TRANSLATION.

[Lines 1-7] Her Majesty Abha Salamevan Lilavati, the most preeminent in the royal line of the illustrious Okkāka dynasty, who shines with a multitude of all-pervading virtues, and who has reached the [farthest] shore of all arts, has justly and fairly attained to the sovereignty of Tri-Simhala 3, which came to her by hereditary succession, and has brought it under one canopy [of dominion].

[Lines 7-12] By creating a Council of wise, brave, and faithful ministers, she has freed her own kingdom from the dangers [arising] from other kingdoms, and [thus] placing the people and the Buddhist Church in a peaceful state, Her Majesty reigns in accordance with the ten virtues belonging to royalty".

[Lines 12-21] For the purpose of giving alms to the full satisfaction of the poor that throng into Anuradhapura from various quarters, she caused an almshouse with the title of Pala-balavi-mēdhavi to be established, protected, and maintained. And for the supplying of spices,10 and the like [required] for it, she caused the platform " called Pala-balavi-mēdhāvi to be built in the neighbourhood of the almshouse by traders of divers countries.

1 Mudun-måli= Skt. murdhan+mālikā, 'the head-garland.'

2 Dhämin_semin = P. dhammēna samēna. Cf. the expression dhammēna samēna aṭṭaṁ vinicchineyyatha, 'You should judge the case with justice and impartiality.' Clough (Sinh. Dict. s. v.) renders semin by 'slowly, gently, peacefully.' The former is derived from Skt. sama and the latter

from Skt. fama, both through Pāli and Prākrit sama.

'The three ancient divisions of Ceylon were Ruhunu, Māyā, and Pihiți, Southern, Central, and Northern respectively.

+ Mandala here in 1. 8 means 'assembly,' in the next line 'territory.'

Cf. sva-manḍalaya para-maṇḍalaya in Niśśanka Malla's inscription at Polonnaruva (A. I. C. No. 148 B, 1. 7).

• Lōka-śāsana (1. 10) = lõkayada śāsanayada in Niśśanka Malla's inscription at Ruvanväli Dāgaba (A. I. C. No. 145, l. 19).

"Dasa-rāja-dharma. See glossary to the Sinhalese version of the Mahāvamsa, Pt. II, for an enumeration of the ten kingly virtues.

* Sit-pură, lit. 'having filled (their) hearts,' i. e. to their hearts' content.

• Viruda or biruda.

10 Kulu-badu, 'pungent substances, such as dry ginger, pepper, &c.' (Clough's Sinh. Dict.).

11 Masisaya. I am not sure of the meaning of this word. In Clough (op. cit.) mäsise means 'platform, palm of the hand.' Cf. also mässa, Skt. mañca, 'platform.'

[Lines 21-29] Her Majesty [thereafter] granted in perpetuity1 three yāļas 2 'sowing-extent' [of land] from the tract of fields at Hakara-goḍa, one yāļa from Kilimnă-viyaļa, 30 serfs, 150 [head of] oxen and buffaloes. And she did [all] this in order that alms might be given constantly.

3

May future sovereigns also, having regard to the good of the two worlds, keep it up as it has been kept up, and [continue to] give their protection.

As

No. 15. PULIYAN-KUĻAM SLAB-INSCRIPTION () OF

UDĀ MAHAYA

S stated above, on p. 176, this slab was unearthed in 1898 at the piļima-gē (image-house) of the ruined monastery at Puliyan-kulam. It measures nearly 6 ft. x 2 ft. Its shape, pointed at the lower end and rough on three of its sides, indicates that it must have originally stood upright, fixed in the ground two feet deep and built into the wall of the building, leaving the inscribed side alone exposed to view.

