IN03194 Malagaṇē Pillar Inscription

This inscription is engraved on the four faces of a stone pillar, which Senarath Paranavitana reported in the 1930s to be lying within the premises of the Buddhist temple at Malagaṇē in the Girātalān Kōraḷē of the Kuruṇǟgala District. He also noted that the pillar been removed to this position some fifty years previously from Nuvarakälē, an extensive ancient site about three miles to the north-east of Malagaṇē, for use in the construction of a shrine, which had since been demolished. The inscription was first highlighted for scholarship in Archaeological Survey of Ceylon Annual Report for 1910–11 (Appendix F, p. 119, no. 105). It is dated in the tenth year of a king style Abhā Maharad but the identity of this monarch is uncertain. The inscription describes how Abhā Maharad brought Rohaṇa and Malaya under his dominion, achievements which are attributed – using almost exactly the same words – to king Udaya I (r. 901–912 A.D.) in the Tim̆biriväva pillar inscription (IN03067). Abhā Maharad may be a variation on Udǟ Abhā Salamevan and Udaya Abhaya, titles which are applied in other inscriptions to Udaya I. The king of the present inscription is also described as a relative of an earlier monarch named Abhā Sirisaṅgbo, a title which is applied to Sena II (r. 866–901) in the Ällēväva pillar inscription. This may support the identification of Abhā Maharad with Udaya I, since he was the younger brother and successor of Sena II. However, the word which expresses the exact nature of the relationship between Abhā Maharad and Abhā Sirisaṅgbo is unfortunately no longer legible and was interpreted as ‘son’ rather than ‘brother’ in an eye-copy of the inscription made under H. C. P. Bell’s direction for the Archaeological Survey in 1910–11. If this reading of the word is correct, the king in question could perhaps be Kassapa V (r. 929–939), both of who was a son of Sena II and used the viruda title of Abhā Salamevan, although he is not known to have subjugated Rohaṇa or Malaya. In terms of the palaeography, the inscription does feature some letter forms which appear to be slightly later in date than those used in known inscriptions of Udaya I. The text records immunities granted to a religious foundation called Saṅgradūn Pirivena in the monastery of Mirisipiṭi at Muhunnaru. This pirivena appears to have been named after Saṅghā, the queen of Sena II, who is referred to as Saṅgā-radū in the Pūjāvalī, and it is reasonable to assumed that Muhunnaru was the ancient name of the site where the pillar originally stood.