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There are different types[1] of Stone inscriptions in Sri Lanka.
The number of stone inscriptions that have been found in Sri Lanka to date is over 4000. Considering their locations and their appearances, for the ease of studying, they are classified as follows:
1. Cave Inscriptions
2. Rock Inscriptions (Giri lipi)
3. Slab Inscriptions (Puwaru lipi) 4. pile inscriptions (Tam lipi)
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 facts
A 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.