Gal-potha Stone Book

The Gal Potha, or Stone Book, a massive slab 26ft 10ins (8.2m) long and 4ft 7ins (1.4m) wide, is literally a cornerstone illustrating some of the history of Polonnaruwa. Created by King Nissanka Malla, who ruled from 1187 to 1196, the text—three columns, 72 lines and 4300 characters—is the king’s own character reference to himself. It lauds not only his achievements, but also sets out his eligibility for occupying the royal throne of Sri Lanka. As well as the text, the side of the rock depicts beautiful carvings of two rows of geese, plus a seated figure of the Goddess Lakshmi holding two flowers, with elephants pouring water over her.