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The number of stone inscriptions that have been found in Sri Lanka to date is over 4000. But these inscriptions are of different types.[1] Considering their locations and their appearances, for the ease of studying, they are classified as follows:
From the name itself, it's easy to understand what type of these inscriptions are.
Cave inscriptions can be found in Mihintale, Wessagiriya, Sithulpawwa, and Ritigala.
Some examples for the rock inscriptions are the Galwala inscription, the bilingual inscription found in Gadaladeniya and the Alawala inscription.
Polonnaruwa galpotha inscription, the Mihintale slab inscription, and the Thonigala inscription are examples for the slab inscriptions.
Badulla inscription and the Katugahagalge inscription are classified under pillar inscriptions.
Cave inscriptions are found to be the oldest type of inscriptions. They are inscribed below the drip ledge (katarama) of caves. These are seen almost in every cave belonging to the early period(20th-century A.C). At the beginning, the inscriptions had two or three short lines containing the information about donations made to bhikkus. But after the 2nd century A.C according to the Mihintale inscription, Jethavanaramaya Sanskrit inscription and Badulla pillar inscription the inscriptions have got lengthy descriptions. The inscription on the Abhayagiri terrace has 16 long lines. The inscription on the terrace of Dakunu Vihara is spread out on 17 slabs. Some inscriptions were produced in multiple copies. Thirteen copies of the Vevalkatiya inscription of Udaya IV were placed in various parts of the Rajarata. After the 10th century A.C these have become more descriptive because they contained appreciations made for some kings.
Some of the uses of these inscriptions are,
to fill the gaps in some historic factsA pillar inscription
to get evidence for the historic facts
to know information which have not been written in books
to know about the ancient methods of controlling the temples
to know the ancient methods of administrating the countries
to know the old social traditions and customs
to get information about the economy of ancient Sri Lanka
to get a knowledge about the evolution of the language and the letters
to get other cultural records
to know different symbols used for different purposes
to know sinhala grammar
to know the names o the kings, rural kings and princes
to know the designations of the royal officers
to get an idea about the trade and industries in ancient country
to get information about the religious activities and other religious beliefs
^Bindloss, Joe; Butler, Stuart; Mayhew, Bradley; Walker, Jenny (2022-04-22). Lonely Planet Sri Lanka. Lonely Planet. ISBN 978-1-83869-266-7.
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