The inscription is incised on the sloping granite rockface immediately to the right of the central cave shrine at the rock-cut temple known as Gal-vihāra, which is situated in Polonnaruwa, about one and a half miles north of the Promontory. Famed for its four large rock-relief statues of the Buddha, this temple was originally known as Uttarārāma (North Park). It was built by king Parakkama-Bāhu I, who reigned between 1153 and 1186 A.D. The inscription sets out a code of conduct for the Buddhist clergy. It is divided into two parts, each one terminating in a fish symbol. The first part contains a historical introduction (lines 1–18) and the second part details disciplinary injunctions (lines 18–51).
Edited and translated in Müller 1883: 61-62, 87-90 and 120-124, no. 137. Re-edited and re-translated by Wickremasinghe in Epigraphia Zeylanica 2 (1912-27): 256-283, no. 41.
Müller (1883) 61-62, 87-90 and 120-124, no. 137
Epigraphia Zeylanica 2 (1912-27) 256-283, no. 41