The pillar was first discovered sometime in or before 1886 by H. Parker in the forest below the embankment of the Padaviya Tank “at the site of an ancient town which is now called Moragoḍa”. It was still there, “lying prone among the ruins”, when Bell and Wickremasinghe visited the spot in October 1891. The pillar is inscribed on all four sides in the Sinhalese alphabet of the 10th century A.D. The inscription is dated in the sixteenth year of reign of king Kasub Sirisaṅgbo, identified as Kassapa IV (r. 912-929 A.D.) It proclaims the grant of certain immunities to lands irrigated by the waters of the Padonnaru tank.
Side A
[line 1] Siri Lak-div-
[line 2] -hi pihiṭi siri-
[line 3] (pi)ḍ yasa isi-
[line 4] (ra) Ruhuṇu-dana-
[line 5] -vū Mala-maṇ̆ḍulu
[line 6] eka ānnä ko-
[line 7] -ṭ tamahaṭ si-
[line 8] -ri bhoga kaḷa Udǟ
[line 9] [A]bhay maha-ra-
[line 10] -j-hu sohovur
[line 11] Kasub Siri-sa-
[line 12] -n̆gbo mapurmu-
[line 13] -kā soḷos van-
[line 14] -ne Posonä pura
[line 15] tiyä väkä vajā-
[line 16] -ḷeyin ek-tä-
[line 17] -n-samiyen ā
[line 18] Mekāppar-Vä-
[line 19] -dǟrum Senevi-
[line 20] -raju Vadurā-varä
[line 21] Mulavaḍāsaka-
[line 22] -ra isā Atara-
[line 23] -galokottā i-
[line 24] -sā metuvāk [ek]
Side B
[line 1] -se vä Abhāgiri
[line 2] Veherhi (Kuku)-
[line 3] (-ḷ-)giri petä pi-
[line 4] -hiṭi Man̆gul-Pi-
[line 5] -rivenaṭ bahālu
[line 6] Vädǟ(rā)-Pirive-
[line 7] -nä bad Pa(do)n-
[line 8] -naru-kuḷiyehi
[line 9] (randanā diya därä)
[line 10] (āvannāvehi)
[line 11] (rä sata .. .. si)
[line 12] .. .. .. .. .. ..
[line 13] .. mā yehi aṭ
[line 14] mahā (sthāna ?) -yaṭ
[line 15] ätuḷävūtāk
[line 16] tänaṭ kulī me-
[line 17] -lāksīn no
[line 18] vadnā koṭ i-
[line 19] -sā raṭ-ladu pa-
[line 20] -s-laduvan no
[line 21] vaḷandanu ko-
Side C
[line 1] -ṭ isā diye be-
[line 2] -dum no gannā
[line 3] koṭ isā vel-
[line 4] -kämi vel-bädi pi-
[line 5] -yo vajāranuva-
[line 6] -n no vadnā ko-
[line 7] -ṭ isā pere-nā-
[line 8] -ṭṭuvam no vad-
[line 9] -nā koṭ isā
[line 10] dunu pābala(ya-)
[line 11] -n no vadnā ko-
[line 12] -ṭ isā de-kam-
[line 13] -tän deruva[n]
[line 14] no vadnā ko[ṭ]
[line 15] isā gäl go-
[line 16] -n mīvun väri-
[line 17] -yan no gannā
[line 18] koṭ isā ma-
[line 19] -n̆g-div pe-di[v]
[line 20] no gannā ko[ṭ]
[line 21] isā pere ma-
[line 22] -n̆gu (hi) min piṭa-
[line 23] -t ko(pa)la vaḷa-
[line 24] (-ndanu-)tāk tä-
Side D
[line 1] -n ätuḷat kara-
[line 2] -nu isā me gä-
[line 3] -mhi keṭū (ke)ne-
[line 4] -kun äta gämi-
[line 5] -n piṭat kara-
[line 6] -nu isā koṭā va-
[line 7] -nnavun vädä no
[line 8] [gan]nā isā mehi
[line 9] .. .. .. -r väsi
