Literary sources for the history of ancient Sri Lanka

KAMALIKA PIERIS

Mahawansa is not the only literary source which gives information on ancient Sri Lanka There are several other types of literary sources starting with inscriptions. Inscriptions provide information on a variety of subjects and can be used for many purposes.

They help to identify places mentioned in the chronicles and supply the earlier names. They have been used to locate the ancient sites where there was iron, copper or gems.

Inscriptions

Administrative procedures can be discovered through inscriptions. Inscriptions record rules of management for a market town (Vevalkatiya inscription), administration of justice in a Dasagama (Badulla pillar), distribution of water from a royal tank (Vessagiri), information on the sale and release of slaves. (Borrows Pavilion) Ambagamuwa inscription of Vijayabahu I speaks of improvements at Sri Pada. He provided alms halls for the pilgrims, with special provision for food and shelter. Lamps were lit at the footprint and jeweled offerings were made.

Inscription found near Ruvanvelisaya says that whenever a donation was made to an institution belonging to the Maha Vihara, the original was filed in the archives at Lovamahapaya. Inscriptions confirm the existence of several different taxes such as tax for hunting animals in a forest, (Kokkebbe), tax on paddy field, (Ganekanda), tax on water from tank (Kallanchiya), fish tax (Kahatagasdigiliya) taxes from ports or ferries. (Minvila).

The inscriptions provide valuable information on Buddhism. Rajagala inscription confirms Ven. Mahinda’s visit to Sri Lanka. This inscription is a contemporary one. It also confirms that the Iththiya, Uttiya, Sambala and Bhaddasa theras mentioned in the chronicles did actually come here and that the ashes of the Mahinda thera were distributed to Viharas for entombment in Stupas. Mihintale inscription of Mahadathika Mahanaga confirms the statement in Mahavamsa that statues were made of the five theras.

Monasteries

Inscriptions which records grants to temples and monasteries are compared with statements in the chronicles. Polonnaru Katikavata and Dambadeni Kativata contain historical introductions.

The Pali commentaries are translations of Sinhala tika composed by monks to help explain Buddhist texts. These tika predate the Mahavamsa and contain Dutugemunu legends not found in the Mahavamsa.

The Sinhala monks used stories and anecdotes drawn from contemporary life to explain their interpretations. These commentaries therefore became a rich source of social information as well.

The original Sinhala commentaries are no longer available. We have instead the Pali transitions made of them by Buddhagosa in the 5th Century. Unfortunately, Buddhagosa left out some of the local observations when he edited the material.

Samantapasadika

The most useful of these translated commentaries is the Samantapasadika. This gives the regnal years of kings, in relation to their work for Buddhism. The Kankavitarani lists the metal objects which monks should possess.

These Pali commentaries are regularly consulted by historians researching into the ancient period. Tilak Hettiarachchy used them for his study on History of Kingship in Ceylon up to 4th century AD. He said the commentaries had provided valuable data on early kingship. E.W. Adkikaram has shown that additional historical information can be extracted by comparing the commentaries with the original canonical text.

Several literary works contain political information.

Mahavamsa

The Elu Bodhivamsa speaks of the group who had accompanied the Bodhi tree and their subsequent position in Sri Lanka. Pujavaliya has a historical introduction. Sasadavata Sanne describes events not mentioned in the Mahavamsa, such as the details of the various Chola invasions.

The account given in the Mahavamsa that monks hid the relics at Kotmale and ran away to the Tamil kingdom during the time of Magha is supported by references in Upasaka Janalankaraya. Hathvanagalla Vihara Vamsa gives us the year when Parakrama Bahu II ascended the throne.

The Parami Mahasataka is useful for historical information on the Gampola period.

Literary texts also yield social information. Dhampiya Atuva Getapadaya (10th Century) gives the old geographical boundaries and has information on military tactics.

Dambadeni Asna (13th Century) provides an exhaustive list of flora. It also provides lists of weapons, royal ornaments, varieties of cloth, and musical instruments, including a variety of drums.

It also refers to a large number of sciences, arts, crafts and trades. Details of everyday life from the 13th to 15th century are provided in Dalada Sirita, Sadharmaratnavali Saddharmalankaraya, Rasavahini and in the Sandesa Kavyas, (Tisara, Mayura, Hansa, Parevi, Gira, Kokila and Selalihini.)

Geographical descriptions

There also several other written sources. The Vallipuram gold plate indicates that Jaffna was governed by a minister during the time of Vasabha. Panakaduva copper plate carries an order made by Vijayabahu I, seated in Council, granting certain privileges to Budalvan, the Dandanayake of Ruhuna.

This copper plate tells of the hardship Vijayabahu had to under go during the period when he took refuge in a mountain region with his parents, under the protection of chieftain Budal.

The vittipot and kadaimpot provide topographic and geographical descriptions of the areas concerned.

Grants of land to person or institutions were made legal through Sannasas. These were written on copper or ola leaves. Social information can also be gleaned from the names carved on temple steps. It was a meritorious deed to hew a flight of steps on the rock (Keni) to reach a temple, and the persons doing so cut their names on the steps.

M.B. Ariyapala examined the society of medieval Sri Lanka, using around 40 Sinhala and Pali writings with particular reference to Saddharmaratnavaliya. Indrani Munasinghe, in her study of transport in Sri Lanka, obtained the names of several streets such as Kumbal Vidiya at Kumbal Gama and Kevattta Vidiya near Thuparama, from the literary sources.

She looked at the Sigiri graffiti, and the drawings at Pidurangala, Kotiyagala, Hindagala, Vessagiriya and Pullithota galge at Dimbulagala for her study on women in ancient Sri Lanka.