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Mahavamsa Part III is the title of a Sinhala language continuation of the Mahavamsa published in 1935 by Yagirala Pannananda, a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk. Written at the request of a Sinhala village leader but without official approval or support from the government, it describes the history of Sri Lanka from 1889 until 1935. [1]
Yagirala Pannananda was approached in 1920 by a leader of the Sinhala ethnic community with a proposal to extend the Mahavamsa into the present day. [1] : 98 Pannananda agreed, wanting not only describe the history of Sri Lanka under British colonial rule, but also to correct omissions in the Culavamsa , the previous extension of the Mahavamsa composed by several different authors between the 5th and 19th Century. Pannananda's teacher, Hikkaduve Summagala, had been one of two monks commissioned by the British government to extend and translate the Culavamsa in 1889. [1] : 95–6
While Pannananda's continuation of the Mahavamsa did not initially have any kind of official recognition or support, when Sri Lankan Prime Minister JR Jayawardene convened a committee in 1977 to again extend the Mahavamsa into the present day, the committee opted to resume the chronicle from 1935, effectively recognizing Pannananda's contribution as part of the Mahavamsa tradition. [1] : 96
Pannananda's Mahavamsa Part III begins with the British deportation of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Kandy, the last king of the Kandyan state. [1] : 98 It goes on to describe successive generations of British colonial administrators, framing Sri Lankan history around their arrivals and departures similarly to how previous sections of the Mahavamsa described the reigns of Sri Lanka's various kings.
Pannananda's view of the British colonial system seems to be positive overall, going so far as to compare popular royal governors with the heroic kings of the past. [1] : 101 Other significant events mentioned by Pannananda include the visits of English royalty to Ceylon, the founding of the Royal Asiatic Society, the visits of Helena Blavatsky and Henry Steele Olcott, and the translation into English of the Mahavamsa by George Turnour. [1] : 101
Unlike previous sections of the Mahavamsa, which focused exclusively on the monks of the Mahavihara tradition, Pannanada includes the histories of several Sri Lankan monastic groups, including the Ramanna Nikaya and Amarapura Nikaya, rather than focusing exclusively on his own Siyam Nikaya. [1] : 99 He also included details of policies and developments that impacted the life of everyday Sri Lankans, such as tax rates for farmers and the introduction of motorized trams, rather than focusing exclusively on royal/governmental and religious concerns. [1] : 101
In addition to events occurring between 1889 and 1935, Pannanada provided an appendix on the early colonial period between the 16th-19th Centuries. While this period was described in the Culavamsa, Pannanada believed that a variety of important information about this period had been omitted by the Culavamsa's authors for reasons of propriety, including accounts of the destruction of temples and libraries by the Portuguese. In order to provide a more complete picture of the early colonial era, he added an appendix to his Mahavamsa called parishista sangrahaya, or 'collection of things left out', that supplemented the accounts contained in the Culavamsa. [1] : 98
The Mahavamsa is seen as a foundation of Sinhala identity, and Pannanada's Mahavamsa Part III was part of this tradition as well. In addition to further developing the idea of a distinct Sinhala identity, Pannanada's book introduced Sinhala-language terms for Western concepts of national identity such as 'motherland', 'patriotism', and 'nationalism' into the Sinhala lexicon. [1] : 102
Major themes developed in his chronicle are the decline of Sinhala fortunes due to the absence of the types of heroic leaders described in the Mahavamsa, and disunity as a frequent source of failure in Sinhala political fortunes. The emergence of the ordinary Sinhalese people as a distinct group with distinct needs and interests also features more prominently in Pannanada's work compared with earlier chronicles. All three of these themes would later be adopted by Sinhala nationalists and populists in the post-colonial era. [1] : 100
The Sinhalese people, also known as the Sinhalese are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the island of Sri Lanka. Historically, they were also known as the Helas or the Lion People. They are the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka, constituting about 75% of the Sri Lankan population and number more than 15.2 million.
Buddhaghosa was a 5th-century Indian Theravada Buddhist commentator, translator and philosopher. He worked in the Great Monastery (Mahāvihāra) at Anurādhapura, Sri Lanka and saw himself as being part of the Vibhajjavāda school and in the lineage of the Sinhalese Mahāvihāra.
Mahāvaṃsa (Sinhala: මහාවංශ, Pali: මහාවංස is the meticulously kept historical chronicle of Sri Lanka until the period of Mahasena of Anuradhapura. It was written in the style of an epic poem written in the Pali language. It relates the history of Sri Lanka from its legendary beginnings up to the reign of Mahasena of Anuradhapura covering the period between the arrival of Prince Vijaya from India in 543 BCE to his reign and later updated by different writers. It was first composed by a Buddhist monk at the Mahavihara temple in Anuradhapura in the 5th or 6th century CE.
