Past as history written by the specialist 10-12-2011 Morning Lecture

1. 1. Past as history written by the
specialists
What is past?
•
There is no conclusive definition
•
Any space gone by time
•
But normally not recent past in
historical writing
•
According to the Archaeological
Ordinance tangible and intangible
property of hundred year old

2. 2. What is history
1. All the events that happened in the past
e.g. The area was inhabited long before the
recorded history.
2. The past events concerned in the development o
particular place, subject, etc.
e.g. Dipavamsa, Dathavamsa, Thupavamsa

3. 3. Contd/ What is history
•
3 The study of past events as a
subject at school or university
•
E.g. A history teacher, a degree in
history

4. 4. contd/What is history
• 4. A written or spoken account of past events
E.g. Nikayasangrahaya, Dalada Sirita, Dalada
pujavaliya, Galvihara inscription
• 5. A record of something happening frequently in
the past life of a person, family or place ; the set
of facts that are known about someone’s past life.
E.g. Buddhacarita,
Parakumba sirirta, Samantakutavannana

5. 5. Specialists’ writings are
the windows
• Specialists’ writings are the windows through
which we see the past.
• That past is called history or historical
archaeology
• Protohistory
• Prehistory
• History is reconstructed by comparative
study of writings and archaeological sources.

6. 6. Discovery of Pali
literature of Sri Lanka
Initial stage and pioneers
• Eugene Bunouf 1826 273 quarto pages in manuscript but not published.
• Edward Upham, 1833 “The Mahavansi the Rajaratnacari and the Rajavali , forming
the sacred and historical books of Ceylon ; also, a collection of tracts illustrative of
the Doctrines and Literature of Buddhism”. 3 vols.
• George Turner (pioneer) in 1837 put a significant land mark in the discovery of Pali
Literature. His work “ The Mahavanso in Roman characters with the translation
subjoined and an Introductory Essay on Pali Buddhistical Literature”. 2 vols.
Contd/

7. 7. Contd/ Discovery of Pali Literature of Sri
Lanka
Developments and evolution into Mahavamsalogy
• Sumangala and Batvantudave 1877 Sinhala translation of the Mhv. 2
vols.
• L.C.Wijesinha 1889 (a native scholar) Translation of Mahavamsa
• Geiger 1908 The Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa and their Historical
development of Ceylon
• ------- Critical Edition of Mahavamsa and its translation into German
• Sumangala and Batuvantudave, 1895 MahavamsaTika
• Geiger 1912 Mahavamsa translated into English with the assistance
of M.H.Mode.
• Geiger translated Mahavamsa into a Mahavamsalogy
• Culavamsa concept

8. 8. Contd/ Discovery of Pali Literature
of Sri Lanka
• D.H.S.Abayaratna 1922 The Sinhala Mahavama (from the
beginning up o the end of Sri Vikramarajasina (Chaps
101and appendix covering Europeans upto 1922)
• G.P.Malalasekera 1928 Pali Literature of Ceylon (Chapter VII
The Pali Chronices,pp.130-146)
• ------- Vamsatthappakasini, Mhv T. 1935
• B.C.Law 1933 History of Pali Literature
• ---------- 1947 On the Chronicles of Ceylon
• A.P.Buddhadatta 1959 Unapurana Sahito Mahavamso
• A.W.P.Guruge 1989 Mahavasa the Great Chronicle of Sri
Lanka (first part of the Mahavamsa)

9. 9. Continuous Sri Lankan
tradition of Chronicles
• Dipavamsa c. 4th century A.D. to Sasanavamsadipa of
Wimalasara of 1929.
• Pali : Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa of Mahanama, Pali
Bodhivamsa of Upatissa in the reign of Mahinda IV,
Dathavamsa of Dhammakitti of Polonnaruva, Thupamsa
of Vacissara, (pitakattayaparagu) of Dambadeniya
(ParakramabahuI I), Lalata Dhatuvamsa (the date and
author are unknown) Vuttamala sataka of Gatare
Upatapassi of the 14th century

10. 10. Sinhala, Chinese,
Sanskrit, Arabic, Tamil and
Sinhala
• Portuguese
Saddharmaratnavaliya of Dharmasena of Dambadeniya,
Nikayasangrahaya of Devarakkhita Jayabahu of Gampola )
Pujavaliya of Buddhaputra of Dambadeniya ( Chaps 33-34)
Saddharmaranakaraya of Vimalakitti of Kotte… (chapter
12Rajavaliya of the 17th century of unknown author)Dladasirita of of
Devadadampasginavana of the 14th century, Daladapujavaliya of
the same period, Sulu Rajavaliya of 17th century, Daladavamsa of
he 17th century, Dalada hatana of 1793 , Daladavamasakaviya of
the same yea. Narendracaritavalokanapradipa of Yatanvala
Mahathera of the 19th century

11. 11. Contd/Sinhala …
Sanskrit
Vrttaratnakara Pancika of Ramacandra kavibharati of Kotte
Arabic
Topographia Cristiana of Cosmas Indecopleustes of the sixth
century
Tamil
Periapuranam of the 7th century, Yalpana vipavamalei of the 15th
century
Portuguese
Conquest of Queros

12. 12. Contd/ Sinhala …
Chinese
Records of Fa-hsien, Youn Chwang
(Hiuan Tsang),
Taiso Tripitaka

13. 13. Sinhala-Pali; Pali-Sinhala
• Writers of Sinhala Atthakatha: Poranacariyas:
members of Sangha lineage beginning from Mahinda,
Arittha ,etc. Mahaatthakatha, Paccariya, Kurundi
• Their critical translations by Mahanama, Buddhaghosa,
etc.
• Translations of Thupavamsa, ie.Sinhala thuapavams of
Parakrama Pandita, Lalatadhatuvamsa into Sinhala.

14. 14. Atthakatha and Tika
• Buddhaghosa, Dhammapala, Sariputta ,etc.
• Bahiranidana vannana of the
Samantapasadika of Buddhaghosa. History
of Buddhism from the beginning up to the
establishment of Buddhism in Sri Lanka.
• Dhampiya atuva Gatapadaya, JatakaAtuva
gatapadaya. Unintentionally included data.

15. 15. Evaluation
• “Whilst the history of India was only to be
conjectured from myths and elaborated from the
dates on copper grants, or fading inscriptions on
rocks and columns , Ceylon was in possession of
continuous written chronicles, rich in authentic
facts, and not only presenting a connected history
of the island itself but also yielding materials for
elucidating that of India”- Tennent, p. 312.

16. 16. Evaluation 2
• Unbroken tradition of long standing
• Most are focused on secular and royalty,
Mostly Buddhist monks.
• Conceptual fantasy
• Quantitative richness but less diversity in
contents; language diversity, prose and
peoms, periodical diversity.