The Weligatta Gavuta Pillar Inscription of King Nissankamalla is presently on the display at the Inscription Gallery of Colombo National Museum, Sri Lanka.
The pillar
The pillar was discovered from Weligatta village in Hambantota District (Ranawella, 2005). It was later brought to the present location for conservation.
The inscription has been engraved on two sides of a quadrilateral pillar (Ranawella, 2005). The first side contains thirty-three lines of writing while the second side has thirty lines (Ranawella, 2005).
Content
This is one of the many Gavuta Type Pillar Inscriptions erected by King Nissankamalla (1187-1196 A.D.) along the ancient road that ran between Polonnaruwa and Mahanagahula in Ruhuna (Ranawella, 2005). Inscriptions belonging to this type have been discovered from several localities such as Katugaha-galge, Badalkumbura, Medilla, Kanicchagala, Veheragodagala, Timbiriya, etc (Ranawella, 2005). According to Sirimal Ranawella, these inscriptions have addressed the people of Ruhuna to behave themselves in a manner that might not bring them the reproaches of those living in Maya-rata and Pihiti-rata (Ranawella, 2005). It also contains an account of the achievements and deeds of King Nissankamalla.
References
1) Ranawella, S. (Ed.), 2005. Sinhala inscriptions in the Colombo National Museum: Spolia Zeylanica. Vol 42. (2005). Department of National Museums, Sri Lanka. pp.95-97.
Location Map
This page was last updated on 11 February 2022
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
For a complete tourist map follow this link: Lankapradeepa Tourist Map
