Thonigala Rock Inscriptions ( si, තෝනිගල සෙල් ලිපිය) are two inscriptions engraved on a rock situated in

Anamaduwa Anamaduwa (Sinhala: ආණමඩුව) is a town in Puttalam District, North Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is located about away from Puttalam. Etymology There are few stories around the name of Anamaduwa. According to one such story, after ...

, in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. 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 A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...

found in Sri Lanka.

History

Thonigala rock inscriptions are dated back to the first century BC to the period of King Mahaculi Mahathissa (76-62 BC), who was a son of King Walagamba. The inscriptions reveal details about a grant of a lake and village to a Buddhist Monastery named Achagirika Tissa Pabbata. Today this Monastery is believed to be the Paramakanda Raja Maha Vihara, which is located about from Thonigala.

Folklore

There is folklore that describe how the name of Thonigala formed. The most popular story is associated with

Kuveni Kuveni(කුවේණි / குவேணி) also known as Sesapathi or Kuvanna or Leelawathi, was a Yakshini queen in Sri Lanka mentioned in the ancient Pali chronicles Mahavansa and Dipavansa of the Sinhalese people. The primary source for ...

, the first consort of King Vijaya. According to the story, Vijaya had to marry a princess from India in order to become the king of his new found kingdom (Sri Lanka) and therefore, a

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

princess was brought down to Sri Lanka while expelling Kuweni and her children 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.

Inscription no. 1

Inscription no. 2

References

{{coord missing, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka inscriptions Anuradhapura period Tourist attractions in North Western Province, Sri Lanka Archaeological protected monuments in Puttalam District

History

Folklore

Contents

Inscription no. 1

Inscription no. 2

See also

References