Object type: flagstone

Ambasthala Dagoba, Mihintale

This inscription is engraved on a flagstone in the pavement of the Ambasthala Cetiya at Mihintaḷē. It can be dated on palaeographic grounds to the eighth century A.D. and consists of two lines of unequal length, the first measuring 3 feet 6 inches (106.68 cm) and the second 2 feet 1 inch (63.5 cm). This suggests that the record may be unfinished or that some letters have been effaced at the end of the second line. Due to the incomplete nature of the inscription, its purpose is not clear. In the surviving portion of the record, an individual named Mihindal (Mahinda) states that he salutes the officers in the palace of his king.