Gal Potha, Sri Lanka

The stone is one of the largest inscriptions discovered so far as its weight is about 15 tons, and it is approximately 26'10" feet, and 8.2 meters in length and  4'7" feet, 1.4 meters in breadth. The writing on the upper surface of the slap is divided into three columns with total lines of 72 containing more than 4300 letters. According to the inscription, the slab has been elevated from the ground on a brick podium underpinned with short pillars and protected by a cupola propped by ten stone pillars. Moreover, historians claimed that in order to make the letter clearer, molten iron has been poured on the carved characters. The slab is decorated from the outskirt of the side and the end of the stone with excellent carvings of two lines of ( Hamsa ) geese. At the center of the stone, there are outstanding carvings of Gajalakshmi, the goddess of Prosperity and Wealth seated holding two flowers with two elephants pouring water on her. The stone shows no date but the schoolers claimed it is dated back to the ninth year of King Nissanka Malla S reign 
 

Nissanka Malla or Kirti Nissanka is one of the most important kings who ruled Sri Lanka. Being born with royal blood running in his veins as he is a descendant from the race of prince Vijayaand he is one of the Kalinga dynasty according to a rock inscription at Dambulla, this gave him the right to outthrow Mahinda VI and to position himself as a king. In order to secure his throne, he claimed that the ruler of Sri Lanka should only be a Buddhist as mentioned on the Gal Potha slab inscription ( Non- Buddhist could not rule Sri Lanka so the rightful heir is the Kalinga dynasty ). The Kindly was referred to as ( Fountain of renown ) and ( Protector of the Earth ) as he tried to eradicate robbery and crime by giving the public gold, many, and other valuable items as he believed the reason for all crimes is severe taxation and oppression.

  In an attempt to prove that only Buddhists are worthy of the throne, Nissanka Malla spent a lot of money on Constructions or renovations of the Buddhist temples. He built the outstanding  Nissanka Latha Mandapaya in Polonnaruwa, it is an unparalleled building consisting of pillars and it is open from all sides with a roof to protect the people inside from the sun. Mainly, this structure is built to serve as a recitation platform for the ceremonies of remembrance of the dead. The second place is the Hatadage, it is an ancient archaeological shrine, and it was used to preserve Buddha tooth relics. Hatadage was built using brick, wood, and stone, but unfortunately, only parts of stone and brick walls remain. It appears to have been a two-story building, but the upper floor is now destroyed. Three Buddha statues carved from granite rocks are located inside the shrine room. The third one is  Rankot Vihara which is considered the fourth largest stupa in Sri Lanka. The fourth one is the Gal Potha which depicts his achievements. Most importantly, it is claimed the king spent more than  7 lakhs ( Indian numbering system ) to renovate Dambulla Cave Temple and gilded the interior of the temple, this is the reason why it is called the " Golden Rock ". 

There are more than 4000 discovered stone inscriptions, according to their appearances and locations, they are classified as four types; Rock inscriptions like the Galway inscription. Slab inscriptions such as the Polonnaruwa Gal Potha inscription, the Mihintale slab inscription, Pillar inscriptions such as the Katugahagalge inscription, and Badulla inscription.  and Cave inscriptions such as Wessagiriya, Sithulpawwa, Ritigala, and Mihintala. Inscriptions can be found in every cave dated back to the early period, at first, the inscription has two or three lines but by time especially after the 10th Century, it contained more letters and became more descriptive as some kings used it to record their achievements.
 

The inscriptions were used as evidence for the historic facts, to record information which has not mentioned in the books, to get an idea of the old social customs and traditions,to know about the evolution of the language, to know the names of the kings, to get information about the trade the old times, and the religion. To discover how the old temples were built, and to an idea of the ancient methods of administering the countries.