NO. 45.— 1894.] ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE WANNl. 



175 



inscription was cut by orders of either Kassapa VI, or 

 Dapulu V., and on the only face that is sufficiently whole 

 to be translated it is commanded as usual that the cows and 

 cart buffaloes are not to be taken away.* On the other side 

 is a design like a lamp or vase. Mr. Fowler thinks the stone 

 probably came from Taddayamalai.f 



Kuruntankulam. — Inscription by Mahindu III. (937-1013 

 A.D.), who visited the tank with his mother (?) and daughter 

 in the eighth year of his reign. It is on a large slab, and is 

 one of the largest inscriptions in the Island, but for the most 

 part now illegible, containing — 



Chiefly a series of rules like those on the Mihintale tablets, to be 

 observed by the monks who were stationed here, but few references 

 of more general interest are included in it, and allusion is made to the 

 king's great lake (which would appear to be Tannirmurippu), and also 

 to some disputes that were having an injurious effect on the cultiva- 

 tion. The king, who states that he himself was the writer of the 

 inscription upon the stone, and who appears to have had some doubts 

 regarding his orthographical powers, commands that these rules " shall 

 continue in force, and not be upset or reconstructed if letters are 

 missing."J 



The town that existed on this site is termed Kurungama 

 in the inscription. 



This slab is now in three pieces. The letters on it are 

 very fairly and evenly cut, each one separated by horizontal 

 lines cut as straight as if they had been done with a ruler, 

 and there is a raised border round the stone. § 



At Ruwanmaduwa Mr. Fowler found a large inscribed slab, 

 7 ft. in width, with a roughly-cut inscription, in characters 

 differing considerably from the rock inscriptions.! A pillar 

 removed from here to Vavuniya has inscriptions apparently 

 on two sides. 



* Page 439. 



f See reference under note %, p. 174, ante. 



% Page 449. 



§ September 13, 1889. 



|| July 13, 1887. Mr. Fowler copied only five lines of it, as it was half 

 buried, but a copy was made of the whole of it in November, 1890, for 

 the Government Agent. (November 10, 1890.) 



