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Vallipuram Inscription
Friday, 9 February 2007 - 5:15 AM SL Time |  | |
This is an image of Gold Plate Inscription found at Vallipuram in Peninsular Jaffna.
Valli in Sinhala means Earth in general (and *sand* in particular). Pura = a township.
This Gold Plate Inscription was discovered in 1936 and found buried under the foundation of the Vishnu Kovil at the township.
Once the discovery was brought to the notice of Ven. Walpola Rahula who was a teacher in Jaffna at that time he showed it to Prof. S. Paranavitana who was the Commissioner of Archaeology. He deciphered the writing on it and contributed a learned article to Epigraphia Zeylanica, Vol. IV.
The gold plate contains four lines of writing in the first century script. Its wording is as follows:
Sidha Maharajhaha Vahayaha rajehi amete
Isigiraya Nakadiva Bujameni
Badhakara atanehi Piyaguka Tisa
Vihara karite
Translation: Success! In the reign of the great King Vasabha, and when the Minister Isigiraya was governing Nagadipa, Piyaguka Tisa Vihara was built at Badakara atana.
In the image, the first four letters in the bottom most row is the word *Badhakara*. The letter of interest out of those 4 is the second one, which is *Dha*, which has striking similarities to modern Dha-yanna of Sinhala Abugida (Alphasyllabary).
This is posted upon a request made by my friend KULAKOTTAN.
PS: Due to the little time available, Mucha has no intention to participate in this thread.
PS2: Some of these information were extracted from an article written by Prof. Abhaya Aryasinghe on Sunday Observer on 22/01/2006.
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Source(s)
Sunday Observer (22/01/2006) and Epigraphia Zeylanica (vol. IV) |
Kulakottan
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8 Feb 2007 23:30:04 GMT Report for Abuse
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Mucha,
Thank you for the assistance.
Let me quote Prof. Paranavitarana about the scripts as he did not identify this similarity of the script with the modern Sinhala letter Dha-yanna:
The script is Brahmi of the second century after Christ and, on the whole, agrees with this alphabet which occurs in dozens of stone inscriptions of this period found in various part of this island
Further search has also revealed that the writer you are referring to has distorted Prof. Paranvitana's text too particularly this 'dha' letter.
Let me reproduce verbatim what Prof Paranavitana wrote:
1 Siddha Maharaja Vahayaha rajehi amete
2 Isigiraye Nakadiva bujameni
3 Badakara-atanehi Piyaguka-Tisa
4 vihara karite
Please also notice that there is marked difference with the letter 'dha' in the word Siddha and the 'da' in the word Badakkara. Furthermore if the writer's claim was valid both should be the same script 'dha' for he writes the two words as 'Sidha' and 'Badhakara'.
Prof.Paranavitana makes a valid comment about the way the letter 'dha' in the first word had been done clumsily which should have been a semi circular stroke conforming to the Brahmi letter of that period. Instead it had been joined together by two diagonal ones. Similar single semi-circular one had been used in S.Indian inscriptions too for the letter 'da'.
Was it a mistake on the part of the writer (a Professor) or was he misleading us???
I also want to emphasize that my comments are only realting to the script and not the correctness of the other content.
Edited By - Kulakottan - 9 Feb 2007 00:21:09 GMT |
Mucha-linda
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9 Feb 2007 00:26:34 GMT Report for Abuse
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Kula,
I knew it is not easy to remain silent when such intriguing questions are raised. However, I am not in a position to give you a comprehensive answer as I am busy finding relevant information to reply to SHAKTI.
Let me reply just to the following point.
Please also notice that there is marked difference with the letter 'dha' in the word Siddha and the 'da' in the word Badakkara. Furthermore if the writer's claim was valid both should be the same script 'dha' for he writes the two words as 'Sidha' and 'Badhakara'.
KULA, there are three Dha-yannas in Sinhala, namely Alpa-praana Dha-yanna, Maha-praana Dha-yanna and Sgngnaka Dha-yanna (which sounds like 'ndha', and can be found only in Elu Sinhala Alphabet).
To date, Dha-yanna used to write the word Sidha is different to the one that is used to write a word with *badha* like Gambadha (i.e. by the village) or *Badhanawa* (grip).
Cheers.
-Mucha
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Kulakottan
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9 Feb 2007 02:17:25 GMT Report for Abuse
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Thanks Mucha.
That explains my lack of knowledge of special Sinhala letters.
In any case, its only clarifies my question:
Furthermore if the writer's claim was valid both should be the same script 'dha' for he writes the two words as 'Sidha' and 'Badhakara'.
Do you mind displaying the three dhayanna's you have referred to or lead me to a site??
It is only for me to learn!!
Cheers
Edited By - Kulakottan - 9 Feb 2007 02:41:07 GMT |
Mucha-linda
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9 Feb 2007 02:52:03 GMT Report for Abuse
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Kula,
Visit http://www.omniglot.com/writing/sinhala.htm
3rd, 4th and 6th characters (from left) on the 4th row (from top) under Consonants shows the relevant Dha-yannas. Dha-yanna used in Sidha could be the 4th and the one used in Badhakara is definitely the 3rd.
6th Dha-yanna is believed to have derived from Helas as that sound cannot be found in any other Alphabet in and around the sub-continent.
-Mucha
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AnuD
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9 Feb 2007 03:39:54 GMT Report for Abuse
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I see three modern ltters including the language there.
F..... J... Y (y -yakku), and (J = Jaffna).
for F you can make the word. |
AnuD
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9 Feb 2007 03:41:32 GMT Report for Abuse
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With my layman knowledge in this subject.
I think sinhala has very many similarities to Sanskrit.
Just one letter can be used to give different meannings. |
Mucha-linda
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9 Feb 2007 05:15:12 GMT Report for Abuse
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Just one letter can be used to give different meannings.
ANUD,
There may be some Sinhala Words with many different meanings. However, every Sinhala letter has a unique pronunciation which is not similar to the pronunciation of any other Sinhala letter (i.e. not like English C with different pronunciations). In fact this quality is something common to most Indic Syllabaries.
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Shakti
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9 Feb 2007 08:05:21 GMT Report for Abuse
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I am busy finding relevant information to reply to SHAKTI.
Unfortunately he had not found anything, other than a newspaper article written by some unknown person (not a historian) which misquotes Thupawamsa.
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Edited By - Shakti - 19 Feb 2007 04:57:31 GMT |
Shakti
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9 Feb 2007 10:10:22 GMT Report for Abuse
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Some of these information were extracted from an article written by Prof. Abhaya Aryasinghe on Sunday Observer on 22/01/2006.
Now I know what exactly the problem of Muchalinda.
Abhaya Aryasinghe is one of the worst racists I know. These are the types of the people who continue to distort history. They have a political motive to do so.
Why does one has to refer to all this QUESTIONABLE secondary sources when the ORIGINALS are there?
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