Siddham. The Asian Inscription Database | IN03099 Poḷonnaruva Slab Inscription of Sāhasa-Malla

The inscription is incised on both sides of a quadrangular slab, which was discovered sometime before 1874, standing upright at a spot north of the Häṭadāgē in Poḷonnaruva. The text is mostly in Sinhalese but two Sanskrit stanzas in śārdūlavikrīḍita metre make up the first and last five lines; these stanzas are separated from the rest of the text by fish emblems. The inscription gives an account of the parentage and ascent to the throne of Siri San̆gabo Kāliṅga Vijaya-Bāhu, noting that he was the (half-)brother of king Niśśaṅka-Malla and assumed the biruda epithet Sāhaṣa-Malla. It then records that Sāhaṣa-Malla appointed the general Lak-Vijaya-Sin̆gu-Senevi as his prime minister and granted him much wealth.

Whereas most Sri Lankan inscriptions of this period are dated only by the regnal years of ruling monarchs, this record contains a date in the Buddha-varṣa and thus provides a fixed point of historical reference within broader chronologies of the period. The date given in the inscription is 1743 years, 3 months and 27 days of the Buddhavarṣa, Wednesday, the twelfth day of the bright fortnight of the lunar month of Binera (Bhādrapada, Aug.-Sept.). Following Fleet (1909: 331), Wickremasinghe identified this date with Wednesday 23 August 1200 A.D. It refers to Sāhasa-Malla’s anointment as king and not the incision of the inscription. However, the grant recorded in the inscription is described as having taken place in the first year of the king’s reign (between August 1200 and August 1201 A.D.).

Diplomatic Edition
Critical Edition

Side A

[line 1] Śrīmat Sāhasa-Malla-Siṁhaḷa-pati(ḥ) Kāliṅga-vaṁśā-

[line 2] ⸗graṇīr, ānīyā⸗tra Kaliṅgato rppitavate Laṁkādhirā-

[line 3] -jya-śriyām [I] Āyuṣmat-pṛtanādhipāya mahatīm grāmā-

[line 4] ⸗dikāṁ sampadam, datvaivaṁ kṛtavān svayaṁ kṛta-vidā-

[line 5] -m ekādhirājye padam [II] [fish emblem] sirisara Okāvas parapu-

[line 6] -rehi muḷu sakvaḷa ek-sat kaḷa Kāliṅga-Cakravartti-

[line 7] paramparāyāta Śrī Gopa-rājayan-vahan(se ure-)

