Thonigala Inscription at Vavuniya

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Thonigala Inscription at Vavuniya - වවුනියාව තෝනිගල සෙල් ලිපිය — Thonigala Inscription at Vavuniya – වවුනියාව තෝනිගල සෙල් ලිපිය

There are two notable inscriptions known by the name Thonigala. The more famous and frequently visited one is located in Anamaduwa. This site is renowned for its large rock inscriptions with letters nearly one foot in height and for the folklore linking the rock to Kuweni (කුවේණි), the local queen associated with Prince Vijaya’s arrival in Sri Lanka.

The lesser-known Thonigala inscription is situated in the Vavuniya District, deep within the forest about 10 kilometers along the Vavuniya–Horowpathana road. It lies on the northern side of the road, near the northern and northwestern border of the area known as Thilakkulama, which is also referred to as Naradagala.

Located on a rocky plain deep within the wildlife-rich jungles of Vavuniya, the Thonigala inscriptions comprise three distinct carvings. Of these, only the main inscription has been fully deciphered. The second inscription appears to be an incomplete duplication of the main text, possibly abandoned midway due to an error and then recommenced at a new location. The third inscription, consisting of a single line, predates the other two by several centuries but has yet to be deciphered.

The principal inscription dates back to the reign of King Sirimeghavanna (also known as Kithsiri Mevan, 303–311 CE) and is regarded as one of the most significant epigraphical records in Sri Lanka. Although it was first noted by H.C.P. Bell in 1866, it was not fully deciphered and published until 1933 by Dr. S. Paranavitana.

The Inscription

The English translation of the inscription is as follows:

[Lines 1-2] Hail! In the time of the third year after the raising of the umbrella by the great king Sirimekavavana Aba son of the great king Mahasena.
[Lines 2-6] Two hakadas (cartloads) and ten amunas of paddy, six amunas of udi, and ten amunas of beans were deposited [with the stipulation that the capital should] neither be spent nor decreased by Devaya, the son of Sivaya, a member of the Council of Ministers, residing at the village of Kadubala, with the assembly of the merchants’ guild at Kalahumana [situated] in the northern quarter of the city; and were granted for the purpose of conducting the holy vassa in the new monastery of Yahisapavaya.
[Lines 6-10] Of the aforesaid two hakadas and ten amunas of paddy, the interest at the principal harvest (pitadada hasa), the interest at the secondary harvest, and the interest at the intermediate harvest [amount to] twenty-five amunas of paddy. Of the aforesaid six amunas of udi, the interest is one amuna
and two pekadas of udi. Of the aforesaid ten amunas of beans, the interest is two amunas and two pekadas of beans.
[Lines 10-14] Of the above-mentioned deposit, the capital should be left unspent, and from the interest received, the expenses for two and a half hakadas of boiled rice, atarakaja, dishes taken with atarakaja, curd, honey, sweets, sesame, butter (?), salt, green herbs, and turmeric should be given at the refectory of the monastery, …
[Lines 14-17] [The above] were granted to the new monastery at Yahisapavata so that the interest may be taken and appropriated for the use of the great community of monks who perform the holy vassa on the twelfth day of the bright half of the month of Nikamaniya in every succeeding rainy season.

The Sinhala translation of the inscription is as follows:

“මංගලයක්‌ වේවා. පෘතුවීශ්වර (පෙර සිටි) මහසෙන මහ රජුගේ පුත්‍ර වූ සිරි මේඝවණ්‌ණ අභය මහරජතුමා සේසත් එස වූ තුන්වැනි වර්ෂයේ දී නගරයෙහි උතුරු දිශාවේ ‘කලහුමනක’ නම් වෙළඳ සභාවේ (බැංකුවේ) තමා විසින් පරිත්‍යාග කරන ලද වස්‌තුව අඩුවීමක්‌ හෝ හීනවීමක්‌ නොවන ලෙස කඩුබලගම වාසය කරන අමාත්‍යය පර්ෂදයේ සිවගේ පුත්‍රයා වන දේව විසින් යහිස පර්වතයෙහි අභිනව විහාරයට දෙන ලද අරියවංශ වෘත්තිය පැවැත්වීම සඳහා වී සකට (කරත්ත) දෙකක්‌ හා දස අමුණක වී ද අමුණු හයක උඳු ද මුං ඇට අමුණු දහයක්‌ ද දෙන ලදි. මෙම දස අමුණක වී වල මහකන්නයේ පොළිය ද යළකන්නයේ පොළිය ද මැදකන්නයේ පොළිය ද වශයෙන් අමුණු විසිපහක වී ද උඳු හය අමුණක පොළිය ද උඳු එක අමුණු පෙකඩ දෙකක්‌ ද මුං දස අමුණක පොළිය අමුණු දෙකයි පෙකඩ දෙකක්‌ද වේ. මේ ඉහත කී තැන්පතුවේ මූල ධනය වෙනස්‌ නොකොට පොළිය ගෙන බත් සඳහා ද අතුරුපස කෑමට ගන්නා ආහාර මී කිරි, මී පැණි, කැවිලි, තල, දුන් තෙල්, ලුණු, පළා වර්ග සහ කහ සඳහා ද විහාරස්‌ථානයේ භෝජන ශාලාවේ ආහාර පිසින කටයුතු ගෙවීම සඳහා ද දිය යුතුය. මෙකීතාක්‌ වස්‌තුව එහි පොළියෙන් ගෙන පැමිණෙන පැමිණෙන වස්‌කාලයක්‌ තුළ නිකිණි මස ශුක්‌ල පක්‍ෂයෙහි දොළොස්‌ වන දිනයෙහි අරියවංශ ප්‍රතිපදාව කරන මහා භික්‍ෂු සංඝයාට නියම කොට යහිස පර්වතයෙහි අභිනව විහාරයට දෙන ලදි.”

