Galle Trilingual inscription as displayed in the Colombo National Museum of Sri Lanka in December 2011
Galle stele replica, Treasure Boat Shipyard in Nanjing
Material
stone
Writing
Chinese, Tamil and Persian
Discovered
1911 Galle
Discovered by
S. H. Thomlin
Present location
National Museum of Colombo
The Galle Trilingual Inscription is a stone tablet with an inscription in three languages, Chinese, Tamil and Persian, located in Galle, Sri Lanka. Dated 15 February 1409, it was installed by the Chinese admiral Zheng He in Galle during his grand voyages.[1]
The text concerns offerings made by him and others to the mountain Sri Pada (Adam's Peak) in Sri Lanka. The Chinese inscription mentions offerings to Buddha, the Persian in Perso-Arabic script to Allah and the Tamil inscription mentions offering to Tenavarai Nayanar (Hindu god Vishnu).[2][3] The admiral invoked the blessings of Hindu deities here for a peaceful world built on trade.[4] The stele was discovered in Galle in 1911 and is now preserved in the Colombo National Museum.
On his third voyage, Zheng He sailed from China in 1409, and carried with him the trilingual tablet which he planned to erect in Sri Lanka. The date equates to 15 February 1409, indicating that it was inscribed in Nanjing before the fleet set out. The Chinese portion gives praise to the Buddha and records lavish offerings in his honour.
The tablet was found by an engineer, S. H. Thomlin, in 1911 in Galle. It can now be seen in the national museum in Sri Lanka. A modern replica of the stele has been installed in the Treasure Boat Shipyard Park in Nanjing, along with copies of other steles associated with the voyages of Zheng He .
^Cite error: The named reference dr66 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Dewaraja, Lorna (2006). "Cheng Ho's Visits to Sri Lanka and the Galle Trilingual Inscription in the National Museum in Colombo". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka. 52: 59–74. JSTOR 23731298.
^Society, Sri Lanka Geographical (1951). Bulletin. University of Colombo. p. 394. It is also interesting to note that in much later times Galle was a port frequented by many merchants. A trilingual slab containing inscriptions in Chinese, Persian and Tamil was discovered in Galle. The Chinese and Persian inscriptions refer to money and material set apart by merchants for festivals connected with Adam's Peak, while the Tamil inscription refers to a great festival at Devinuwara or Dondra.
^Robert D. Kaplan. (2010) Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power
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