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Primary sourceArtifact15 February 1409

Galle Trilingual Stele

15 February 1409

A stone tablet carved in Chinese, Tamil and Persian, carried by Admiral Zheng He's fleet to Sri Lanka in the Yongle Emperor's name.

Commissioned by him and carried by Zheng He's fleet to make offerings in his name during the treasure voyages.

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A tall, arched grey stone stele in a dark museum setting, lit from the front. The top is carved with a dense band of intertwined dragons or scrolling figures around a central round motif. The border has a repeating carved pattern, and the central field is smooth and blank.
Galle Trilingual Inscription, 1409, National Museum of Colombo.

About this source

What it is

This stone stele, dated 15 February 1409, was inscribed in Nanjing and carried by the Chinese admiral Zheng He during his treasure voyages, to be erected in Galle, Sri Lanka. It records offerings made to the Buddha, to the Hindu deity Tenavarai Nayanar, and to Allah, written in Chinese, Tamil and Persian. It was rediscovered in 1911 and is now in the Colombo National Museum.

Why it matters

The stele shows how the Yongle Emperor's naval expeditions, led by Zheng He, used religious offerings and multilingual inscriptions to build goodwill across different faiths and cultures along the Indian Ocean trade routes. It reveals the diplomatic and religious dimension of the voyages, not just their trade and military power.

Look closer

  • Why might the emperor want offerings honoured to three different religions on one stone?
  • What does this tell us about the purpose of Zheng He's voyages beyond trade?
  • How might people in Sri Lanka have reacted to receiving such a monument?

This artifact is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Yongle Emperor on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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