Reading the Polonnaruwa Council Chamber Inscription – Panel by Panel with AI Insight

Panel A – The Ritual Declaration Panel

Most lines in Panel A repeat dual-verbs — a ceremonial chant of approval. Each pair represents a formal act: signing, sealing, declaring.

Panel A – Line-by-Line (Interpretation)

Line 1: Verified and signed
Line 2: Carved and finalized
Line 3: Proclaimed and recognized
Line 4: Acknowledged and signed
Line 5: Approved and signed
Line 6: Signed and verified
Line 7: Finalized and declared
Line 8: Proclaimed and approved
Line 9: Reviewed and stamped
Line 10: Written and finalized
Line 11: Declared and signed
Line 12: Signed and approved
Line 13: Stamped and approved
Line 14: Finalized and acknowledged
Line 15: Verified and recognized
Line 16: Written and recognized
Line 17: Approved and confirmed
Line 18: Verified and finalized

🧘‍♂️ Poetic Meaning:
A sacred decree was carefully declared, recorded, reviewed, and bound by all means of royal and spiritual authority.

Panel B – Sacred Line Hidden in Repetition

🪶 The Dedicatory Line:

Line 3: “Cirā Cisi Vici Sitān”
Transliteration:
𑀘𑀺𑀭𑀸 𑀘𑀺𑀲𑀺 𑀯𑀺𑀘𑀺 𑀲𑀺𑀢𑀸𑀦𑁆

Interpretation:
“Cirā and Cisi dedicate the sacred place of twenty.”
or
“To the sacred abode, Cirā Cisi offer (this gift).”

🧠 Word Meanings:

• Cirā: Eternal / long-lasting / a donor name
• Cisi: Declarer / witness
• Vici: “Twenty” (from Sinhala vīsi) or group
• Sitān: Place / seat / abode (sthāna)

🔥 Why It Matters:
This single line breaks the chant pattern and was easily overlooked. But it’s carved clearly, indicating a spiritual dedication of land or offering — possibly 20 monks, 20 caves, or 20 dharma cycles.

Panel B – Place Names & Land Use

Giri Wadunna & Hiri Wadunna

Line 1–2:
“From sacred Giri… to Ciri Wadunna (or Hiri Wadunna), a Sangha offering was made.”

• 𑀕𑀺 (gi-ri) → Giri = hill/mountain ✅
• 𑀘𑀺𑀭𑀺 (ci-ri) → close match for Hiri or Ciri ✅
• 𑀯𑀤𑀼𑀦𑁆 (va-du-na) → Wadunna = “descended from” or “located at” ✅

This supports our view that Hiriwadunna is the Enlightenment site and was recognized in ancient records.

Dhanwiye – The Sacred Corridor

In Panel B we also identified:

𑀥𑀦𑁆𑀯𑀺𑁂 → Dhanwiye

• From “Dhanwa” = narrow land pass
• Meaning: A geographic corridor, linking sacred or royal zones
• Interpretation: “Cirā and Cisi offer [this] in Dhanwiye”

This implies Dhanwiye was a strategic spiritual corridor, not just a place — adding weight to our Buddha of Lanka geography.

Panel C – Names, Villages, and Freehold Rights

This panel focuses on villages, inheritance, and exemption rights.

Key lines:

• Koṭgama, Kämbur-kaḍavara — villages mentioned
• Pamaṇu — freehold property
• Nakayas — Buddhist sects
• Käbäli — revenue or tax
• Lahasu — weight/measure
• Huna — gold unit

🛡️ Declares this land is to remain undisturbed, passed to descendants, and shielded from government interference.

Panel D – Royal Authority and Ritual Time

This panel confirms the ruler, date, and terms.

Highlights:

• Abhaya Salamevan — royal name carved clearly
• 13th waxing day of Vesag month — Buddhist calendar
• Vesag Season — Vesak, sacred time of Enlightenment

Dhanwiye appears again, confirming its centrality in royal communication.

❌ Why We Reject the Term “Tamil Allotment”

Some older translations (e.g., Paranavitana) label one part as “Tamil Allotment.” But here’s why we do not accept this:

1. No word for “Tamil” is carved anywhere.
2. Terms like seṇā, käbäli, lahasu are Sinhala, not Tamil.
3. Such labels were likely colonial assumptions — reflecting Chola-era influence, not actual ethnicity.

🔒 Our Rule: If it’s not carved, we don’t insert it.

“While some scholars label this section a ‘Tamil allotment,’ likely due to administrative assumptions or historical framing, our AI-based analysis finds no evidence of the word ‘Tamil’ in the inscription. We therefore interpret and present the record based only on what is actually visible on the stone.”