Siddham. The Asian Inscription Database | IN03098 Am̆bagamuva Rock Inscription of Vijaya-Bāhu I

The inscription is engraved on two boulders on the summit of a hill in Am̆bagamuva, a small village near Nāwalapiṭiya. The text outlines king Vijaya-Bāhu I’s parentage, his qualities as both a war lord and a benevolent ruler, and his victory over the Tamil forces. The inscription then records the king’s offerings to the Buddha’s footprint on Adam’s Peak, his improvements to the footprint’s shrine, and his charitable grants to pilgrims visiting the area. These grants are followed by the usual statement of ‘sanctions’ in respect of the villages dedicated to the shrine.

The date of Vijaya-Bāhu’s benefaction to the pilgrims of Adam’s Peak is given in the inscription as the seventh day of the waxing moon in the month of Män̆dindina (February–March) in the thirty-eighth year of his reign. This king’s Polonnaruwa rule began in 1070 A.D. and his coronation took place about two years later, thus placing the date of the benefaction around 1107. Since Vijaya-Bāhu I died in 1110, this must have been one of his last charitable acts. The specific date of the incision of the inscription is not given. However, as the text is situated in one of the villages affected by the benefaction, it may be presumed that it was incised not long after the grant was made.

Diplomatic Edition
Critical Edition

[line 1] Sirivat-apiriyat-lev·

[line 2] ikut-guṇa-muḷin uturat muḷu Da-

[line 3] -mbadivuhi an Kät-kula pāmili kaḷa

[line 4] rivuhu anvayä O(kāva)s-(raj-)parapuren bat

[line 5] Kät (-usaba Abhā Salamevan) Maharajapā-ha(ṭa e)ma

[line 6] kuḷen sama-dǟ (Devu Go)n-räjanä kusi(n⸗i)pidä ǟpā ma-

[line 7] -hayā siri vindä piḷiveḷase raja-vä miṇi-vuṭunen pähä-

[line 8] -yū lovturā-bisesnen bises(-vū Lak-di-)vu poḷo-mehesu-

[line 9] -run parapuraṭa taṭikak (ba)ndu-vū tumā sa(r)aṇa-niya-rasin nan

[line 10] raja mundunä bises-vū s(ā)ha-tedin hiru päḷakevin mehesu-

[line 11] -ru daḷa-däpin uvindu raja-viritin surindu (pabanda) denen dinisura-

[line 12] -n sat(setin kiti)suru pänä-sa(ri)n suraguru somi-guṇen ni[sa-]

[line 13] -yuru rū-sarin ka[nda]p kuluṇu-[sa-](rin Bo-sat dunu) saha-vuṭunu raja-baraṇa kira-

[line 14] -ṇa vu(ju) ruduru-(tulatala) a(rā) tumā tu(nu) kap-tarumin nomin nan ruvin dun (va-)

[line 15] -turen nan desen pa(taḷe) muḷu diḷindu (si)t-sayurä puramin muḷu levhu pa-

[line 16] -taḷe yasa pabanda äti tumā sirin (Lak-divu pahayā) nan nan desehi ra-

[line 17] (-ju)n vaṭana asiri-(paṇ̆ḍuru-) sirin davaha pirenä raja-ge-dorahi dasa-nā-

[line 18] -van päräkum-sirin siri-Lakaṭa (yase eḷa-)vū (tunu-ruvanaṭa puda äjarana-)

[line 19] (-ṭa uvaṭan) yutnaṭa gävuru viyat(naṭa) sasiri siyanaṭa nugurā mituranaṭa vi-

[line 20] -yami saturanaṭa (da)pä savu [satnaṭa] kuluṇu-vat sabavaṭa nuvaṇa

[line 21] tumahaṭa ekatsaru kaḷa Siri San̆gabo Vijaya-Bhāhu raja-pā-vahan-

[line 22] -se tumā siyavikmen Demeḷa-baḷan-muḷu-anduru duru-lā muḷu Lak-divu ek sesat

[line 23] kärä raja vaḷandamin sat-tis havuruddak ikut sat län̆gū aṭa-tis vanu-yehi Mä-

