OB03171

Lankatilaka Vihara, Udunuwara, Kandy District

This inscription is engraved on the rock outside the gate (vāhalkaḍa) to the west of the main shrine of Laṅkātilaka. It consists of four lines of writing, although the third and fourth lines are entirely illegible due to the weathered condition of the rock. The final line appears to end abruptly, suggesting that the engraving of the record was never completed. The first and second lines refer to the eighteenth year of Bhuvanaikabāhu. Senarath Paranavitana claimed that this must be a reference to Bhuvanaikabāhu V, since the reign of Bhuvanaikabāhu IV did not extent to eighteen years and, on palaeographic grounds, the inscription is cannot belong to any of other kings of that name. Bhuvanaikabāhu V’s reign began in 1371–1372 A.D., hence the present inscription dates from 1389–1390 A.D. The second line of the inscription refers to the vihara and the devālas but, due to the fragmentary nature of the document, the purpose of the record is not clear.