The inscription is neatly engraved in forty-four lines on a smoothed surface, 3 ft. 11 in. x 2 ft. 1 in., edged with the usual moulding in relief. The letters exhibit the type of the alphabet of the last quarter of the tenth or the first of the eleventh century A. D. A careful comparison of akṣaras such as a, i, ța, ba, ma, ra, and la with those of the Vessagiri slabs Nos. 1 and 2 5 respectively of the second year of Dappula V (i.e. 992–993 a. D.) and the ninth year of Mahinda IV (1035-1036 A. D.) will show that our inscription must have been engraved sometime between these two dates. The language also supports this view, containing as it does phrases occurring in records of both the tenth and the eleventh centuries. As to the grammar, it is interesting to see in mahayā-ge (1. 35), mahayā-gehi (1. 44), and rad-gehi (1. 38), the gradual transition of ge, gehi (P. gēhamhi, 'in the house') to the position of a genitive case suffix 8.

1 Hira-sanda-pamuņu, lit. 'sun-moon-gift,' i. e. a grant that should be valid so long as the sun and moon exist.

• Yāļa = 20 ammana of grain or 20 head of cattle. See above, p. 103, note 11.

3 Yela-sik for yela-siyak.

5 See above, Plates 8 and 9.

4 See accompanying Plate 24.

• These dates are based on the calculations on p. 156, above.

See my notes on the translation, below, pp. 187-190.

* See also Geiger's Lill. u. Spr. d. Singh. § 40.

The contents state that Udà Mahaya's' father was Mihind2 Mahaya, his mother Kită Räjna3, and his son Kitagbo Äpă; that he was Yuva-rāja (heir-apparent), and that he established the monastery Uda-Kitagbo, naming it after himself and his son. Then, in the twelfth year of the reign of Abā Salamevan, he instituted rules for its general up-keep, the protection of its property, and the continuance of its monastic duties. In these regulations occur references to (a) Puvaram-vehera (P. Pubbārāma-vihāra) of the Kapără fraternity, most probably the one built by Sēna I (897-917 A. D.) and his queen Sangha at Abhayagiri, the head-quarter of this Order"; (6) Tusaya and Soliya; (c) Saňgsana, perhaps incorrectly for Saňgsena (P. Sanghasēna), being either the Vihāra built by Sēna I', or that by Kassapa V3, or by his mother Sangha, queen of Sēna II, and (d) Sak-maha-ämäti (P. Sakka-mahā-amacca), the title by which the steward or the dayaka of the monastery was called. It is evidently the same as Sakka-sēnāpati, which appears from the Mahāvaṁsa' to have been an office connected with the management of Buddhist monasteries and the like. The steward referred to here was probably the grandson of Kassapa V 1o.

The king Abā Salamevan has been correctly identified by Mr. Bell with Dappula V, whom we know from inscriptions as the son of Sēna II by his sub-queen Dēvā ", his other son, Kassapa V, being by his chief queen Sangha. Dappula reigned for twelve years (991-1003 A. D.); his successor, Udaya II, for only three years. Of this king's relationship to his predecessors the chronicles give us no information whatever; but if our inscription is to be relied on, he could be no other than Uda Mahayā, because we are told in it that he held the office of sub-king, Yuva-rāja, in the last year of Dappula's reign. He must, therefore, have ascended the throne in the following year. His parents Mihind and Kitā may be identified with Mahinda, the brother of Sēna II 12, and Kitta, the daughter of Kittaggabōdhi 13. following genealogical tree will show the relationship more clearly 1.

2 P. Mahinda.

The

P. Kitlā Rājinī (cf. Mv. l. 60). P. Abhaya Silāmēghavaṇņa.

Mv. xlv. 29, 1. 69, and the slab-inscription of Kassapa V, l. 13, above, pp. 42, 47, and 52.

7 Mv. 1. 70.

10 Mv. lii. 79.

13 Mv. 1. 50, 57, 60, and li. 16-17.

lii. 52-53. 12 Mv. li. 7.

"This genealogical tree has been compiled independently of that given as appendix No. 4 in Mr. Still's useful Index to the Mahāvaṁsa (Colombo, 1907), and in consequence contains differences and additional matter.