Abhayagiri Slab Inscription of Kassapa V

Abhayagiri Slab Inscription of Kassapa V

Abhayagiri Slab Inscription of King Kassapa V (Sinhala: පස්වන කාශ්‍යප රජුගේ අභයගිරිය පුවරු ලිපිය) is found erected in the premises of Bodhigharaya III of  Abhayagiri Monastery  in Anuradhapura District, Sri Lanka. The Abhayagiri Slab Inscription of King Mahinda IV (956-972 A.D.) can also be seen beside this inscription. The slab The rectangular slab is about 5 ft. 6 inches high and 3 ft. 6 inches wide (Ranawella, 2001). The inscription is inscribed in 56 lines of writing, each within a ruled space (Ranawella, 2001; Wickremasinghe, 1912). The edges of the slab are marked by a moulded framing (Wickremasinghe, 1912). Content The language and the script of the record are Sinhala of the 10th century A.D. ( Ranawella, 2001). It has been engraved in the 6th regnal year of a king styled Debeseva ja Salameyvan Abahay, the son of King Buddas Sirisangboy Abahay and Queen Sangbanday ( Ranawella, 2001) . Scholars have identified him as King Kassapa V [(914-923) Ranawella, 2001; Wickremasinghe, 1912]. The p…