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From Sri Lanka's highlands, Ashby caught a north bound train to the Abhayagiri Monastery and Mihintale archaeological sites. There, he initially explored the ancient monastery and photographed:

•    Lankarama Dagoba (image 1),
•    Stone pavilion (image 2), 
•    Moonstone (sandakada pahana) (image 3), 
•    Guardstone of Nagaraja (Cobra King) (image 4), and
•    Stelae at the Abhayagiri Dagaba (or stupa) (image 5).

In his photo album, Ashby repeatedly annotated the photograph in image 5. In its foreground stands a metre-high stone; its surface is adorned with a seven-headed cobra in the strike pose. Behind it, two more stelae stand at approximately 2 metres tall. The first one, with two rectangular compartments, features a male (naga) with a hood of five cobras and, below, a female (nagani) with a single cobra hood. In the background, the third stela's surface is a canvas of intricate flower engravings.
Around this image, Ashby initially scribbled a reference to a 1914 excavation report. Then later, he added further details of another scholarly journal (1927). Whilst we cannot know for sure, these notations might have been his place-markers for a future publication.

All photographs by Thomas Ashby, BSR, Thomas Ashby Collection
Lankarama Complex, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, TA-XLVII.050
Stone Pavilion, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, TA-XLVII.045
Moonstone, Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, TA-XLVII.047
Guardstone of Nagaraja (Cobra King), Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, TA-XLVII.043
Stelæ at the Abhayagiri Dagaba (or stupa), Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka, TA-XLVII.042
Report: A.M. Hocart (1927) 'Archaeological Summary'. Ceylon Journal of Science, Section G – Archaeology, Ethnology vol.1 part. 3.  
Report: H.C.P. Bell (1914) Archaeological Survey of Ceylon. Plans and Plates for Annual Reports, 1894, Thirteen Report: H.C. Cottle, Government Printer, Ceylon.