Siddham. The Asian Inscription Database | IN03108 Badulla Pillar Inscription

The inscription covers all four sides of a stone pillar, which was found in 1857 near the Horaboraväva (Horaborawewa or Soraborawewa). Situated about three miles to the north-east of Mahiyaṅgaṇa, this tank is the most important of the ancient irrigation works in the province of Ūda. Writing about the Horaborawewa in 1857, John Bailey, then Assistant Government Agent at Badulla, described the pillar as lying in the midst of a forested area, which he speculated was once a range of paddy fields (Sessional Papers 1857, quoted in Herbert White, Manual of the Province of Uva [Colombo: H. C. Cottle, 1893], p. 33). However, when the tank was restored in 1870, the pillar was removed to Badulla and set up near the junction of the Kandy and Baṇḍāravela roads. It stood in this location for over fifty years without attracting any scholarly or antiquarian attention until H. W. Codrington made an eye-copy and transcript of the inscription in 1920.

Containing two hundred and three lines and close to two thousand akṣaras, the text is the longest known pillar inscription in Sri Lanka. The inscription is dated in the second year of Siri Saṅg-bo Udā. Paranavitana identifies this king as Udaya III and, following Hultzsch, dates the start of his reign to 941 A.D., making the date of the inscription about 942 A.D. On palaeographic grounds, the text may be ascribed to the middle decades of the 10th century A.D. The inscription outlines certain rules enacted for the administration of a village named Hopiṭigamy in the Sorabara division. These rules take the form of a charter granted by the king to some mercantile corporations at the place. They enrich our understanding of the lives of peasants and traders in tenth-century Sri Lanka, demonstrating – for instance – that local mercantile corporations were empowered to levy fines, arrest murderers and assist royal officers in the administration of justice.

Diplomatic Edition
Critical Edition

Side A

[line 1] Siri- bara kät-ku-

[line 2] -la kot Ukāvas-

[line 3] rad-parapuren ba-

[line 4] -ṭ Lak-div-poḷo-

[line 5] yon parapuren hi-

[line 6] -mi vū e me kulen ba-

[line 7] -ṭ Samidi Gonbiso

[line 8] tu[mā] kusä upādä ǟpā-ma-

[line 9] -hayā-siri vidä piḷiveḷa

[line 10] se rädä pämiṇä rädä ka-

[line 11] -ḷa Sirisaṅgbo Udā ma-

[line 12] -ha- radahu tumā sat lä-

[line 13] -ṅgu devana havurudu-

[line 14] -yehi Nikinni Sa[nd]

[line 15] ava viseniyi [II*] Sora-

[line 16] -barahi āvū Hopiṭi-

[line 17] gamu padiyä väpāra[ya-]

[line 18] -n kuḍin vat- himiya[n-]

[line 19] vahanse Miyaguṇ-ma-

[line 20] -ha-vēr väḍi kalä gi-

[line 21] -ya davasä padi-lad da-

[line 22] -ḍanāyakayan gätta-

[line 23] -n Sataḷosä pirinivi-

[line 24] -yan vahanse davasä

[line 25] kaḷa vävasthā ikmā a-

[line 26] -nnǟyen daḍa gat-ha

[line 27] no sirit paḍuru ga-

[line 28] -tha gamin piyeyi-

[line 29] -si väḍi tänä dānvū-

[line 30] tänin Sataḷosa (va-

[line 31] -hanse) davasä kaḷa siri-

[line 32] -tak misä annǟyen

[line 33] karana däyak nokara-

[line 34] -nā säṭiyaṭ vävas[thā]-

[line 35] -vak liyavā taba[nna]-

[line 36] -ṭ vadāḷen sabhāye

[line 37] lekam-gehi sam-da[ru]-

[line 38] -van hind[ä si]ṭ vū väva-

[line 39] -sthā siriti [II*] Me Hopiṭiga-

[line 40] -mu (padi lad) kenekun

[line 41] gättan gamaṭ ā [ka-

[line 42] -lä] mandraṇḍin vaṇigrāma-

[line 43] -n Mahāgrāmayan hindä

[line 44] Sataḷosä- piriniviya-

[line 45] -n vahanseyi davasä

[line 46] vävasthā se pere-siri-

[line 47] -t daḍa ganut misä ani-

Side B

[line 1] -[yā] no karanu isā

[line 2] gam-laddan gätta-

[line 3] -n mandraṇḍin hindä [vi-]

[line 4] -tāra koṭ piri-kapā da-

[line 5] -kvā dun daḍa ganut

[line 6] misä gam vaṭā genä

[line 7] ge tirǟ genä daḍa

[line 8] no eḷvanu isā

[line 9] daḍa gämä hindä e[ḷ-]

[line 10] -vat misä kuḍin

[line 11] gämin piṭat koṭä

[line 12] no genä yanu isā

[line 13] no pirikäpū daḍat

[line 14] väläkme no gan-

[line 15] -nā koṭ isā Iī

[line 16] daḍaṭ savāmi ginu-

[line 17] -t misä abu-daru-

[line 18] -van väläkme no

[line 19] gannā isā gama-

[line 20] -ṭ ā radolan raha

[line 21] mas dī gitel no

[line 22] gannā isā vatu-

[line 23] pet vet vädä raha

[line 24] no gannā isā

[line 25] sora-veḷadam [no]

