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NOVEMBER, 1877.]
INSCRIPTIONS IN CEYLON.
321
lords of the Bhikshu congregation shall be to Dutthagåmant (161-137 B.C.); for in an incaused to be furnished with the four pratyayas, scription at Tonigalat in which this king is rehaving done this in order that what is given to ferred to as reigning, we find only slight modificaour uncle (P) the Brahman may be kept, causing tions of the earliest characters. Again, the alphait to be written on this stone slab, we have it bet here employed so closely resembles the one given."
used in the Indian caves, which has been attribut. It is difficult to ascertain who were the kings ed to the first century B.C. and the first and sehere alluded to; for neither of the two kings cond centuries A.D., that we cannot doubt it was mentioned in the Mahdvariso under the name of introduced from India. The earliest date, thereJet tha Tisso was succeeded by a son of the fore, assignable to this inscription would be the name of Abhaya; besides we do not know if first century before the Christian era. Now it was these are kings of Ceylon or only of Må gama. in 90 B.C., under the reign of king Vattaga. Judging, however, from the characters as well as mani, that, according to Sinhalese tradition, from the language, I have no doubt that this the doctrines of Buddhism were first reduced to inscription is to be attributed to the fourth cen. writing in Páli. It is possible that this inscriptury A.D. It is worth noticing that even at that tion belongs to a time prior to the year 90 B.C., remote period some difference between the north- though not very probable. I am rather inclined ern and southern dialects appears to have ex- to attribute it to the first century of the Christian isted. The king of Magama here alluded to as era; at any rate there is no instance of another the eponymous person of the vihara was king
inscription in the same characters belonging ne. Kåka vanno Tisso, the father of Dutthaga- cessarily to the pre-Christian time. If, however, manni, who, according to the Mahdvanso (pp. we are to suppose the Pali language at that time 131, 150 in Turnour's edition), founded the Tis
to have been fixed by writing in the same gramsamahåviharo or Tissamahârâmo (about 180 B.c.). matical and lexical forms in which we find it
An inscription engraved on a high rock at Ki. now, and which it certainly has exhibited since rind ê, though not remarkable for its contents, is the time of Buddhaghosha, we should expect peculiarly interesting by its language. The whole Pali words occurring in inscriptions subsequent to is a grant to the priesthood as usual, and the Vattagâmaņi to wear their genuine shape, prosigns of sun and moon cut in the rock indicate
vided they are not thoroughly transformed into that this donation shall last as long as sun and
Sinhalese. Here we have, except in the word laki moon endure; but it opens with a praise of Bud
(for nati is Sinhalese), the Pâli aspirates, as well dha in which we find a great many PAli words, as a compound sign for nd in parimandale, and an apparently in a semi-Simhalese guise :
Anusvara or Bindu in sayambhu-all letters unSiddham | Aparimite-lokehi Budha-same na
known to ancient Siṁhalese. On the other hand,
double consonants are expressed by single ones, ti athâne parimandale
as likewise in the case of the Påli word bhikkhu. savanyutopete anutare sathe (sathe) mahe- which several times in inscriptions of the same sarane laki-chake Budha-nimi
period appears in the form bhikhu alongside of sayambhu.
its Simhalese transformations biku, biki, bika. Put into classical Pali :
The word siddham, usually the first word in these Aparimitalokamhi Buddhasamo natthi | atthano inscriptions, which apparently had been borrowed parimandalo......... sabbañtutopeto anuttaro sat- from Sanskrit, here as elsewhere is written with thâ mahâsarasam lakkhichakkar Buddhanami sa- ddh in one compound letter); nevertheless the yambhu.
same well-known sign is not used in the name of "1.c. Hail! In the boundless world there is no Buddha, which occurs twice in this inscription. equal to Buddha; spaceless, all-extending......en- It may be out of deference to Sinhalese grammar dowed with omniscience, incomparable, the Teach that the nom. sing. masc. and neu. (also used as er, the great Refuge, the wheel of prosperity-| crude form) was made to terminate in y, though is Buddha, the self-produced one."
this e is already employed sparingly in DutthagaIt is very unfortunate that we are not able to mani's inscription. It is interesting that the determine the exact date of this inscription. The syllable nu (in savanyu-sabbañíu) is not expressed characters are essentially the same as in the in- by its proper sign, but by n with a small yu below scriptions of king Gajabhu (Second century A.D.) the line (L), conformably to the pronunciation and his grandfather Vasabho (66-110 A.D.) (see still heard in Ceylon (and in some parts of India). above). There is no doubt that it is subsequent Still more remarkable is the use of v instead of
Literally, 'having done, i.e. ordered the keeping of + Published in the Jour. Cey. As. Soc. for 1853, p. 81. the rules,' &c.
