Sri Lanka’s Trilingual Inscription (Tribhasha Sellipiya) and the Pānadurā Vādaya documents from the 1873 Great Debate in Panadura have been inscribed in UNESCO’s Memory of the World Register.
The Trilingual Inscription, a joint submission by Sri Lanka and China, is a stone tablet with inscriptions in Chinese, Persian, and Tamil, praising Buddha, God Vishnu, and Allah.
Discovered in 1911 by a British engineer, the inscription is preserved in the Colombo National Museum, with a replica displayed in the Galle National Museum.
Dated February 15, 1409, the tablet was installed by Chinese Admiral Zheng He during his third voyage, and it mentions offerings to a sacred mountain shrine.
This inscription is the only known trilingual tablet with texts in Chinese, Tamil, and Persian, representing three distinct cultures and regions, according to UNESCO.
Four historical documents related to the 1873 Pānadurā Vādaya, kept at the Rankot Viharaya Buddhist temple in Panadura, were also inscribed in the Memory of the World Register.
These documents, created during a period of religious tension between Buddhists and Christians, include correspondence between leaders advocating for dialogue and a 27-and-a-half-page transcription of their debate.
The transcription, written in ink on paper, played a key role in fostering reconciliation and mutual respect between Buddhists and Christians in Sri Lanka.
The English translations of these documents, made available in Europe and the US, helped promote Buddhism as an advanced religion.
The UNESCO Memory of the World Register includes documentary heritage that represents the shared history of humanity, ranging from books and manuscripts to photographs and recordings.
UNESCO’s Director-General, Audrey Azoulay, emphasized the importance of safeguarding documentary heritage, which is often fragile and at risk of deterioration.
With the recent additions, the Memory of the World Register now includes 570 collections, covering diverse subjects such as the scientific revolution and the contributions of women to history.
Established in 1992, the Memory of the World Programme aims to preserve and provide universal access to documentary heritage, supporting the creation of regional and national committees in over 100 countries.
