Thonigala Rock Inscription, Anamaduwa

Last updated September 02, 2019

Rock Inscription number 1

Thonigala Rock Inscription (Sinhala : තෝනිගල සෙල් ලිපිය) is one of archaeological stone inscription, which is situated in Anamaduwa, in Sri Lanka. There are two inscription can be seen and each inscription is about 100 feet long and each letter is about one feet in height and engraved about one inch deep in to the rock. Also it is said to be the largest rock inscription found in Sri Lanka.^[1]

Sinhala, also known as Sinhalese, is the native language of the Sinhalese people, who make up the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka, numbering about 16 million. Sinhala is also spoken as the first language by other ethnic groups in Sri Lanka, totalling about four million. It belongs to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. Sinhala is written using Sinhala script, which is one of the Brahmic scripts, a descendant of the ancient Indian Brahmi script closely related to the Kadamba script.

Anamaduwa is a big city in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is located about 28 km (17 mi) away from Puttalam town.

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.

History

Thonigala rock inscriptions dating back to the first century BC to the period of King Mahaculi Mahathissa (76-62 BC), who was a son of King Walagamba.^[2]^[3] The inscriptions reveal details about a grant of a lake and village to a Buddhist Monastery by the name of Achagirika Tissa Pabbata. Today this Monastery is believed to be the Paramakanda Raja Maha Vihara, which is located about 5 kilometres (3 miles) from Thonigala.^[1]

Mahakuli Mahatissa a.k.a. Maha Cula Maha Tissa was King of Anuradhapura in the 1st century BC, who ruled from 76 BC to 62 BC. He succeeded his adopted father Valagamba as King of Anuradhapura and was succeeded by his cousin Chora Naga.

Valagamba, also known as Wattagamani Abhaya and Valagambahu, was a king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom of Sri Lanka. Five months after becoming king, he was overthrown by a rebellion and an invasion from South India, but regained the throne by defeating the invaders fourteen years later. He is also known for the construction of the Abhayagiri Dagaba.

Paramakanda Raja Maha Vihara is an ancient Buddhist temple in Puttalam District, Sri Lanka. The temple is located in Paramakanda village approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) distance from the Anamaduwa town. The site has been formally recognised by the Government as an archaeological site in Sri Lanka. The designations were declared on 1 November 1996 and 6 June 2008 under the government Gazette numbers 948 and 1586.

Folklore

There are some folklores that describe how the name of Thonigala formed. The most popular story is relating to Kuveni, who was the first consort of King Vijaya. According to that legend, Vijaya had to marry a princess from India in order to become the king of his new found kingdom (Sri Lanka). Like wise a Madras princess was brought down to Sri Lanka and Kuweni with her children were expelled from the palace. Mourned by this unfair treatment, Kuweni fled to her home area and she cursed Vijaya from top of a rock called Lathonigala. It is said that the Lathonigala was this place called as Thonigala.^[4]

Kuveni(කුවේණි / குவேனி) also known as Sesapathi or Kuvanna, was a Yakshini queen in Sri Lanka mentioned in the ancient Pali chronicles Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa of the Sinhalese people. The primary source for her life-story is the Mahavamsa. She is venerated as Maha Loku Kiriammaleththo by the Veddas. Other names for her varying with Veddas habitats are Indigolle Kiriamma, Unapane Kiriamma, Kande Kiriamma, Divas Kiriamma, Wellasse Kiriamma, Kukulapola Kiriamma and Bili Kiriamma.

Prince Vijaya was the traditional first Sinhalese king of Sri Lanka, mentioned in the Pali chronicles, including Mahavamsa. According to these chronicles, he is the first recorded King of Sri Lanka. His reign is traditionally dated to 543–505 BCE. According to the legends, he and several hundred of his followers came to Lanka after being expelled from an Indian kingdom. In Lanka, they displaced the island's original inhabitants (Yakkhas), established a kingdom and became ancestors of the modern Sinhalese people.

India is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

Reign: Gamani Abhaya
Period: 1st century AD
Script: Early Brahmi
Language: Old Sinhala
Content: "The tank of the chief Tissa, son of the chief Abhaya was donated to the sangha of the four quartes present and absent, in the monastery of Acchagirika Tissa pabbata. The great King Gamini Abhaya dedicated Acchanagaraka and Tavirikiya-nagaraka to the monastery. These donations, the chief Abhaya, caused to be dedicated by the king to the sangha of the four quarters, present and absent"

Inscription no. 2

Reign: Gamani Abhaya
Period: 1st century AD
Script: Early Brahmi
Language: Old Sinhala
Content: "This tank has been donated by Lord Tissa, the son of Lord Abhaya; and two places named Achanagaraka and Tawirikiya have been donated by King Gamini Abhaya to the monks of Achagirika Tissa Pabbata temple"

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References

1 2 "Thonigala Inscriptions at Anamaduwa තෝනිගල සෙල්ලිපිය – ආනමඩුව". amazinglanka.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
↑ "Decayed fence discolours ancient inscriptions". sundaytimes.lk. 9 August 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
↑ "Ancient rock inscriptions of Sri Lanka, Thonigala". ceylontoday.lk. 1 December 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
↑ "Thonigala". exploresrilanka.lk. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

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[st-1] 1 2 "Thonigala Inscriptions at Anamaduwa තෝනිගල සෙල්ලිපිය – ආනමඩුව". amazinglanka.com. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

[sundaytimes.lk-2] "Decayed fence discolours ancient inscriptions". sundaytimes.lk. 9 August 2009. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

[ceylontoday.lk-3] "Ancient rock inscriptions of Sri Lanka, Thonigala". ceylontoday.lk. 1 December 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2015.

[exploresrilanka.lk-4] "Thonigala". exploresrilanka.lk. Retrieved 2 November 2015.