The inscription is engraved on a stone slab, which is now broken, only the upper part surviving. This fragment features nineteen complete lines of writing, plus a few letters from the end of a twentieth line. It is not possible to say how many lines were lost with the lower part of the slab. The surviving fragment was found at the building called ‘the Buddhist Railing’ near the Eastern (Jetavana) dāgäba at Anurādhapura and recorded in the Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of Ceylon for 1892 (p. 9, no. 4). It was removed to the premises of the Archaeological Survey and was still there in the early 1930s when Senarath Paranavitana published his edition and translation of the inscription in the third volume of Epigraphia Zeylanica. The inscription is dated in the seventh year of Sirisaṅgbo Mahind (Mahinda IV) and proclaims certain rules concerning a ‘Water Pavilion’ (pän maḍiya) at the Ratnamāpirivena in the Jetavana monastery. If ‘Ratnamāpirivena’ refers to the building near which the inscription was found, it must have been the ancient name of ‘the Buddhist Railing’.
[Lines 1–5] In the seventh year after the raising of the umbrella of dominion by the great King Sirisaṅgbo Mahind, the pinnacle of the illustrious Sähä race, who is descended from the lineage of Okāvas, who has come down in the succession of the great King Sudovun, and who is descended from the lineage of the great king Paḍuvasdev Abhā.
[Lines 5–10] Lodgings shall not be given in this ‘Water Pavilion at the Gate’ constructed by the devotees, desirous of heavenly bliss and final emancipation, who reside at the Ratnamāpirivena in the great royal monastery of Denā established [of yore] for the benefit of the great elder Tis who was moderate in his desires, was content, and was known by the name of the great lord Sāguli.
[Lines 10–15] Lodgings shall not be given, on any pretext whatsoever, in the upper story as well as in the lower story of this ‘Water Pavilion at the Gate’ and also in the hāra where pots of water are kept, by the monks, young and old, who are, or will be, residing at the college of Senevirad.
[Lines 15–17] Any utensils belonging to others and in excess of the utensils belonging to the endowments of this ‘Water Pavilion at the Gate’ shall not be kept here.
[Lines 17–20] If any utensil in excess of (or other than) the varayāla of the servants be placed there, [the servant responsible] shall be turned out after taking back the maintenance [lands] that are in his possession. The monks who are, or will be, residing at the monastery and . . . . . . connected with the monks . . . . . . . . . . . . . shall not take lodgings.