Photo courtesy of Dr. Ashan Geeganage
Aththani Kanu, or Aththani Pillar Inscriptions, are ancient granite pillars bearing inscriptions that generally record special grants made by the king to temples and other places of worship. Most pillar inscriptions, known as Aththani Kanu, have been dated to between the 8th and 10th centuries based on their script and content. It is therefore believed that Aththani Pillars became popular during the 8th century, following the earlier period when inscriptions on natural rock surfaces and stone slabs were more commonly used.
Aththani Pillar at Lahugala
The lower section of an Aththani Pillar can be found at Lahugala, in the Paranagovipola area. To reach the site, travel along the road towards the popular Magul Maha Viharaya. Approximately 300 metres beyond the temple car park, you will reach a four-way junction situated in the middle of a paddy field.
Take the road on the left and continue for approximately 350 meters. At this point, the tarred road makes a sharp turn to the right, while a gravel road continues straight ahead. On this bend, on private land to the right, the lower section of the Aththani Pillar can be seen.
This pillar was declared a protected archaeological site by the Government through a Gazette notification issued on 10 October 2014. The Gazette describes its location as follows:
“Aththani inscription located close to the Parana Govipola of Lahugala – Magul Maha Vihara Road belonging to Parana Govipola village located at Pansalgoda Grama Niladari Division in the Divisional Secretary’s Division, Lahugala in Ampara District in Eastern Province. (latitude 06º 86641’N and longitude 081º 73266’E).”
Also See
Map of Lahugala Paranagovipola Aththani Pillar
The map above also shows other places of interest within a approximately 20 km radius of the current site. Click on any of the markers and the info box to take you to information of these sites
Zoom out the map to see more surrounding locations using the mouse scroll wheel or map controls.
Travel Directions to Lahugala Paranagovipola Aththani Pillar
| Route from Siyambalanduwa to Lahugala Paranagovipola Aththani Pillar |
| Through : Pottuvil Road Distance : 24 km Travel time : 45 mins Time to spend : 10-15 mins Driving directions : see on Google Maps |
0-09 m (89) 10-19 m (77) 20-29 m (47) 30-39 m (50) 40-49 m (25) 50-99 m (50) Ambalama (184) Ancient Anicuts (35) Articles (0) Asanaghara (8) Ashtapala Bodhi (5) Attraction Articles (3) Attractions (267) Beaches (10) Biosphere Reserves (3) Botanical Gardens (5) Bridges (35) Cave Art (13) Caving (7) Churches (30) Cities (9) Destinations (18) Dethis Pala Bodhi (27) Devalaya (51) Events (3) Flora and Fauna (83) Forts (52) Heritage (1964) Heritage Articles (27) Historic Events (7) History (7) Hot Springs (9) Hydro Heritage (105) Irrigation Articles (4) Islands (15) Kings of Sri Lanka (188) Kovils (30) Kuludage (11) Lighthouses (29) Memorials (57) Mile Posts (6) Misc (1) Mosques (4) Museums (15) National Parks (24) over 100 m (20) Pabbatha Vihara (13) Padhanagara (27) Personalities (211) Pillar/Slab Inscriptions (48) Popular Tourist Attractions (231) Pre Historic Burial Sites (23) Prehistory (45) Prehistory Articles (2) RAMSAR sites (6) Ravana (16) Reservoirs (73) Rock Inscriptions (36) Ruins in Wilpattu (11) Ruins in Yala (25) Santuaries (7) Sluice Gates (17) Stone Bridges (18) Strict Nature Reserves (3) Sumaithangi (3) Survey Towers (18) Tampita Vihara (243) Travel (5) View Points (24) Walawwa (13) War Memorials (26) Waterfalls (380) Wildlife Articles (28) Yathuru Pokuna (4)
Abhayagiri Monastery (20) Ampara District (196) Anuradhapura District (242) Badulla District (123) Batticaloa District (125) Colombo District (123) Galle District (76) Gampaha District (63) Hambantota District (124) Jaffna District (77) Kalutara District (53) Kandy District (218) Kegalle District (169) Kilinochchi District (13) Kingdom of Anuradhapura (89) Kingdom of Kandy (19) Kingdom of Kotte (9) Kingdom of Polonnaruwa (58) Kurunegala District (186) Maha Vihara (18) Mannar District (47) Mannar Island (10) Matale District (94) Matara District (53) Mihintale (22) Monaragala District (113) Mullaitivu District (39) Negombo (5) Nuwara Eliya District (126) Polonnaruwa District (138) Puttalam District (44) Ratnapura District (177) Trincomalee District (80) Vavuniya District (34) waterfalls in Sinharaja (3) z Delft 1 (5) z Jaffna 1 (20) z Jaffna 2 (26) z Jaffna 3 (14)