[line 8] -hidā Loka-mahadevīn-vahanse kusin Siṁhapure-

[line 9] -hi prasūta-vū asama sāhasayen Sāhasa-Malla yäyi

[line 10] virudu lada Siri San̆gabo Kāliṅga Vijaya-Bāhu raja-pā-

[line 11] vahanse paḷamu Laṁkāyehi raja-siri pämiṇa siṭi Ni-

[line 12] -śśaṁka-Malla-nam bǟṇan-vahanse svarggastha-vū

[line 13] pasu hiru astayaṭa giya tenä taru-gaṇanak-se

[line 14] kīpa raja-kenakun gili giya tanhi Laṁkāva a-svā-

[line 15] -mika-vä sanda udā no-lat räyak-se anduru-vä tubū sa-

[line 16] -nda Laṁkādhikara Lolupälǟ-kuḷu Dūttäṭi Ābonā-va-

[line 17] -n taman śṛta śīla-kulā⸗cārā⸗di mantrī-guṇen ye-

[line 18] -dī nīti paravävana-heyin tamanṭa parama-mitra-vū Laṁ-

[line 19] -kādhikāra Lolupälǟ-kuḷu Budal-nāvan hā ek-vä ra-

[line 20] -jahu näti rajaya nam niya-muvā näti nävak-se no-pa-

[line 21] -vatne-yä hiru näti davasa-se no-hobaneyä Buddha-śā-

[line 22] -sanaya-da aṇasak näti-vä nir-ālamba-vanne-yä tavada

[line 23] Lak-diva nam Vijaya-rājayan yakṣa praḷaya koṭä ka-

[line 24] ṇu-mul bā tänū viyaḷak-se pavat kaḷa heyin

[line 25] emä vam̆śayehi rajun boho-sē rakṣākaḷa tenäyä

[line 26] e-bävin mehi raja-kaḷa Niśśaṁka-Malla-svāmin-

[line 27] -ge maḷaṇuvan-vahanse Kalin̆gu-raṭa yavā vadā

[line 28] avut lo-sasun rakumha-yi bäṇä niścaya

[line 29] koṭä svāmi pakṣapāta dhīra-sāra-guṇen yukta

[line 30] e-raṭa väsi Mallikārjjunā nam pradhānī Kalin̆gu-raṭa

[line 31] yavā ārādhanā koṭä mahaperaharin genvā So-

[line 32] -ḷi-raṭä Kahakoṇḍa-paṭṭaṇamä vaḍā hinduvā ratnābha-

Side B

[line 1] -raṇa vastrādīn matu-vana rājya-śrīyaṭa anu-

[line 2] -rūpa śrīn sat-kāra karana kalhi e-bava asā

[line 3] anugrahā⸗pagraha dekaṭa pohosat lo-sa-

[line 4] -sun raknā rājavarayan no-kämäti-vä tama-tamā-

[line 5] -gē-mä ādhipatyaya patā vighna-karana durmma-

[line 6] -ntrīn de havuruddekin sādhā pun-sanda nän̆gä

[line 7] pānā-sē śubha nakat mohot-hi muhundu piṭä

[line 8] man̆ga petä nir-upadrava koṭä vaḍā avut Tri Siṁ-

[line 9] -haḷaya ekātapatra koṭä Buddha-varṣa ek-dahas

[line 10] sat-siya te-sālis havurudu tun-mas sat-

[line 11] visi davasak giya tenä Binera pura doḷos

[line 12] vak lada Badā davas śubha nakat mohotin a-

[line 13] -bhiṣeka kärä-vū me ananya-sādhāraṇa das-kamaṭa

[line 14] taman-vahanseṭa paḷamu-vannehi Senevirat

[line 15] paṭa bandavā agra mantrī koṭä siṭuvā me väni daru-

[line 16] -van lada mavunṭa väḍi satkāra kaḷamanā vedayi

[line 17] movun mǟṇiyanṭa Laṁkātilaka-mahadevī-yäyi

[line 18] nam dī baḍä ran-paṭa bandavā boho sammāna dī

[line 19] hira sanda pamuṇu koṭä Lak-Vijaya-Sin̆gu Sene-

[line 20] -vi Ābonāvanṭa dī vadāḷa gamvara hā parivāra

[line 21] hā siyalu sampattiyaṭa matu-vana rajadaruva-

[line 22] -nudu taman-tamanṭa das-kam kaḷavun rakṣā-

[line 23] kirīma rāja-dharmma-heyin vilopayak no-ko-

[line 24] -ṭä memä paridden tabā dī ovun vam̆śa rakṣā-ka-

[line 25] -ranu mänäväyi śilā-lekha karavā vadāḷaseye-

[line 26] -kä me bala-balā rāja-vallabha-vä siṭi amātyādi-

[line 27] -hu da balātkārayen mē kī deya gat-hu nam

[line 28] vevayi rajasya kaḷāhu nam vevayi rājājñā mäku-

[line 29] -vā nam veti kulen hīnayan hā da kavuḍu balun

[line 30] hā da samanam veti e-heyin svāmi-pakṣapāta

[line 31] rakṣā-karannā kämättavun-visin movunṭa du-

[line 32] -n hämä sampat rakṣā-karanu mänävi [fish emblem] Deva-

[line 33] -s Sāhasa-Malla eṣa jagatām mānyas svayam yā-

[line 34] -cate, trāṇaṁ yad-dṛḍha-pakṣa-p(ā)ta-dhuriṇāṁ kṣātro hi

[line 35] dharmmaḥ param [I] Āyuṣmat-pṛtanāpateḥ kṛtavataḥ

[line 36] Kālin̆ga-vaṁśodayañ, candrārkkā⸗vadhi sampadā sa-

[line 37] -ha tato rakṣantu vaṁśyān nṛpāḥ [II] [fish emblem] [fish emblem]