Kumarankadavai Hindu Temple

Gomarankadawala Tamil Rock Inscription of Kalingarayan
Kumarankadavai Archaeological Site is a ruined Hindu Saiva temple site situated in Adampane near Gomarankadawala in Trincomalee District, Sri Lanka.

History
The site consists of a ruined structure of a Hindu shrine containing a Siva Langa and a few idols of Hindu gods. Near this site is a rock boulder engraved with a Tamil inscription belonging to the early 13th century A.D.

Gomarankadawala Tamil Rock Inscription of Kalingarayan
This inscription in Tamil script consists of 22 lines and the first two lines are in the Sanskrit language. Some parts of the inscription have become illegible due to the natural erosion of the rock surface. Above the record is a sketch of a Tiruvasi (arch) and a Shiva lingam with an attached Audaiyar. The figure of a dog and crow are found beneath the inscription.

The inscription records grants made to the nearby temple, which now remains in ruins. A person called Kalingarayan, a representative of Kulothunga Chola III (1178-1218 A.D.), is stated to have left the inscription and is claimed to have conquered Ila-mandalam (present Sri Lanka) and carried out the consecration of Gangaraja Kalinga Vijayabahu Devar who, according to scholars, is non-other than South Indian invader Kalinga Magha (1216-1236 A.D.), the last ruler of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom. Magha of Kalinga (India) who came with a large army from Malabar (Kerala) invaded Sri Lanka during the reign of Parakrama Pandya, another South Indian invader who ruled Sri Lanka from 1212 to 1216 A.D.

Attribution

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This page was last updated on 3 April 2023
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