[line 26] karanu isā poho-

[line 27] dā sal kaḷākuge-

[line 28] -n väpudayaṭ te-

[line 29] -l paddak gannā

[line 30] isā Miyuguṇ-ma-

[line 31] -ha veherä väpuda

[line 32] pavatvanu isā vä-

[line 33] -pudayaṭ no läbuṇā-

[line 34] -kugen pere sirit

[line 35] daḍa väpudayaṭ ga

[line 36] gannā isā ba-

[line 37] -ḍu genä gam van

[line 38] goṇi-gon no ga-

[line 39] -nnā isā me gämä si-

[line 40] -ṭä raṭ-dag no gannā

[line 41] isā väḷǟtä vana

[line 42] uḷvāḍu kaṇakka-

[line 43] -run gamaṭ āku-

[line 44] -la no karanu isā

[line 45] mekun gättan ga-

[line 46] -maṭ vadnā raha ma-

[line 47] -s dī gitel pähä-

[line 48] -rä no gannā i-

[line 49] -sā padi vadanā ba-

Side C

[line 1] -ḍu pere magaṭa

[line 2] gos no gannā

[line 3] [isā] (vā gavā) ḷahi

[line 4] . . . . t kusalān k[ä]-

[line 5] -[rä] genä dī tamāge

[line 6] [kärä] ginut misä nosi-

[line 7] -tak no karanu isā

[line 8] [gaṇa] lahassen mi-

[line 9] -sä sesu lahasiye-

[line 10] -n no mananu isā ga-

[line 11] -m van baḍu gämä vik-

[line 12] -kä misä genä yet sut-

[line 13] vat no gannā isā [no-]

[line 14] pǟ viki baḍiyehi dīṇa

[line 15] sut-vat ganut misä

[line 16] ākula no karanu isā

[line 17] no päṭu madaḍiyen (no

[line 18] yen) nokiranu isā su-

[line 19] -t-baḍu notänä hindä

[line 20] no vikuṇanu isā sa-

[line 21] -l no kaḷa manā tänä no-

[line 22] kiranu isā sal no

[line 23] kaḷa manavun no kiranu

[line 24] isā kaḷa-masu puravat

[line 25] sī miyä väṭena masu

[line 26] unu koṭä no gannā-

[line 27] koṭ isä bulat pu-

[line 28] -vak maḍapaye tabā

[line 29] vikuṇanu koṭ isā no-

[line 30] tanā tabā vikka duṭu-

[line 31] -vā radolan haravā ga-

[line 32] -nnā isā demuḷä bad

[line 33] valvalä daḍu pat no

[line 34] kapanu koṭ isā me-

[line 35] -he-karuvanaṭ ākula

[line 36] no karanu isā mega-

[line 37] -mhi aṭadenā ge navatä-

[line 38] -n no gannā isā

[line 39] vat-himiyan vahan-

[line 40] se väḍiyä ǟpā rad-

[line 41] daruvan väḍiyä pere

[line 42] sirit paḍuru denu i-

[line 43] -sā gamlad-nāyaka ke-

[line 44] ṇekun padi ā kalä Sa-

[line 45] -taḷosä piriniviyan

[line 46] vahanse davasä

[line 47] pere sirit paḍuru pa-

[line 48] -s vissa no genä

[line 49] annǟyen van.

Side D

[line 1] . . . . ganitī ku-

[line 2] -ḍin[hi pirikapā]

[line 3] väḍi tänä dän-

[line 4] -vū tänin pere

[line 5] sirit pas-vi-

[line 6] -ssa ganneya yi

[line 7] vadāḷa tänin paḍura-

[line 8] -ṭ pas-vissa ga-

[line 9] -nnā koṭ isā

[line 10] me gamhi lā mini ko-

[line 11] -ṭā yet radolanaṭ [lä-

[line 12] bi] navatnā se[ki-]

[line 13] -n navatanu isā

[line 14] demeḷan(ṭa raṭa nā)-

[line 15] tān daru avā

[line 16] no denu isā ma . .-

[line 17] -vuṭiyen bolā

[line 18] si [n] kiravu a (ga)

[line 19] me lā hā kra ra [ṭṭu]

[line 20] . . isā kuḍin ge

[line 21] käruṇu ākulaya-

[line 22] -ṭ Samdaruvan läbi

[line 23] ākula haravanu isā

[line 24] sam-daruvanṭa no lä-

[line 25] -buṇu kuḍiyak äta

[line 26] lagaḍu hoḷ daḍu no si-

[line 27] rit karanu (para)kapā

[line 28] . . . . . . bat no de-

[line 29] nu isā veḷadām go-

[line 30] -vi-kam . . . . a gämi-

[line 31] -n piṭat ka . . . . . .

[line 32] no vädä . . . . . .

[line 33] . . varada noved ga[m]

[line 34] aḍaviya aṭadenā

[line 35] . . ma [nigaha] läbuvan

[line 36] (rad-daḍa) aṭa-denā pirivaha-

[line 37] nnā hindvā illanu i-

[line 38] sā me varadaṭ vädä

[line 39] . . . . no (na) ganu isā

[line 40] me vävasthā ikmä ga-

[line 41] -maṭ radolan ani-

[line 42] -yā kaḷa sabbāye leka-

[line 43] -m geyi daruvan ṭa kiyā

[line 44] [a] vul haravā . . . . . .

[line 45] dun . . . . yukti . . . . . .

[line 46] [me pahaṇ hindvannaṭ ā]

[line 47] sabhāye hindnā Tak-

[line 48] naru Udagi isā Mula[vasa]

[line 49] Sen isā . . . . . . . .

[line 50] -lā varä Mekāppar Maṇi [ti]-

[line 51] -lā Kiliyem isā . . . . la

[line 52] . . . . Golobāgama Ni-

[line 53] -lā devu isā Maṅgul Ma-

[line 54] -hale Samannā Araksama-

[line 55] -ṇan varä Kuḍasalā vat-

[line 56] kämidevu ätuḷvä metuvā-

[line 57] -k sam-daruvan avud [me sa-]

[line 58] -[m]vatāpahaṇ hi[ndvanu ladi][II*]