| Metadata | |
|---|---|
| Object ID | OB03120 |
| Title | Velmilla Slab of Sena III |
| Subtitle | |
| Inscription(s) | IN03145 |
| Child Object | |
| Parent Object | |
| Related Objects | |
| Responsibility | |
| Author | Senarath Paranavitana |
| Metadata recorded by | |
| Authority for metadata | |
| Metadata improved by | |
| Authoriy for improved | |
| Description | |
| Material | Stone / unspecified |
| Object Type | Stone slab |
| Dimensions: | |
| Width | 41.275 cm |
| Height | |
| Depth | 19.05 cm |
| Weight | |
| Details | An irregularly shaped stone slab, the surface of which has not been carefully dressed and is now badly weathered. The slab has been broken into four fragments, one of which is missing. When the remaining pieces are reassembled, the obverse face of the slab measures 15¼ inches (38.735 cm) in breadth at the top, widening to 16¼ inches (41.275 cm) towards the base. The corresponding measurements for the reverse face are 15 inches (38.1 cm) and 14½ inches (36.83 cm) respectively. The thickness of the slab on its right side is 4½ inches (11.43 cm) towards the top and 7 inches (17.78 cm) at the base, while on the left side the thickness gradually diminishes from 7½ inches (19.05 cm) at the top to 6½ inches (16.51 cm) at the base. An inscription covers all four faces of the slab, including the narrow sides. The letters are engraved between parallel lines. The figures of a crow and a dog are engraved beneath the text on side A. |
| History | |
| Created: | |
| Date | |
| Place | |
| Other ancient history | |
| Found: | |
| Date | April 1931 |
| Place | Welmilla |
| Other modern history | |
| Latest: | |
| Date | |
| Place | Colombo Museum |
| Authority | Paranavitana, S. (1928-33). ‘No. 32. Velmilla Slab-Inscription of Sena III,’ Epigraphia Zeylanica 3, pp. 294–302. |
| Details | Discovered in April 1931 in a garden called Baṭatum̆bagahavatta in the village of Velmilla (Welmilla) in the Rayigam Kōraḷē of the Kalutara District. According to local tradition, the villagers long ago dug a large pit near the stone in the hope of finding buried treasure. Finding none, they buried the stone in the pit, where it remained until it was brought to the surface in the 1920s. The slab was broken in two before it was buried and it has since been further mutilated into four unequal parts, one of which is now missing. After visiting the village, Senarath Paranavitana felt that the inscription was of exceptional interest and had it removed to the Colombo Museum in order to preserve it from further damage. |
| Notes | |