Gavuta Pillar Inscriptions (Nissanka-Gavu)
The Gavuta Pillar Inscriptions (Sinhala: ගාවුත ටැම් ලිපි) were the mileposts with an inscription set up by the Sri Lankan king Nissankamalla during his reign from 1187 to 1196 A.D. (Ranawella, 2007). They marked the distance of a Gavuta , a distance of about two miles (Ranawella, 2007). As they have been erected by Nissankamalla, on his measure they have been referred to as Nissanka-Gavu (Ranawella, 2007). The epigraphist Dr. Edward Muller was the first to notice the existence of some of the inscriptions of this type (Ranawella,
2007). After Muller, Dr. Senarath Paranavitana and H.W. Codrington also
discovered several Gavuta inscriptions scattered in Monaragala District
(Ranawella, 2007). Presently, about 15 Gavuta-type pillar inscriptions have been recorded by the Department of Archaeology from various places between Veligatta in the south and Mullipotana near Trincomalee (Ranawella, 2007). Some of them have also been found in the Tamankaduwa region in Polonnaruwa District (Ranawell…
