Tamil Inscriptions and Religious Interaction in Polonnaruwa Sri Lanka (11th–13th Centuries CE): An Epigraphic Perspective on Buddhist–Hindu Cultural Exchange
Keywords:
Buddhist–Hindu Relations, Medieval Sri Lanka, Tamil Inscriptions, PolonnaruwaAbstract
Studies of medieval Sri Lankan religious history have traditionally emphasized political conflict, dynastic change and the impact of South Indian intervention on the island’s Buddhist institutions. Comparatively less attention has been devoted to the role of Tamil epigraphic evidence in reconstructing the everyday interactions that connected Buddhist and Hindu communities within shared social, economic and administrative environments. This article examines a selected corpus of Tamil inscriptions from Polonnaruwa and related regions dating between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries CE in order to investigate the nature and mechanisms of Buddhist–Hindu interaction during a period of significant political transformation. Drawing upon epigraphic analysis supported by archaeological and historical evidence, the study analyses inscriptions associated with Buddhist monasteries, Hindu temples, mercantile corporations, military organizations and royal administrative networks. Particular attention is given to records of religious patronage, land grants, temple endowments, mercantile activities, military obligations and institutional administration. Through a contextual examination of these inscriptions, the article explores how religious communities participated in broader structures of governance, economic exchange and political authority. The findings demonstrate that Tamil inscriptions reveal a pattern of sustained religious interaction that extended beyond doctrinal or ritual spheres and was embedded within the institutional foundations of medieval Sri Lankan society. Evidence from inscriptions such as the Vēḷaikkārar Charter, merchant guild records, temple endowment inscriptions and administrative grants indicates that Buddhist and Hindu institutions operated within interconnected networks of patronage, resource management and political legitimacy. Tamil-speaking merchants, military corporations, officials and local elites participated actively in the support, protection and maintenance of both Buddhist and Hindu establishments, thereby facilitating forms of cooperation that transcended rigid sectarian boundaries. The article argues that Buddhist–Hindu relations in medieval Polonnaruwa are best understood through the concept of institutional pluralism, whereby distinct religious traditions maintained separate identities while functioning within shared administrative, economic and socio-political frameworks. By foregrounding the evidentiary value of Tamil inscriptions, this study contributes to broader debates concerning religious coexistence, cultural interaction and state formation in South Asia and demonstrates the importance of epigraphy for reconstructing the complex religious landscape of medieval Sri Lanka.
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