Largest inscription from Dimbulagala of 2nd century BC or earlier found

• There are several rare symbols, which have never been seen by officials through their previous inscriptions

BY CHATURANGA PRADEEP SAMARAWICKRAMA

The largest inscription ever in Sri Lanka, found from the Dimbulagala Monastery grounds, belongs to the beginning of the second centrury BC or earlier than that, Sri Jayawardenapura University History and Archaeology professor Karunasena Hettiarachchi said.

Addressing the media, he said 60 percent of this inscription was unreadable and 40 percent was readable. 

"This inscription was written in Brahmi characters. We found that 24 Brahmi characters were used on the inscription. At least 1,000 characters were used. Moreover, there are several rare symbols, which have never been seen by officials through their previous inscriptions," he said.

According to the signs, characters, and unique symbols, the committee had decided to announce that the inscription belonged to the beginning of the second centrum BC or earlier than that. The Polonnaruwa Archeology Office found the largest inscription ever found in the country on July 10, 2023, at the Dimbulagala Monastery grounds.

Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Ministry Secretary Somaratne Vidanapathirana, said that eleven expert committee members, comprising Vice President of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka Archaeologists, specialized in epigraphy, Ms. Malini Dias and Prof. Karunasena Hettiarachchi, were appointed on January 17, 2024, to issue a report after exploring a 45-feet-long and 18-feet-high inscription.