The inscription is engraved at the bottom of the rock-cut steps on the south-western side of Devanagala, a rock situated about three miles to the south-east of Māvanälla in the Galboḍa Kōraḷē of the Kǟgalla District. These steps lead to the summit of the rock, upon which are the ruins of a massive stone building called Paraṇa Vihāra, an old dāgäba, and an image house of Kandyan style. The inscription was first noticed by Edward Müller in his Ancient Inscriptions in Ceylon (1883: 60, 87, 120, no. 135), although he did not recognise the text’s historical significance, which was subsequently highlighted by H. C. P. Bell in his Report on the Kegalla District of the Province of Sabaragamuwa (1904: 73–76).
The inscription is dated to the twelfth year of Parākramabāhu I. This king ascended to the throne in 1153 A.D., hence the inscription must have been engraved in 1164–1165 A.D. It registers a grant of certain lands by the king to the general Kit Nuvaragal (Kitti Nagaragiri) in recognition of the latter’s services in an expedition against the Rāmañña country in the Pagan kingdom (modern-day Burma/Myanmar). The inscription provides valuable information about this expedition. It indicates that the campaign took place in or shortly before the twelfth year of Parākramabāhu’s reign and enables us to identify the Pagan monarch at the time of the conflict Alaungsithu (r. 1112–1167 A.D.). These details are not mentioned in the account of the expedition in the Mahāvaṁsa. Alaungsithu is referred to in the inscription as ‘Bhuvanāditta’, a title which, although applied to several Pagan kings, was particularly associated with him.
[Lines 1–14] His Majesty Parākrambāhu who is descended from the royal line of the Okkāka dynasty which, abounding in an assemblage of illustrious, boundless and transcendental virtues, has made other kṣatriya dynasties of Jambudvīpa its vassals; who is, by right of descent, the lord of the maiden, the land of Laṅkādvīpa, the chief queen of the kṣatriya nobles, by the effulgence of the nails of whose feet the heads of other kings become anointed; who surpasses the Sun in impetuosity and fiery energy, Mahaśvara in prowess, Upendra in haughty spirit, the Chief of the Gods (Indra) in kingly deportment, the Lord of Riches (Kuvera) in abundant wealth, Kitisiru in (bestowing) happiness to beings, the Preceptor of the Gods (Bṛhaspati) in the excellence of his wisdom, the Moon in gentleness, Kandarppa in the excellence of his beauty and Bodhisattva in the fullness of his benevolence; who, having mounted the massive scale pan which radiated the resplendence of the royal adornments including the diadem, and filling the ocean, which is the hearts of multitudes of the poor assembled from various directions, by the flow of limitless and varied jewels and treasures from the wish-conferring tree, which is his own person, is possessed of poetical compositions about his fame diffused throughout the entire world; who is having the prowess of a lion in tearing the frontal globes of the elephants who are his enemy kings,—[that king Parākramabāhu]—with the resolve, ‘I shall cause the revival of the state and the church which have been ruined for forty-two years since the time when my grandfather, King Vijaya, became a denizen of heaven,’ made war with the two persons, Gajabāhu and Mānābharaṇa and made [the authority of] one umbrella [of dominion prevail] in the island of Laṅkā.
[Lines 15–22] On the tenth day of the waxing moon in [the month of] Poson in the twelfth year when His Majesty was enjoying the royal splendour (in the noble city of Pulasti). Whereas, a person named Bhuvanāditta, lord of Aramaṇa, when reigning, said ‘We shall not contract a treaty with the island of Laṅkā’, and whereas, when His Majesty had commanded ‘Put men on board thousands of vessels, send [them] and attack Aramaṇa’, and Kit Nuvaragal, (in pursuance of the said command), had taken by storm a town called Kusumīya and when . . . for five months, the Aramaṇas sent envoys saying ‘We shall contract a treaty’—two yāḷas were granted as pamuṇu to Kit Nuvaragal, including Malabaṭuva . . . and the sowing extent of twelve amuṇas and two pǟḷas in (K)itsenpavu which were granted by having this inscription engraved on this stone so that [the same] may last till the sun and moon endure.
Other versions
Please note: This translation covers only the first five lines of the inscription.
The glorious endless, whose renown extended over the whole world, who was an object of veneration to the other royal dynasties of Dambadiwa, descended from the uninterrupted line of the Ikshwāku family, an eminent Kshatriya, born in the womb of the chief queen, who had become Lord of Lankā by (hereditary) succession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The illustrious monarch, Parákrama Báhu, lord of wealth, abounding in virtuous qualities pre-eminent in the boundless world; lineally descended from the royal Okkáka dynasty, who threw into shade the other Kshatriya races of the whole of Dambadiwa; [ruler] by hereditary descent of the territory of the Island of Lan̥ká, chief queen unto the Kshatrya nobility; [this king] who has anointed other kings with the effulgence of the nails of his feet; who in glory has surpassed the Sun god; in prowess, Maheswara (Siva); in haughty spirit, Vishṇu; in kingly state, Sakra; in inexhaustible wealth, Kuvéra; in [bestowing] happiness, Kitisara; in profound wisdom, Vrihaspatí; in gentleness, the Moon; in the grace of his beauty, Kandarpa; in richness of benevolence, the Bódhisat; who glitters in the resplendence of his crown and royal apparel; who has acquired world-wide fame unbroken, by filling the ocean of the hearts of all poor men who flock from various countries with the water of manifold gems, like a wish-conferring tree to those of righteous intent; who displays to hostile kings the strength of a lion in cleaving the frontal globe of the forehead of elephants; [this king] intending to promote the Buddhist religion and the interests of the people, which had been neglected for forty-two years since the death of his grandfather, king Wijaya [Báhu], made war with the two [princes] Gaja Báhu [and Mánâbharana] and brought Lan̥ká under one canopy of dominion. Whilst in the enjoyment of blessings as [high] as Swarṇagiri thereby received, in the 12th year [of his reign] on the 10th day of the waxing moon of [the month] Poson [the king] saying “We do not hold Lan̥ká in peace so long as a personage by name Bhuwunáditta dwelling in Aramaṇa rules there,” prepared and maned thousands of warships and despatched them. They steered a course for (lit. rowed by way of) Aramaṇa, and reaching there in course of time took by storm a town called Kusumiya, and continued the war for five months. Then messengers were sent [to them] with the order “Do ye make peace with the people of Aramaṇa.” To Kit-nuwara-giri (Kírtti-nagara-giri) was granted as paravenu lands to be held so long as sun and moon endure………… [the village] Malabaṭuwa and ………. 2 yála 12 amuṇu and 2 pẹlas of paddy sowing extent to be held without molestation.