A stone pillar containing an inscription of King Parakramabahu I of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom is presently on the display at the Stone Gallery of Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka.
Discovery
The pillar was discovered in Ihala Puliyankulama village in Puttalam District (Codrington, 1926; Ranawella, 2005). It was later brought to the present location for conservation.
Content
The inscription has been engraved on two sides of the pillar (Codrington, 1926). The first side contains 25 lines of writing and at the top of it is a figure of a lamp (Ranawella, 2005). The second side has 24 lines of writing (Ranawella, 2005).
The script and the language of the inscription are Sinhala of the 12th century A.D. (Ranawella, 2005). It is dated in the 9th regnal year of a king styled Sirisangabo Parakramabahu who, according to scholars, is King Parakramabahu I [(1153-1186 A.D.) Codrington, 1926; Ranawella, 2005]. The purpose of erecting this inscription was to glory a chief named Marana of Tisa who is said to have founded a village after his name as Maranhalla (Codrington, 1926; Ranawella, 2005). It is stated that he was a Minister in charge of a province or a district in Maya-rata during the reign of King Parakramabahu I (Ranawella, 2005).
The script and the language of the inscription are Sinhala of the 12th century A.D. (Ranawella, 2005). It is dated in the 9th regnal year of a king styled Sirisangabo Parakramabahu who, according to scholars, is King Parakramabahu I [(1153-1186 A.D.) Codrington, 1926; Ranawella, 2005]. The purpose of erecting this inscription was to glory a chief named Marana of Tisa who is said to have founded a village after his name as Maranhalla (Codrington, 1926; Ranawella, 2005). It is stated that he was a Minister in charge of a province or a district in Maya-rata during the reign of King Parakramabahu I (Ranawella, 2005).
This record is considered peculiar as it does not contain the usual grant of land and immunities to a temple (Codrington, 1926).
References
1) Codrington, H.W., 1926. The Ihala Puliyankulama Pillar. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society Ceylon Branch. (Vol. XXX; No.79). pp. 271-279.
2) Ranawella, S. (Ed.), 2005. Sinhala inscriptions in the Colombo National Museum: Spolia Zeylanica. Vol 42. (2005). Department of National Museums, Sri Lanka. pp.XIV,92-95.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 31 January 2022
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