This inscription is one of three lengthy epigraphs engraved on the rock to the south of the Buddhist shrine of Laṅkātilaka in the village of Rabbēgomuwa in Uḍunuvara, Kandy District. Two extensive areas on the surface of the rock are covered with deeply and carefully engraved writing. The upper stretch contains two fourteenth-century Sinhalese inscriptions arranged one above the other (IN03212 and IN03213). Meanwhile, the present inscription occupies a lower stretch of the rock. It consists of forty-six lines in Tamil and seems to date from a similar time period to the Sinhalese inscriptions. Its contents record grants of land and other donations made to the monastery at Laṅkātilaka by its founder – the minister Senālaṅkādhikāra – and by the inhabitants of the realm. The text ends with imprecations against those who would hinder the continuance of the grant, and exhortations made by the minister to kings and minsters of the present and the future for the maintenance of the shrine. The exhortations are embodied in two Sanskrit stanzas with an expanded paraphrase in Tamil. The same stanzas also feature in the Sinhalese inscription of Bhuvanaikabāhu IV on the same rock (IN03212) and the second is included in the rock inscription at Alavaḷa-amuṇa (IN03217), which registers further grants to the Laṅkātilaka shrine. This would seem to suggest that these stanzas were not specially composed for the present inscription but were instead standard forms for expressing such sentiments in this period.
[Ll. 1–13] ‘Hail! Prosperity! Whereas our minister, Senā-Laṁgādi-gārigaḷ, intimated to us that an endowment should be assigned to this, so that this illustrious great vihāra should continue to exist in the future, (the lands for its) maintenance caused to be granted to this shrine by us are as follows:—
An allotment of field one yāḷa (in sowing extent) in the village named Kirivavulai in the district of Ciṅguruvāṇai; an allotment of field, six yāḷas (in sowing extent) in New Vadalagodai, which has been established by constructing a dam anew and the digging of channels by us, our chiefs (mudaligaḷ) and the people (acting) together; an allotment of field five yāḷas (in sowing extent) at Old Vadalagoḍai; amounting to allotments of field of twelve yāḷas (in sowing extent) and comprising the forests, gardens, including mango and tamarind trees, and sites for houses within the four boundaries of these villages; an allotment of field one yāḷa (in sowing extent) in the two villages called Cittāvullai and Koṉvāṇikkai, caused to be granted, from among the estates which belong to him as inherited villages, by Senā-Laṁgādigārigaḷ; an allotment of field one yāḷa (in sowing extent) in the field called Yagāllai in Old Vadalagoḍai, caused to be granted by Vacādigārigaḷ; an allotment of field, one yāḷa (in sowing extent), in the village called Kasambiliyagoḍai, caused to be granted by Satruvan-padi-rāyar; an allotment of field, one yāḷa (in sowing extent), in Nāraṅgoḍai, caused to be granted by Lord Divāṇā; an allotment of field, twelve amaṇas (in sowing extent), in Delgoṭṭai, caused to be granted by Jayaciṅga-padi-rāyar; a forest called Viḍiyela, for supplying oil for sacred lamps, caused to be granted from the Sandānā forest; an allotment of field one yāḷa (in sowing extent) in Koḍavelai, which has been established by the construction of a dam and the digging of channels by the people of the Ciṅguruvāṇai district acting together,—thus the fields caused to be granted to this shrine by us, our chiefs (mudaligaḷ) and the people together total in extent to seventeen yāḷas and twelve amaṇas; these lands, free of taxes, comprising the forests, the gardens including coconut, cappu, mango and tamarind (trees), and sites for houses in the villages within their four boundaries, were caused to be granted.
