Jetavanarama Fragmentary Slab Inscription of Mahasena

Jetavanarama Fragmentary Slab Inscription of Mahasena

Jetavanarama Slab Inscription of King Mahasena (Sinhala: මහාසේන රජුගේ ජේතවනාරාම පුවරු ලිපිය) is a fragmentary slab inscription found from the premises of Jetavanaramaya , Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka. Discovery The inscription was discovered from the premises of the Jetavana monastery in 1893, by the then Archaeological Commissioner H. C. P. Bell (Paranavitana, 2001; Ranawella, 2005). It has been brought to Colombo later and is presently on the display at the National Museum of Colombo . Inscription The inscription has been engraved on seven of the eight faces of a stone fragment which is octagonal in shape. Of them, the writing on five faces is in a good state of preservation (Paranavitana, 2001; Ranawella, 2005). The stone, possibly a crossbar of a railing, is nearly 2 feet long with facets of 4 to 5 inches. Content The inscription reveals its engraving date as the first year of a king whose name is not found in the preserved portion (Ranawella, 2005). However, scholars such as …