A INSCRIPTION OF GAMPOLA PEIRIOD
THE GALLE TRILINGUAL SLAB INSCRIPTION OF CHENGHO, 1409 -1415 A.C.
AN ACCOUNT OF THE DISCOVERY HAS BEEN GIVEN IN JCBRAS , VOL. 22, PAGE-129. A PAPER EMBODYING AN ACCOUNT OF DISCOVERY, THE TEXT AND TRANSLATION OF THE CHINESE VERSION, THE RESULT OF THE VARIOUS ATTEMPTS TO DECIPHER OTHER TWO RECORDS , AND A DISCUSSION ON THE HISTORICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE EPIGRAPHS , WAS CONTRIBUTED BY MR. E. W. PERERA , TO THE SPOLIA ZEYLANIA. A DETAILED DISCUSSION BY SENARATH PARANAVITANA APPEARS UNDER THE HEADING NO.36 , THE TAMIL INSCRIPTION ON THE GALLE TRILINGUAL SLAB , IN EZ. VOL. 3-1933 , REPRINTED IN 1987 .PP.331-341. THIS ESSAY CONSISTS OF AN ANTIQUARIAN NOTE , ORTHOGRAPHICAL PECULIARITIES , THE LANGUAGE OF THE TAMIL VERSION , THE DATE , THE CONTENTS OF THE TAMIL VERSION , THE TEXT AND TRANSLATION OF THE SOME, THE TRANSLATION OF THE CHINESE VERSION AS APPENDIX , A , AND THE TEXT AND TRANSLATION OF THE PERSIAN VERSION AS APPENDIX , B AND APPENDIX , C , A NOTE ON KATTI BY H. W. CODRINGTON.
THE DATE OF THE EPIGRAPH IS THE SECOND MONTH OF THE SEVENTH YEAR OF YUNG LO , THE CHINISE EMPEROR , AND THAT WAS 1409 A.D. IT HAS TO BE NOTED , AS GIVEN IN THE ASGIRI THALPATA ,THAT THE LAST KING OF GAMPOLA DYNASTY , VIRABAHU WHO WAS AT THAT TIME RESIDING IN JAYAWARDHANAPURA KOTTE , HAVING BROUGHT THE SACRED TOOTH RELIC ALSO THRRE , WAS DEFEATED BY VIRA ALAKESVARA OF RAIGAMA , WITH THE MERCENARIES BROOUGHT FROM SOUTH INDIA , IN 1409 A. D. ,THE SAME YEAR , THAT CHENG HO CONSTITUTED THE DALLE TRILINGUAL INSCRIPTION.
THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE TAMIL VERSION OF THE GALLE INSCRIPTION GIVEN BY PARANAVITHANA COULE BE SUMMARIZED AS FOLLOWS .
"THE CHINESE EMPEROR HAVING HEARD OF THE FAME OF THE TENAVARAI NAYANAR IN CEYLON,SENT TO HIM THROUGH HIS ENVOYS CHIN HO AND WANG CHIN LIEN, VARIOUS KIND OF OFFERINGS OF WHICH DETAIL LIST IS GIVEN, WHILE IN THE TAMIL VERSION OFFERINGS SEEM TO HAVE BEEN MADE TO GOD OF DEVINUVARA UPULVAN, IN THE CHINESE VERSION DONATIONS HAVE BEEN MADE TO THE BUDDHA, WHEREAS IN THE PERSIAN VERSION DONATIONS SEEM TO HAVE BEEN MADE TO AN ISLAMIC SHRINE OR A SAINT.
THERE FORE IT APPEARS THAT THE CHINESE WHEN THEY GAINED THE POLITICAL ASCENDANCY IN CEYLON IN 1409, WITH THE ECLECTICISM IN RELIGIOUS MATTERS CHARACTERISTIC OF THERE RACE , MADE GIFTS OF ABOUT EQUAL VALUE TO THE BUDDHA TO A DEITY WHO, WHATEPER MAY HAVE BEEN HIS ORIGIN, WAS AT THAT TIME OF HINDU CHARACTER AND SLAMIC SAINT OR SHRINE, AND CORD OF THESE VARIOUS GIFT WAS INSCRIBED IN THE SAME STONE",SAYS, SENERATH PARANAVITHANA. (EZ3,PAGE 334).
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