Galpota Stone Book
A colossal stone slab nearly nine metres long carved with the deeds of King Nissanka Malla, the longest ancient inscription in Sri Lanka.
Standing within the Sacred Quadrangle, Gal Potha, literally Stone Book in Sinhala, ranks among the most remarkable epigraphic monuments anywhere in South Asia, a colossal granite slab measuring roughly 8.2 meters in length and 1.4 meters in width, among the longest single stone inscriptions ever discovered in Sri Lanka. Carved during the reign of King Nissanka Malla between 1187 and 1196, the inscription's 72 lines of text record royal proclamations, the king's claimed lineage and achievements, and, in a genuinely notable passage, a pointed declaration insisting that only a Sri Lankan born ruler had the right to govern the island, a claim scholars find genuinely ironic given that Nissanka Malla himself claimed descent from a North Indian Kalinga royal lineage.
The letters of the inscription were originally embossed using molten iron poured into the carved grooves, a technique that's helped the text remain largely legible even after more than eight centuries of tropical weathering. According to the inscription's own account, the massive slab was transported to Polonnaruwa from Mihintale, roughly a hundred kilometers away, a logistical feat in its own right given the stone's sheer weight and size. On one side face of the slab, a carved figure of a woman being sprinkled with water by two elephants has been identified as the goddess Gajalakshmi, adding a decorative flourish to what's otherwise a densely textual monument.
Nissanka Malla was notably fond of documenting his own deeds in stone, leaving numerous inscriptions scattered across his kingdom, and Gal Potha stands as the grandest and most ambitious of these self-commemorating monuments, a king literally writing his own legacy into permanent granite for future generations to read.
At a glance
- Entry fee: Covered by the Polonnaruwa ancient city ticket, around USD 25
- Opening hours: 7:00am to 6:00pm
- Time needed: 15 minutes
- Best time: Daytime
Getting there
In the Quadrangle in the central group of the ancient city.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to visit Galpota Stone Book?
- Covered by the Polonnaruwa ancient city ticket, around USD 25.
- What are the opening hours at Galpota Stone Book?
- 7:00am to 6:00pm.
- How long should I spend at Galpota Stone Book?
- Plan for 15 minutes.
- When is the best time to visit Galpota Stone Book?
- Daytime.
- How do I get to Galpota Stone Book?
- In the Quadrangle in the central group of the ancient city.