The inscription consists of 17 lines of text with 3-inch-high letters. The author of this inscription is called “Deva”, son of Minister Siva, who has been residing in the “Yahisa Parwatha Viharaya“. It describes how the interest from the grain bank at the “Kalahumanaka” commercial center has been donated to the priests carrying out the “Ariyavansha Puja” at the temple. The inscription was made in the 3rd year after the consecration of King Sirimeghavanna, son of King Mahasen.

Significance of the Vavuniya Thonigala Inscription

The Vavuniya Thonigala inscription is highly significant because it offers a remarkably detailed and concrete example of a specific banking operation (a grain bank with clear interest rates and capital management rules) in ancient Sri Lanka.

Ancient Grain Bank (Dhanyagara): The inscription details a system where a “grain bank” (possibly a communal or monastic storehouse operating on banking principles) at a commercial center called “Kalahumanaka“ collected and managed grains.
Interest System: It specifies how the interest generated from this grain bank was to be utilized. The inscription mentions interest rates: around 50% annually for paddy and approximately 25% for other grains. This indicates a sophisticated understanding of financial management and resource allocation.
Preservation of Capital: A key directive within the inscription is that the bank’s original capital (the principal amount of grain) should remain intact, emphasizing the sustainability and long-term vision of this ancient banking model.

Political Background

King Sirimeghavanna ascended the throne during a pivotal time in Sri Lanka’s history. His father, King Mahasen, was known for his extensive irrigation projects, having built sixteen large reservoirs. However, Mahasen also antagonized the Theravāda Buddhist monks by attacking the Maha Viharaya in Anuradhapura and favoring the rival Abhayagiri sect. This created religious discord and diminished public trust. In contrast, Sirimeghavanna focused his reign on healing these divisions, restoring Theravāda Buddhism, and re-establishing the people’s faith in the Sangha.

His reign is also significant as it marks the arrival of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Sri Lanka, a revered symbol of Buddhist heritage. The inclusion of King Mahasen‘s name in the Thonigala inscription is believed to have been a strategic move to legitimize Sirimeghavanna’s claim to the throne and to show that his father had reconciled with the Maha Viharaya monks. The inscription suggests that this region was likely administered by a minister named Siva, whose son Deva played an active role in managing local affairs.

Economic Background

The Thonigala inscription also provides valuable insights into the economic practices of early 4th-century Sri Lanka, indicating the coexistence of two economic systems: one based on agriculture and the other on commerce. It refers to three cultivation seasons—Yala, Maha, and Meda—highlighting the advanced irrigation infrastructure that enabled multiple harvests per year.

The inscription lists crops like paddy, sesame, and green gram, pointing to both chena and paddy farming. It also mentions dairy products, suggesting that livestock farming was another key aspect of the rural economy.

Of particular interest is the mention of a village grain bank, called “Niyamathana,” which Professor Paranavitana interprets as functioning much like a local cooperative or rural bank. This bank was established by Deva using a grain reserve comprising 50 amunu of paddy, 6 amunu of undu, and 10 amunu of green gram. Villagers could borrow from this reserve and were required to repay the loan with interest—around 50 percent for paddy and 25 percent for other grains. The inscription makes it clear that the capital of the bank had to be maintained without loss.

Religious Background

The primary intent of this grain bank appears to have been to fund a continuous religious ritual known as “Ariyavansha Puja.” While the exact nature of this ceremony is no longer known, its repeated mention in ancient inscriptions suggests that it was a significant practice in early Buddhist society. The same term appears in inscriptions from Nelumpokuna in the Batticaloa District and from Angamuwa, indicating its widespread importance across the island.

Location

The Thonigala inscription site is located deep within the jungles of the Vavuniya District, and very few people are aware of its existence. There is a new footpath that is rarely used to this site now. To reach the site, one must travel approximately 9.5 kilometers along the Horowpathana road until reaching a small clearing on the left.

Here, a recently constructed Pahan Ge with a Buddha statue can be seen. Beside it, partially hidden among tall grass, is the frame of an archaeological signboard. From this point, visitors must walk roughly 350 meters through dense forest to reach the rock bearing the inscriptions. The inscriptions have been protected from damages caused by elephants and nature by a small brick tank filled with sand. Therefore you will not see the inscriptions today.

The inscription is protected from elephants and nature by a foot high brick wall filled with sand.

A boat shaped kema giving the rock the name Thonigala

Reference

Wickremasinghe, D. M. D. Z., & Codrington, H. W. (1933). Epigraphia Zeylanica: Being Lithic and Other Inscriptions of Ceylon: Vol. III. Archaeological Department of Ceylon.

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