya, which belonged to the 10th century
A.D., mentions that king Kashyapa IV (898 -914
A.D.) had offered 200 Ran Kalan (Golden Pieces
of Kalan) to Buddhist monks who stayed in a
temple called Veerankura.
Coins, of which the origin is related to foreign
countries, are found in various places in Sri
Lanka. Among them what most abundant are
Roman coins. Foreign coins were used in this
country, considering the value according to
their metal weight. Most of the Roman coins
discovered by now have been made of copper.
In ancient time, customs were charged in the
harbours in our country. When the foreigners
bring their commodities to this country, they
paid taxes in the money of their country. On
those occasions, the metal weight of the coins
was considered. Apart from the Roman coins,
Chinese coins, Arabic coins and British coins
were used in Sri Lanka. The coins that we have
seen with the English letters V.O.C belonged to
the Dutch trade company called East India Trade
C omp any.
This clearly shows how in the ancient time Sri
Lanka practically applied the usage which was
essential in economic affairs to be successful.
6.4 Representation of Women
In the ancient time the Sri Lankan society thought
about women with respect and treated them
with high regard. The facts regarding that can
be substantiated through literary sources as well
as archaeological sources. Women were given
the opportunity to rule the country. This reflects
the respect and the trust that our ancient society
had placed on women. An inscription, found
near the old Stupa named Neelagiri situated at
a place called Lahugala, mentions a great queen
named Chula Seewali. Queen Leelawathi ruled
the country three times.When it is considered in common, the ancient
women in this country were not oppressed
with strict social bonds. There is no evidence
in the literary sources which state that women
had hindrances to do their activities freely. The
Rasawahini, an old literary text, mentions a
description of a woman who lived alone for three
years until her husband returned from a foreign
country where he did his trade affairs. Women
were paid a special respect since the responsibility
they held as mothers. The Rasawahini mentions,
once, the Bhikkus said to Queen Vihara Maha
Devi 'you possess wealth and a luxurious life
because you had done meritorious deeds in your
previous birth'. Vihara Maha Devi, in replying,
said that there was no happiness or luxury in life
without sons and daughters.Being married was considered a social mission
that should be fulfilled by women. A girl when
reached sixteen years old was qualified to get
married. The girls had to spend their time
under protection of their parents until they were
old enough to get married. The source named
Sahassawathuppkaranaya mentions that it was
the responsibility of the parents to make their
daughters master cookery. Saddharmalankaraya
describes that prince Saliya’s wife,