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).
| Metadata | |
|---|---|
| Inscription ID | IN03104 |
| Title | Poḷonnaruva Gal-Vihāra Rock Inscription of Parakkama-Bāhu I |
| Alternative titles | |
| Parent Object | OB03084 |
| Related Inscriptions | |
| Responsibility | |
| Author | Don Martino de Zilva Wickremasinghe |
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| Language | සිංහල |
| Reigning monarch | Parakkama-Bāhu I |
| Commissioner | |
| Topic | sets out a code of conduct for the Buddhist clergy |
| Date: | |
| Min | 1153 |
| Max | 1186 |
| Comment | Basis for dating: reign of Parakkama-Bāhu I (1153–1186 A.D.). |
| Hand | |
| Letter size | 5.08 |
| Description | Letter size ranges from 1½ to 2 inches (3.81 to 5.08 cm). The letter types date from the 12th century A.D. |
| Layout | |
| Campus: | |
| Width | 403.86 |
| Height | 297.18 |
| Description | 51 lines engraved between ruled lines 2½ inches (6.35 cm) apart on a sloping granite rockface. Prior to the incision of the inscription, a rectangular area of the rockface was chiselled smooth to receive the text. The inscription is now badly weathered. |
| Decoration | |
| Bibliography | |
| References | 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. |
| Add to bibliography | Edited in D. B. Jayatilaka (ed.), Katikāvat-san̆garā (Colombo, 1922). |
| Misc notes | |