The inscription is engraved on the western slope of a long hummock of granite rock about a mile to the north of Topaväva. It was found by H. C. P. Bell, the Archaeological Commissioner, in September 1901 whilst exploring a collection of ruins discovered the previous year during the construction of a new road from Minneriya to Poḷonnaruva. Covering a smoothed area of rock, the inscription is located to the north of a flight of steps leading up to a ruined building, which has been identified with the Prīti-dānaka-maṇḍapa (‘joy-conferring pavilion’) of king Niśśaṅka-Malla, who ruled between 1187 and 1196. The purpose of the inscription was to commemorate the consecration of the Prīti-dānaka-maṇḍapa as a sanctuary whereby every one entering its premises had the right of asylum. The text begins with a Sanskrit verse in sragdharā metre, before giving an account of king Niśśaṅka-Malla’s birth and parentage, his administrative and charitable acts, the religious edifices and alms-houses he built, his tours in Ceylon, the so-called invasion of Southern India, and finally the erection and consecration of the Prīti-dānaka-maṇḍapa.
[Lines 1-2] Hail! His Majesty Śrī Parākrama–Bāhu Niśśaṅka–Malla [ever] active in the world, desiring to establish single combat in the community of kings, proud and long-armed, . . . . . . . . a hero of liberality in the exercise of bounty on account of the losses of such kings made . . . . . . . . [benefactions]. Let kings long preserve them unimpaired.
[Lines 3-8] His Majesty Siri San̆gabo Niśśaṅka–Malla Kālin̆ga Parākrama–Bāhu Cakravartī, being like unto the tilāka [mark] of the Solar dynasty of the royal line of the Okkāka race received the kingdom [of Ceylon] in due order of royal succession and wearing the crown assumed supreme sovereignty.
As soon as His Majesty was born of the womb of the great queen Pārvatī, his father, the great king Śrī-Jayagopa, observing the lucky marks [on his body] and the auspiciousness of the stars and of the hour [when he was born] made the announcement, ‘I have received a tilaka to [adorn] my race’. And His Majesty [on coming to the throne] made good this assertion in that he scattered his enemies even as the sun, rising on the Orient Mount, scatters the darkness. Shining like Śakra in boundless royal splendour, he flourished like a ‘wish-conferring’ tree that has sprung up by reason of the merits of the inhabitants of the world and promoted the welfare of the world and the (Buddist) religion. [Thus] ruling the kingdom with the ten regal virtues, he made his residence in the Kāliṅga city of Pulastipura.
[Lines 8-14] He relinquished the revenue for five years in favour of those inhabitants of Laṅkā who had become destitute by the payment of inordinate imposts in former times. By gifts of divers property, such as divel-lands, serfs, cattle, permanent and heritable grants, clothes, and ornaments, he enriched the people. Reflecting that thieves steal, even at the risk of their lives, through their desire for wealth, he bestowed on them village lands and property as much as they desire and made them desist from stealing. Thus did he dispel fear of theft. [Again] His Majesty wearing the crown and other royal insignia, together with his chief queen Kāliṅga Subhadrā Mahādevī of the Solar race, and Kalyāṇa Mahādevī of the Gaṅga race, as well as his own son, the sub-king Vīra–Bāhu Mahapāṇan–vahanse, mounted the scale-pan and giving away every year wealth equal in weight to themselves, caused showers of navaratna gifts to fall as kings had never done before. Thus did he dispel the fear of poverty. He dispelled also the fear of famine by the construction of many [irrigation] canals, embankments, and tanks.
[Lines 14-19] Through courts of justice he suppressed injustices in many places. And with the object that the people whom he had thus made prosperous might not be ruined by wrong conduct, he set up in his capital moral edicts engraved on stone. [Moreover] thinking, ‘I will show myself in my [true] body which is endowed with benevolent regard for and attachment to the virtuous qualities of a Bodhi-satta king who, like a parent, protects the world and the religion’; and seeing that the inhabitants of the threefold kingdom [of Ceylon] were in distress, His Majesty decided, ‘I will give them wealth equal to that of kings’, and bestowing on them gold and silver vessels, pearls, precious stones, and various other wealth made every one happy.