[line 10] .. .. -n (bähära)
[line 11] (noya)nu isā
[line 12] giya piṭatä ä-
[line 13] -ttan no lā ga-
[line 14] -nnā isā me-tuvā-
[line 15] -k pärahär dī vadā-
[line 16] -ḷeyin me attā-
[line 17] -ṇi kaṇu hind vana
[line 18] ladi me ānnä
[line 19] ulaghaṇa kaḷa
[line 20] kenek ät-
[line 21] nam kavuḍu
[line 22] balu vetvā
Side A
[line 1] Siri Lak-div-
[line 2] -hi pihiṭi siri-
[line 3] (pi)ḍ yasa isi-
[line 4] (ra) Ruhuṇu-dana-
[line 5] -vū Mala-maṇ̆ḍulu
[line 6] eka ānnä ko-
[line 7] -ṭ tamahaṭ si-
[line 8] -ri bhoga kaḷa Udǟ
[line 9] [A]bhay maha-ra-
[line 10] -j-hu sohovur
[line 11] Kasub Siri-sa-
[line 12] -n̆gbo mapurmu-
[line 13] -kā soḷos van-
[line 14] -ne Posonä pura
[line 15] tiyä väkä vajā-
[line 16] -ḷeyin ek-tä-
[line 17] -n-samiyen ā
[line 18] Mekāppar-Vä-
[line 19] -dǟrum Senevi-
[line 20] -raju Vadurā-varä
[line 21] Mulavaḍāsaka-
[line 22] -ra isā Atara-
[line 23] -galokottā i-
[line 24] -sā metuvāk [ek]
Side B
[line 1] -se vä Abhāgiri
[line 2] Veherhi (Kuku)-
[line 3] (-ḷ-)giri petä pi-
[line 4] -hiṭi Man̆gul-Pi-
[line 5] -rivenaṭ bahālu
[line 6] Vädǟ(rā)-Pirive-
[line 7] -nä bad Pa(do)n-
[line 8] -naru-kuḷiyehi
[line 9] (randanā diya därä)
[line 10] (āvannāvehi)
[line 11] (rä sata .. .. si)
[line 12] .. .. .. .. .. ..
[line 13] .. mā yehi aṭ
[line 14] mahā (sthāna ?) -yaṭ
[line 15] ätuḷävūtāk
[line 16] tänaṭ kulī me-
[line 17] -lāksīn no
[line 18] vadnā koṭ i-
[line 19] -sā raṭ-ladu pa-
[line 20] -s-laduvan no
[line 21] vaḷandanu ko-
Side C
[line 1] -ṭ isā diye be-
[line 2] -dum no gannā
[line 3] koṭ isā vel-
[line 4] -kämi vel-bädi pi-
[line 5] -yo vajāranuva-
[line 6] -n no vadnā ko-
[line 7] -ṭ isā pere-nā-
[line 8] -ṭṭuvam no vad-
[line 9] -nā koṭ isā
[line 10] dunu pābala(ya-)
[line 11] -n no vadnā ko-
[line 12] -ṭ isā de-kam-
[line 13] -tän deruva[n]
[line 14] no vadnā ko[ṭ]
[line 15] isā gäl go-
[line 16] -n mīvun väri-
[line 17] -yan no gannā
[line 18] koṭ isā ma-
[line 19] -n̆g-div pe-di[v]
[line 20] no gannā ko[ṭ]
[line 21] isā pere ma-
[line 22] -n̆gu (hi) min piṭa-
[line 23] -t ko(pa)la vaḷa-
[line 24] (-ndanu-)tāk tä-
Side D
[line 1] -n ätuḷat kara-
[line 2] -nu isā me gä-
[line 3] -mhi keṭū (ke)ne-
[line 4] -kun äta gämi-
[line 5] -n piṭat kara-
[line 6] -nu isā koṭā va-
[line 7] -nnavun vädä no
[line 8] [gan]nā isā mehi
[line 9] .. .. .. -r väsi
[line 10] .. .. -n (bähära)
[line 11] (noya)nu isā
[line 12] giya piṭatä ä-
[line 13] -ttan no lā ga-
[line 14] -nnā isā me-tuvā-
[line 15] -k pärahär dī vadā-
[line 16] -ḷeyin me attā-
[line 17] -ṇi kaṇu hind vana
[line 18] ladi me ānnä
[line 19] ulaghaṇa kaḷa
[line 20] kenek ät-
[line 21] nam kavuḍu
[line 22] balu vetvā