Thonigala Inscriptions at Anamaduwa
There are number of places called Thonigala (Tonigala) in Sri Lanka. Two
of them have the same historical significance. One of the Thonigala is
located on the Vaunia - Horowpathana Road which is famed for the rock
inscription which describes a banking system during the during the 4th
century.
Thonigala in Anamaduwa is also popular for the inscriptions found on the
rock and the folklore surrounding the rock and Kuweni (කුවේණි), the local
queen of Vijaya.
Said to be the largest inscriptions, the two inscriptions of the rock
are about 100 feet long and each letter is about 1 feet in height and
carved about 1 inch deep in to the rock.
Henry Parker has given a detailed description of the inscriptions of the
Rock in "Ancient Ceylon"
"There are two other inscriptions near the same hill, both on a low
rock called Thonigala, the Boat Rock, at the side of
a small tank, Galawaewa, the Rock tank. Their cutting is
by far the boldest of any inscriptions in Ceylon. Each is
about 100 feet long, with excellently chiselled and quite upright
letters a foot high and cut an inch deep in the rock. .........."
These inscriptions belong to the period of King Mahaculi Mahathissa (76-62
BC) son of King Vattagamini Abaya (Walagamba). The inscriptions speaks
of grants made to a Buddhist Monastery is considered a important instance
of origin of sinhala letters. This Monastery is believed to be the
Pramakanda
Monastery
which is located on another rock formation close by.
Its said that the steel fence around the inscription put up by the Department
of Archaeology few years ago has now become corroded and the cement which
was used to fix the fence to the rock has caused discolouration of the
ancient inscription.
The rock itself is buried deep in folklore. Its said that this area is
the homeland of Kuweni (කුවේණි), the queen of the Daemon Tribe. Once
the Vijaya chased away Kuweni (කුවේණි) she fled to her ancestral home
area and she cursed Vijaya from top of the Lathonigala which is a rock
just before the Thonigala. The history states that the Kuweni
(කුවේණි) left her two children at the rock and came to the ancestral
village alone and her tribe members killed her for her betrayal of the
clan. And the current "Veddhas" ( the indigenous hunters in the
area) are believed to be the direct descendents of these children. But
their own folklore tells that the Kuweni
(කුවේණි) committed subside by jumping off the Lathonigala (literally
meaning lamenting rock).
How to get to Thonigala
The turn off for Thonigala is about 24 kms from Puttlam on the Puttlam-Kurunegala
Road. The left turn off is passing the town of Kottukachchiya between
the 104-105 km post. A sign board of Department of Archaeology show off
the turn off to the Thonigala.
Created : January 9, 2011
Updated :
January 9, 2011
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