[line 24] -ndinndina sanda (pura-mas)hi (pura-satavak) davasä (me käpä) budu-vū Kakusanda Koṇāga-

[line 25] -mana Kāssape Gotama yä sivu budun saraṇa-tamburu-dā mundunen isilū Sa-

[line 26] -manoḷa-kuḷehi pihiṭi padalas-dā pihiṭi visituru sat-ruvanin säduṇu nan bara-

[line 27] -ṇin puda karayi no-ek paṭa väräli viyan dada (ko)ḍi nan̆gayi sivu-dǟ-gandin a-

[line 28] -levu-koṭa tumā miṇi-vuṭunen padalas-dā sadā väḍä-siṭä padalas-

[line 29] dā pihiṭi Samanoḷa-kuḷehi kam-navām puda sitiyam väṭa dalavanu va-

[line 30] -ṭahā mehi dā vandanaṭa sivu-de(s)en väḍi maha-san̆gun-vahanse-

[line 31] -ṭa vaṭanā piḍu pasayaṭa hā sesu dā vandanaṭa räsvana āgata

[line 32] (dubbā)gatayanaṭa dena danvaṭa(ṭa hā raja-) raṭa mä(n̆gä) a(g)e pas

[line 33] gavuyehi apa nämin gavuyekä dan-halak bävin karavā

Side B

[line 34] dānopakaraṇa äti-koṭa dan denu-koṭa hā padalas-dā pihiṭi maḷu(ye)n pā-

[line 35] (-tä maḷu)vak karavā sesu (adhama-jātin ihi)-dā vandanu-koṭa hā pera-maḷu-

[line 36] -yehi mahavuru bandavā de-män̆gä de-doroṭuvak karavā kesi-mundu äti-

[line 37] koṭa rakṣā yodäviyä-yuttan ihi-dā vandanu-koṭa hā padalasä dä-

[line 38] -la äti-koṭa (avaṭä) ket karavanu-koṭa hā Vilbāye (äpasak bedā)

[line 39] mehi bada Kelagamuva puvak aräb ekak Tiniyagal koṭa-

[line 40] -väli ekak (So)ra-goḍa koṭaväli ekak Liyavaḷa koṭaväli

[line 41] ekak Badulu-vanä koṭaväli ekak Uḍu-ho koṭavälle (puvak)

[line 42] Kaḷan̆ga-velä bada Makuḷu-mula Am̆bagamuva (Väli)gam(po)ḷa Ula-

[line 43] -panā ätuḷuvä metuvāk tän kusalān bo(pā)

[line 44] koṭa meyaṭa (tuḍināḷā raj-kol kämiyan no-vadnā-

[line 45] koṭa deruvanä de-kamtän no-vadnā-koṭa magiv piyagi-

[line 46] -v kulī melāsi vi(ḍe) vi(ḍe) dun paṇḍuru no-gannā-ko(ṭa)

[line 47] gäl-gon (kiri-gai)ri adanā väriyan no-gannā-koṭa

[line 48] pas-mā-dosin ätuḷat varadak koṭa gam vanna[vun]

[line 49] äta gam-him panvā dun-mut gam vädä no-gannā

[line 50] -koṭa aṭa-tis vanna (matu) havurudu paṭan-koṭa ektän

[line 51] samuyen pā vändä ā mekāppara-vädǟrum Kaḷunna-

[line 52] -ru-bim A(yannāta)van varä Hakkagam Kitu, Koḷo-

[line 53] -m̆bagalu Dovu, Mahakiliṁgam Ki(t)ḷi-deṭu, Ramu-

[line 54] -kkaḍu (A)gā Rakkamaṇan varä Kuḍasalā Kitu ä-

[line 55] -tuḷuvä me-tuvāk samdaruvan-visin me attāṇi-

[line 56] kaṇu perähära denu ladi .. .. .. .. (-ye bada) .. .. .. ..

[line 57] .. .. (navām-käm-nāvan) .. .. .. .. (yalu gam go-)

[line 58] .. .. .. .. .. vahanse karavanu (ladi)