
Prakrit inscription in Brahmi/Sinhala script, from Hangdala, probably 3rd or 2nd century BC. ‘Hail! The cave of Manjuka Abhaya, son of Cuḍa-Haṇeya, the Superintendent of Trade, has been dedicated to the Saṅgha.’Short and unprepossessing as this rubbing of an inscription may appear, it poses vital questions about what a Superintendent of Trade might have done and how trade may have been organsied on the island, how this may have changed over time and who it benefited.
The Royal Asiatic Society of Sri Lanka in recent years made available online thousands of inscriptions from this important Indian Ocean island. Inscriptions, some of many lines, others consisting only of a few words, can be found all over the island, in caves and at archaeological sites. They are frequently associated with monastic spaces, such as caves hollowed out and donated to monasteries for monks to live in. They might also, however, record decrees of the kings of ancient Lanka or donations of movable goods to monastic institutions. Weiterlesen