Siddham. The Asian Inscription Database | IN03058 Buddhannehäla Pillar Inscription

The inscribed stone pillar was discovered by Wickremasinghe and Bell in 1891 in Buddhannehäla (Buddhanagehela) in Kun͂chuṭṭu Kōrale, North-Central Province, about seven miles north of the ruins of Padaviya. Five caves and one dāgaba were found in Buddhannehäla and the present inscription was discovered in Cave No. 3. The pillar was placed upside down to serve as a door-jamb of a Śaiva shrine of about the eleventh or early twelfth century A.D. and was evidently brought there from elsewhere. Written in the Sinhalese alphabet of the 10th century A.D., the inscription covers the four sides of the pillar. On the first side, the inscription is surmounted by a large śrī and, above that, an emblem of the sun or a lotus. On the fourth side, a crow and a dog are cut underneath the inscription to indicate that whosoever transgresses the rules enjoined shall be born in the future as these animals. The inscription records regulations concerning the management of lands (fields, water, employees, cattle, sowing). Its use of the expression abhiṣekayen daru (‘son by sacred sprinkling’) indicates the prevalence of certain Brahmaṇic or more likely northern Buddhist (Mahāyāna) rites not sanctioned in the southern Buddhist Church. The inscription is dated in the third year of the reign of His Majesty Abhā Salamevan. This name (biruda) was used by a number of Sri Lankan monarchs. It may refer in this instance to Kassapa V (r. 929-939).

Diplomatic Edition
Critical Edition

Side A

Śri.

[line 1] Abhā Salameva-

[line 2] -n mapurumukā tu-

[line 3] -n vanne Poso-

[line 4] -nä pur dasavak

[line 5] davas vat-hi-

[line 6] -miyan vahan-

[line 7] -se vadāḷeyin

[line 8] (Da)nādakdarahi

[line 9] āvū Nānnar(u)

[line 10] gämhi veṭya

[line 11] sa kiriya isā

[line 12] me kumburhi ā-

[line 13] -vū Asunbada-

[line 14] -vatta isā Bo-

[line 15] -vatta isā Pa-

[line 16] -(ri)devu-nä(mä) vat-

[line 17] -ta isā Endi-

[line 18] -hi-nämä vatta

[line 19] isā (Nä)ndaḷi(sā)-

[line 20] -(tā) nämä vatta

[line 21] isā Nenanile

[line 22] vatta isā me-

[line 23] -hi mä āvū ge-bi-

[line 24] -m piṭi-bim isā

[line 25] mivan sinibala-

[line 26] -n isā sesu (pu-)

[line 27] (-vā)-pala uva-ruk

[line 28] ätuḷu-koṭ me-

[line 29] -tuvāk tän Sǟ-

[line 30] -giriyä maṇ̆ḍulu

[line 31] .. .. .. .. .. ..

[line 32] .. .. .. .. .. ..

Side B

[line 1] -gā bändä Nā-(gi-)

[line 2] -ri(yä) väḍävū (Ha-)

[line 3] (-rse)yan-vahan-

[line 4] -se väḷändu ana-

[line 5] -ntarayen me-

[line 6] -kun-vahanse

[line 7] abhiṣekaye-

[line 8] -n daru Buddha-mi-

[line 9] -ttra ācāryya-

[line 10] -yan-vahanse

[line 11] valandanu koṭ i-

[line 12] -sā ekbit-

[line 13] -ten Sägiri-

[line 14] -yä galä vä-

[line 15] -ḍä vana ācā-

[line 16] -ryyayan-vaha-

[line 17] -nse San̆g-va-

[line 18] -ttä hindä va-

[line 19] -dāḷa ekkene-

[line 20] -kun Nāgiri-(ga)-

[line 21] -lä hindä vaḷanda-

[line 22] -nu koṭ isā

[line 23] me sa-kiriye-

[line 24] -hi käbäli no

[line 25] gannā koṭ

[line 26] isā veher

[line 27] käbäli no ga-

[line 28] -nnā koṭ i-

[line 29] -sā diya bedu-

[line 30] -m no gannā

[line 31] koṭ isā me

[line 32] raṭ-hi yedu-

[line 33] -ṇavun me ku-

[line 34] -mburaṭ pet

Side C

[line 1] sama koṭ di-

[line 2] -ya pānā koṭ

[line 3] isā mehi āvū

[line 4] vattehi käbä-

[line 5] -li no gannā

[line 6] koṭ isā ge-

[line 7] bimhi piṭi-bi-

[line 8] -mhi da käbäli

[line 9] no gannā ko-

[line 10] -ṭ isā vel-vä-

[line 11] -ssan no va-

[line 12] -dnā koṭ i-

[line 13] -sā gäl go-

[line 14] -n no gannā

[line 15] koṭ isā ul-

[line 16] -(vādu) pere-(nāṭu) '

[line 17] no vadnā koṭ

[line 18] isā tuḍise

[line 19] no vadnā ko-

[line 20] -ṭ isā väriya-

[line 21] -n no gannā

[line 22] koṭ vadāḷe-

[line 23] -n meya-tuvā-

[line 24] -k tän me ni-

[line 25] -yamen vaḷa-

[line 26] -(nda)nu koṭ

[line 27] pahaṇ hi-

[line 28] -nd-vannaṭ

[line 29] ā Mekāppa-

[line 30] -r-Vädǟrum Vi-

[line 31] -juragu-varä [va-]

[line 32] -n Mekāppa-

[line 33] -r (San̆gpa-hi)

Side D

[line 1] (-m) isā Mekāp-

[line 2] -par-Vädǟrum

[line 3] Viduragu-varä

[line 4] van Mekāp-

[line 5] -par Ka(ḍu)su-

[line 6] -vadurim isā

[line 7] Nāvini-Kit-

[line 8] -lanāvan-varä

[line 9] van Kilin̆g

[line 10] Goḷobä-ga-

[line 11] -ma Bahaṭu-si-

[line 12] –(vi)m isā Ki-

[line 13] -t-sen Ra(k)-

[line 14] -samaṇan-va-

[line 15] rä van Kuḍa-

[line 16] -salā Mihind

[line 17] ätuḷu vä a-

[line 18] -pa meya-tuvā

[line 19] -k denā avu-

[line 20] -d vat-himiya

[line 21] -n-vahanse

[line 22] vadāḷa ek-tä-

[line 23] -n-samiyen

[line 24] me samvatā

[line 25] pahaṇa hi-

[line 26] -nd-vanu ladi