[Lines 19-25] He dispatched champions to the princes of Coḍa, Gauḍa, and many other countries demanding single combat. There being now no hostile king, he pondered: ‘I have no enemies without, [therefore] it is now meet [for me] to conquer the enemies [within me, namely] the evil passions.’ So he dedicated his own son, the sub-king Vīra–Bāhu, to the venerated ‘Tooth-relic’ and the ‘Bowl-relic,’ and for the purpose of redeeming him, His Majesty had [a model of] a dāgaba made in solid gold, ornamented with priceless gems. He exhibited [therein] the ‘Tooth-relic’ and made offerings in profusion. Then summoning [to his presence] the general Lak–Vijaya–sin̆gu Senevi Tāvurunāvan, he caused him to build on the maluva (terrace) a priceless circular relic-house called Ratanagiri and amply endowed it with landed property, monastic staff, and the like. Further, he remitted the taxes in the Island of Laṅkā for one year and had stone inscriptions set up [to that effect]. In the threefold kingdom [of the Island] he erected great sacred shrines, such as the Upakāra–caitya, the Ratna–caitya, &c.
[Lines 25-31] Thereafter His Majesty visited Anurādhapura and made magnificent offerings with an outlay of wealth amounting to forty lacs [of masuran coins]. The divine beings (devatās) observing this, manifested themselves [in bodily form], and uttered shouts of praise, saying, ‘thus indeed should duties for the benefit of the world and the religion be performed’. At that spot he built a dagaba. As he was proceeding thence along the road, it happened that his crown was jerked off the sin̆gā through the speed of the horse he was riding; but the devatās [soon] replaced it on the selfsame sin̆gā. His Majesty observing the [divine] protection thus vouchsafed to him, reflected, ‘I have made manifest the reward of virtuous actions. I will [now] visit and inspect the villages, towns, and all other places in the threefold kingdom [of Ceylon], afford relief to the helpless, and restore the vihāras and the dāgabas that have fallen into dilapidation.’ Accordingly he visited the cave of Dam̆bulla and caused the erection of a vihāra and a dāgaba and [the setting up of] seventy-three recumbent, sitting, and standing statues [of the Buddha]. He [had them gilded and] caused great offerings to be made with an expenditure of seven lacs of money.
[Lines 31-36] Further, he visited many celebrated vihāras, such as those at Mäṇ̆ḍili–giri, Velagama, Mahagama, (Devunuvara), and Käläṇi, and giving away boundless wealth made great offerings to them. He served the well-conducted community of Buddhist monks with the four priestly requisites and bestowed suitable means of subsistence on learned men versed in law and science. Then reflecting, ‘in my days let beggars have wealth wherewith they may also enjoy themselves as do the royal personages’, he built almshouses in Anurādhapura, Śrī–pura, Śrīvāsa–pura, Niśśaṅka–pura, Kāliṅga–vijaya–pura, Mahapuṭupa, Śonaya, Kaliṅga, Rāmeśvara, and in many other places both in this country and in other lands, and caused great showers of gifts to fall.
[Lines 36-39] Also in the Kāliṅga city called Pulastipura, where he resides, he built many alms-halls, such as Tribhuvana–satra (the three-world almshouse) Niśśaṅka–satra, Brāhmaṇa–satra, Bauddha–satra, Bahu–jana–satra (public almshouse), and the like, and furnished them as ‘wish-conferring trees’ with everything fit for enjoyment. Here he entertained the beggars who had come from many places in this country and in foreign lands.
[Lines 39-45] That His Majesty after partaking such food as he desired, drinking divers mixed beverages, eating various kinds of cake and fruit, rinsing his mouth [with water out of gold and silver ewers filled] at ‘the golden pond’ and at ‘the silver pond’; and after rubbing on his hands sweet-smelling unguent, chewing betel with the five ingredients . . . . . . and sleeping on a priceless sleeping-couch, (waited upon) by attendants with fragrant ointment, may remain there in the enjoyment of the bliss (of almsgiving), ever hearing the joyous shouts of sādhu and the like in response to the distribution of food; and that His Majesty may inaugurate the impartation of the gift of religious knowledge, which is the highest of all gifts, he caused to be erected a Prīti–dānaka–maṇḍapa, ‘joy-conferring pavilion’, and enacted that whosoever enters its premises shall have the right of asylum even though he has committed a serious crime.
To this effect this rock-edict has been inscribed. May future princes read it and continue the virtuous practice of almsgiving which has thus been established, and so attain the realization of heaven and release from re-birth, (mōkṣa).