Siddham. The Asian Inscription Database | IN03161 Poḷonnaruva Pillar Inscription of Mahinda V

This inscription is engraved on all four sides of a quadrangular stone pillar, which was discovered at the eastern porch of the Quadrangle at Poḷonnaruva and afterwards moved to the Archaeological Museum at Anurādhapura. The pillar’s base and capital are both missing and it seems to have been utilised as a lintel, for on one side are two square mortice holds, which were obviously intended for fitting it to the two door-jambs. H. C. P. Bell included the pillar in the list of inscriptions copied between 1901 and 1905 in the Annual Report of the Archaeological Survey of Ceylon for 1905 (p. 40, no. 42). The inscription can be assigned to around the tenth century A.D. on palaeographic grounds. It is dated in the second year of a king styled Sirisaṅgbo, whom Bell identified with Mahinda IV (r. 975–991 A.D.). However, this identification is untenable, since the mother and father of the king in question are named in the inscription as Saṅgā-räjna and Mihind-maha[rad] respectively. In the tenth century, only two kings were sons of a monarch called Mihind (Mahinda). These were Sena V (r. 991–1001) and Mahinda V (r. 1001–1037), the two sons of Mahinda IV. The former used the viruda title Salamevan and cannot therefore be identified with the Sirisaṅgbo referred to here. Instead, the monarch of the present inscription must be Mahinda V, who was entitled to the name of Sirisaṅgbo from his place in the order of succession. The inscription records a grant of immunities to land in the village of Muhund-naru, in the Eastern Quarter, belonging to a pirivena, of which the name is obliterated, in the monastery called Mahamevnā Tisaram.

Diplomatic Edition
Critical Edition

Side A

[line 1] [Si]ribar-kät-ku-

[line 2] -la-kot Okāvas-

[line 3] parapuren ba[ṭa

[line 4] La]kdiv-poḷo-yo-

[line 5] -n parapuren hi-

[line 6] -mi-vū nā-gadevu-de-

[line 7] -vi-bambun vuṭu-

[line 8] -nu-mäṇa-me bamara-

[line 9] väḷän hebi sara-

[line 10] -ṇa-pīmen lakuḷu

[line 11] lo-pilisaraṇa-mu-

[line 12] -nindun⸗ipat Sähä-

[line 13] kula-kevlu Sudo-

[line 14] -nā-parapuren ā

[line 15] Lak-nirind-kiri[ḷ]-

[line 16] kuḷhi ted-gini-

[line 17] -n dävi pavar ..

[line 18] .. Ka[Iiṅgu]-kula-k[o-

[line 19] -t] Mihind-maha[ra-

[line 20] -dun] vahan[se-

[line 21] -ṭa] Saṅgā-räjna

[line 22] kusä dunu Sirisa-

[line 23] -ṅgbo-maharaj-hu

[line 24] sat läṅgu devana

[line 25] havuruduyehi Ä-

[line 26] -säḷä ava aṭava-

[line 27] -k davas vändä vadā-

[line 28] -ḷa ek-tän-samiye-

[line 29] -n attāṇi-kaṇu

[line 30] hindvannaṭ Ni-

[line 31] -lgonnā Ag-

[line 32] -bonāvan varä [va]-

Side B

[line 1] -na Mekāppar

[line 2] Maha .. .. .. ..

[line 3] isā Damgamu

[line 4] Sivim isā Ma-

[line 5] -hakiliṅgam Ni-

[line 6] .. .. m isā Va-

[line 7] -ṭrak Kas[bā]

[line 8] Araksamaṇa-

[line 9] -n varä Kuḍsa-

[line 10] -lā-vatkämi Sa-

[line 11] -ṅghayi isā [m]e-

[line 12] -tuvak denamo

[line 13] vädä vajāḷa ek-

[line 14] tän-samiyen

[line 15] Mahamevnā [Ti]-

[line 16] -sara[m] raj-[ma-

[line 17] -ha]-veherhi ..

[line 18] .. .. .. .. .. ..

[line 19] .. .. .. .. .. ..

[line 20] .. .. .. .. .. [p]i-

[line 21] -rivenhi .. ..

[line 22] pädum-pas-hi

[line 23] Muh[u]ndnaru[ven]

[line 24] bahālū pas-pa-

[line 25] -yalä satar-sī-

[line 26] -māyen ätuḷ-

[line 27] [vū]tāk tä[na]ṭ

[line 28] [ma]ng-[gi]v pi[ya]-gi-

[line 29] -v no-vadnā i-

[line 30] -sā melā[ṭ]si ra-

[line 31] -[d-kol]-kä[miya-

[line 32] -ṇ no-vadnā] isā

Side C

[line 1] väri perenaṭṭi-

[line 2] -yam no-vad [nā*] isā

[line 3] deruvanä dekam-

[line 4] tän no-vadnā i-

[line 5] -sā gäl-gon mivu-

[line 6] -n no-gannā isā

[lines 7–28] Illegible

[line 29] [Kiliṅg-gam] .. ..

[line 30] Devim isā [Vaṭ]-

[line 31] rak Kasbā [A]ra-

[line 32] -ksamaṇan varä

Side D

[line 1] [Kuḍ]salā Saṅg-

[line 2] -[hay ätuḷu] me-

[line 3] -tuvāk denamo

[line 4] [vändä] vadāḷa e-

[line 5] -k-tän-samiye-

[line 6] -n me attaṇi-

[line 7] kaṇu perähä-

[line 8] -r bamba-de[ye]-

[line 9] -n du[n]mahayi[II*]