Located to the east of the Hatadage, the
Galpota or Stone Book is eight metres long and 4.25 metres wide. It
bears inscriptions of Nissankamalla's invasion of India and his
relations with other countries. A stone carving of one of the palm leaf
books used to record Buddhist texts and royal genealogies, the
inscriptions on the Galpota boast of the achievements of King
Nissankamalla, a man who seems to have been acutely aware of the long
shadow cast by his great father, whose achievements he constantly
sought to equal and outdo. It is the largest slab
inscription in Sri Lanka and is believed to have brought from Mihintale
using elephants and logs. Below is a video of the Galpota Stone.
Located to the east of the Hatadage, the
Galpota or Stone Book is eight metres long and 4.25 metres wide. It
bears inscriptions of Nissankamalla's invasion of India and his
relations with other countries. A stone carving of one of the palm leaf
books used to record Buddhist texts and royal genealogies, the
inscriptions on the Galpota boast of the achievements of King
Nissankamalla, a man who seems to have been acutely aware of the long
shadow cast by his great father, whose achievements he constantly
sought to equal and outdo.