An Investigative Study of the Religious Background of Sri Lankan Society (Based on the Attani Inscriptions of the 9th-10th Centuries AD)

Abstract

Attani inscriptions can be identified as a type of Tam inscriptions written in Sri Lanka between the eighth and tenth centuries AD. These documents confer special powers, rights, and privileges granted by a king or a high official of the government to a person, institution, or group with the approval of the royal court. Especially since the Attani inscriptions have not undergone any revision, it was possible to identify more reliable information of that period than the contemporary literary sources. Accordingly, the main objective of this research is to investigate the religious background of the ancient Sri Lankan society and identify its dynamics with the information contained in the Attani inscriptions. What is the contribution of the Attani inscriptions in identifying the religious background of Sri Lanka in the 9th-10th centuries AD? is the research problem of this study. A qualitative research method was used to gather data in the present study. According to the above study, most of the Attani inscriptions of this era show various donations and privileges made by the kings to the sangha society. It is known from the Thimbirivewa inscription, Gonnewa inscription, etc. that the monastery maintenance at that time was carried out by the king and other officials. There is information about a parihara gift given to the bhikkuni who bathed the bodhi of the Maha Viharaya in the Kalatthewa inscription. Information about the monastery administration, as well as information about the curses such as ''if there is someone who violated these orders, let him be a crow or dog" are written for those who misuse the properties of temples. In a considerable number of Attani Tam inscriptions, there are several symbols that can be considered as linguistic effects. The symbol of Sun-Moon indicates the existence of gifts and dog-crow images indicate the consequences of misusing properties of temples. It can be considered that this has a stronger communication function than verbal communication because even in contemporary society there exists a belief among people that the misuse of properties of temples will cause people to be born as dogs and crows. Thus, it can be concluded that the Attani inscriptions are a good basis for investigating the religious background of Sri Lankan society in the 9th-10th centuries AD.