[Ll. 13–27] By Senā-Laṁgādigārigaḷ himself, have been caused to be granted to this shrine, utensils for religious worship made of gold, silver, bronze, iron and other metals, and two hundred slaves from among the male slaves and female slaves comprising the slaves that he had (received as dowry) at marriage, and those that he had purchased by paying money; and four hundred head of cattle including neat cattle and buffaloes from herds of bulls and calves. And for the purpose of conducting the sacred services, for offerings of food, for lamps, for garlands, for dances, for audiences and other observances—for the continuance of these—for robes and ornaments—for the maintenance of these, to the Omniscient Lord (Buddha) who has been graciously pleased to manifest Himself and remain in this illustrious vihāra, and to the abodes of divinities—to these in the shrine thus established, the inhabitants of the realm have all joined together and pledged themselves to pay one paṇam a year from each house every year, since the shrine has been given the name Laṅkātilagam—the name of all the inhabitants of the realm.
Accordingly, we and the chiefs (mudaligaḷ) assembled together and having spoken (to that effect) made order that it is obligatory to exact this impost even by having seized the earthen vessels (of the household), by taking away gold and jewellery, by seizing them or by (placing people) in restraint. We also, having assembled and fixed as a matter concerning the computation of dues that, from the outer customs-house and from the inner customs-house, there shall be levied a quarter per cent of the value of merchandise from various countries brought by merchants coming through the nine seaports from the eighteen countries, and having caused (this decision) to be engraved on copper, granted (such dues to the shrine).
All incomes derived from the endowments thus granted shall be divided into five shares, out of which three shares will go to the Three Jewels, namely the Buddha, Dharma and Saṁgha, one share to the gods, and one share to a kinsman or descendant of Senā-Laṅgādigārigaḷ, who, having appeared in his lineage, protects this charity and is engaged in the performance of the sacred services—so it has been ordained.
In order that this charity may last as long as the moon and the sun, this order was written on copper as well as stone, and granted. In this manner shall everyone accept (this order) with gratification.
[Ll. 27–37] Apart from any loss caused unintentionally, those sinners who, out of deceitful or evil intention, having spoken against this charity, either out of greed for the properties belonging to this shrine, or due to violence, confiscate and take it for themselves, will be burnt in the one hundred and thirty-six hells, and will be unable to see the limit thereof; they will be born as fiends, various classes of beasts and asuras, and suffer torment for a long time; they will become inferior even to the five caṇḍāla castes, and will become more degraded even than creatures including crows and dogs; they will be born among the eighty-four million classes of animals, at the end of whom is the ant and at the head is the elephant, and will not see the limit of such existence; they will not be able to see Maitreya, the Omniscient One.
On the other hand, those persons of virtuous actions, who, even by a mere word, support this charity and protect it, will obtain the affluence of the six celestial worlds, the affluence of a great universal monarch, the affluence of a territorial magnate in the world of men, the affluence of Brahmas or the affluence of Māras, and in the end shall realise the abundance of Liberation which is called the great cessation into Immortality. And the founder of this charity, Senā-Laṅgādhigārigaḷ, for the sake of protecting this, makes an exhortation in this manner.
[Ll. 37–46. These lines contain two Sanskrit stanzas, which also occur in the Sinhalese inscription on the same rock (IN03212). Each stanza is followed in the present inscription by a word-to-word gloss in Tamil, which enlarges on the content of the Sanskrit stanzas. Only these Tamil glosses are included in this translation.]
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Whoever may be that virtuous person who, even by a mere word, supports and sustains this charity, the dust on the two feet of that noble personage, the excellent minister called Sena-Laṅgādhigārigaḷ places on his head as if it were a fragrant flower.
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This pre-eminent minister endowed with fortune of diverse sorts, for the sake of the protection of this charitable foundation bearing the name of Laṅgādilaga, which is (adorned in) diverse manner by images and paintings, with hands placed together on his head, having the fingers thereof illuminated by the lustre of the ten nails, beseeches therefor kings who are flourishing at present as well as kings who would appear in the future, ministers who exist at present and ministers who will come in the future, and also citizens who flourish at present and citizens who will come in the future.