UNESCO and 'Trilingual inscription'

UNESCO has accepted for its Memory of the World Register 2025, the “Trilingual inscription” found in Sri Lanka. The tablet containing the inscription was brought to Sri Lanka from China by Chinese Admiral Cheng Ho [also Zheng He].

- BY KAMALIKA PIERIS

The item was therefore submitted to UNESCO jointly by Sri Lanka and China.

UNESCO described the Trilingual Inscription as a stone tablet with Chinese, Persian and Tamil inscriptions, praising the Buddha, Vishnu and Allah. [1] It is the only trilingual inscription having texts in Chinese, Tamil and Persian, UNESCO has said.

UNESCO has uncritically parroted the popular account attached to this tablet, regardless of the fact that it is partially incorrect. This shows that UNESCO has not done any independent examination of this trilingual tablet; neither, it appears, has China.

UNESCO's recognition of this trilingual tablet has aroused fresh interest in the artefact. This tablet is seen as a unique one specially prepared for Sri Lanka.

Observers want to know, therefore, why did the tablet not contain a statement in Sinhala if it was intended for Sri Lanka.

"Can someone enlighten me on why the Sinhala language was not used in this plaque?" This question was asked by retired Navy Admiral Ravindra C Wijegunaratne, when the UNESCO recognition was announced. [2]

From 1405 to 1433 Chinese admiral Cheng Ho directed seven ocean expeditions for the Ming emperor Zhu Di. They are considered to be unmatched in world history. The first expedition was to Champa (central Vietnam), Siam (Thailand), Java to Cochin and the kingdom of Calicut in Kerala. The second expedition (1407-1409) took 68 ships to the court of Calicut to attend the inauguration of a new king.

The third voyage (1409-1411) with 48 large ships and 30,000 troops, visited many of the same places as on the first voyage but also went to Malacca. The fourth voyage (1413-15) in addition to visiting many of the earlier sites, Zheng Ho went onto Hormuz on the Persian Gulf. The fifth voyage (1417-1419) went to Aden, and then on to the east coast of Africa, stopping at the city states of Mogadishu and Brawa (in today's Somalia), and Malindi (in present day Kenya).