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by D. Amarasiri Weeraratne

Until Sri Lanka came under the rule of European powers in the 16th century, the Buddhist era was used in the Island. Now the Buddhist world along with the Hindu, Muslim and Communist countries use the Christian era. Thus there is a uniformity in historical chronology.

Our historians have not been able to agree on the correct year of the Buddha Era. The Buddhist Era is reckoned from the death of the Buddha. At present two years are recognised as the year of the Buddha's demise, 544 B.C. and 483 B.C. 544 B.C. is the year fixed according to the Mahavamsa tradition. According to the Mahavamsa, King Asoka ascended the throne 218 years after the Buddha's demise.

The Mahavamsa is the chronical of the Mahavihara, Anuradhapura the headquarters of the Theravada Sect. Thus all Theravada countries follow the Mahavamsa tradition uncritically. Professor Wilhelm Geiger in 1907 critically examined the Mahavamsa chronology and narrative. He surfaced some myths, falsifications, and fabrications. He found a discrepancy of 61 years in the Mahavamsa chronology after King Asoka's time.

i.e. King Devanampiyatissa's time in Sri Lanka. Thus he reduced 61 years from 544 and arrived at the date 483 B.C. as the year of the Buddha's demise.

The Buddhist Encyclopaedia published by the Sri Lanka Government, and scholars and historians like Dr. Walpola Rahula, Dr. G. C. Mendis have accepted 483 B.C. as the correct year of the Buddha's demise. If we accept this year, the 2500th year of the Buddha's passing away (Buddha-Jayanthi) should be celebrated in 2017. But we have already celebrated it in 1956, along with Burma and Thailand because we rely on the Mahavamsa.

The Mahayana countries seem to favour the year 483 B.C. In world history this adopting of two different years as the Buddhist era leads to absurdities and confusion.

Contemporaries under one Buddhist era, become predecessors in the other. As such Buddhist events cannot be reconciled with even approximately with events under the Christian era. The invasion of India by Alexander the Great, is a confusing event under two Buddhist eras. Geiger's year 483 B.C. creates no problems after the period of Emperor Asoka and King Devanampiyatissa who were contemporaries and friends.

However, the excess of 61 years in the Buddhist era, B.C. 544, continues the confusion from the beginning to the end. This is a reflection on the ability and accuracy of Buddhist scholars and historians. They should first of all settle this confusion as correct Buddhist era means correct Buddhist and Sinhalese history.

Both the Mahavamsa tradition and Geiger's computation are based on a fact taken from the Mahavamsa, namely that Asoka ascended the throne 218 years after the Buddha. G. H. de Zoysa, author of 'Correct Buddhist Era' found according to his researches that King Asoka Era ascended the throne 116 years after the Buddha's Parinibbana. The Mahavamsa has falsified history and altered the date by 100 years to fit into a fabrication of the Mahavihara Elders that King Vijaya arrived in Sri Lanka on the very day of the Buddha's passing away.

To fit into this pious myth, history had to be altered by 100 years. Thus the reigns of three kings of Lanka namely Mutasiva, Pandukhabhaya, and Devanampiyatissa had to be increased to indicate that they lived for 107, 120 and 140 years. Mr. Zoysa wrote "According to Mahavamsa Buddhist Era, the finest historical absurdity is that Alexander had invaded India during King Asoka's reign, whereas it occurred half a century earlier during the reign of Chandra Gupta.

The contemporaries theory, the Age Theory, and the Generations Theory cited by G. H. de Zoysa in his book "Correct Buddhist Era" shows that the correct year is 384 B.C. and not the other two now in vogue in Buddhist countries. According to him the Mahavamsa authors have camouflaged the falsification of the period between the first and second councils to a century.

Thus they had to create as much as eight elders aged 120 years attending the 2nd council, who had seen the Buddha personally and were mentally alert and agile to participate in the 2nd Council. According to him the 2nd Council had taken place about 60 years after the Parinibbana where it was possible for monks aged 80 to 90 years who had seen the Buddha could be present.

All the world events and historical dates fall into position and agree perfectly according to Mr. Zoysa's theory, i.e. the year 384 B.C. as the Buddhist era. The invasion of Alexander the Great the year of Asoka's embassy can be related with Ptolemy II, Philadelphus of Alexandria, dates of Asoka's edict etc.

The correct periods of the reigns of Pandukabhaya, Mutasiva, and Devanampiyatissa as 45, 35 and 30 years as against the increased and exaggerated periods of the Mahavamsa author come to light in Zoysa's far-reaching work.

This work should be studied carefully by Buddhist historians and scholars and be either accepted or refuted if found to be unacceptable.

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