Theravada Buddhism is the largest and official religion of Sri Lanka, practiced by 70.2% of the population as of 2012. Practitioners of Sri Lankan Buddhism can be found amongst the majority Sinhalese population as well as among the minority ethnic groups. Sri Lankan Buddhists share many similarities with Southeast Asian Buddhists, specifically Myanmar Buddhists and Thai Buddhists due to traditional and cultural exchange. Sri Lanka is one of five nations with a Theravada Buddhist majority.
The Cūḷavaṃsa or Chulavamsa is a historical record, written in the Pali language, of the monarchs of Sri Lanka. It covers the period from the 4th century to 1815. The Cūḷavaṃsa was compiled over many years by Buddhist monks, and displays a variety of epic styles. It is generally considered to be a sequel to the Mahavamsa written in the 6th century by the monk Mahanama. The Mahavamsa and the Cūḷavaṃsa are sometimes thought of as a single work spanning over two millennia of Sri Lankan history.
The Bodhi-Vamsa, or Mahabodhivamsa, is a prose poem in elaborate Sanskritized Pali that recounts the story of the Bodhi tree of Bodh Gaya and Anuradhapura. It is attributed to a monk called Upatissa who lived during the reign of Mahinda IV of Sri Lanka, and believed to have been composed in the 10th Century AD. It is written in the kavya style.
Pali literature is concerned mainly with Theravada Buddhism, of which Pali is the traditional language. The earliest and most important Pali literature constitutes the Pāli Canon, the authoritative scriptures of Theravada school.
Ellalan was a member of the Tamil Chola dynasty in Southern India, also known as "Manu Needhi Cholan", who upon capturing the throne became king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, in present-day Sri Lanka, from 205 BCE to 161 BCE.
Abhayagiri Vihāra was a major monastery site of Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism that was situated in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. It is one of the most extensive ruins in the world and one of the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage cities in the nation. Historically it was a great monastic center as well as a royal capital, with magnificent monasteries rising to many stories, roofed with gilt bronze or tiles of burnt clay glazed in brilliant colours. To the north of the city, encircled by great walls and containing elaborate bathing ponds, carved balustrades and moonstones, stood "Abhayagiri", one of seventeen such religious units in Anuradhapura and the largest of its five major viharas. One of the focal points of the complex is an ancient stupa, the Abhayagiri Dagaba. Surrounding the humped dagaba, Abhayagiri Vihara was a seat of the Northern Monastery, or Uttara Vihara and the original custodian of the Tooth relic in the island.
Wilhelm Ludwig Geiger was a German Orientalist in the fields of Indo-Iranian languages and the history of Iran and Sri Lanka. He was known as a specialist in Pali, Sinhala language and the Dhivehi language of the Maldives. He is especially known for his work on the Sri Lankan chronicles Mahāvaṃsa and Cūlavaṃsa and made critical editions of the Pali text and English translations with the help of assistant translators.
Dhatusena was a king of Sri Lanka who reigned from 455 to 473 AD. He was the first king of the Moriyan dynasty. In some records, he is also identified as Dasenkeli. Dhatusena reunited the country under his rule after twenty six years of anarchy, defeating the six Dravidians that were ruling the country at that time. Dhatusena built large reservoirs and canals to augment the agriculture in the country.
Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism is a Sri Lankan political ideology which combines a focus upon Sinhalese culture and ethnicity (nationalism) with an emphasis upon Theravada Buddhism, which is the majority belief system of most of the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka. It mostly revived in reaction to the colonisation of Sri Lanka by the British Empire and became increasingly assertive in the years following the independence of the country.
Dāṭhavaṃsa is a Pali chronicle attributed to Dhammakitti Thero. It is sometimes titled in English as "The History of the Tooth Relic" and contains histories and popular traditions associated with the Relic of the tooth of the Buddha. This relic is currently enshrined at the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka.
Buddhist scripture condemns violence in every form. Ahimsa, a term meaning 'not to injure', is a primary virtue in Buddhism. However, Buddhists have historically used scriptures to justify violence or form exceptions to commit violence for various reasons. As found in other religious traditions, Buddhism has an extensive history of violence dating back to its inception. This article discusses Buddhist principles with regard to violence, and also provides certain, historical instances concerning the use of violence by Buddhists, including acts of aggression committed by Buddhists with political and socio-cultural motivations, as well as self-inflicted violence by ascetics or for religious purposes. Despite these historical instances, as far as the Buddha's teachings and scriptures are concerned, Buddhism discourages violence for resolving conflicts. Contemporary violence, or the promotion of violence, has been on the rise in some Buddhist communities, most notably the persecution of the Rohingya by the Myanmar government.
Dewa people were one of the four main tribes of ancient Sri Lanka who predated the coalition of Sinhalese nationality. Sinhalese people are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group of the island of Sri Lanka. They were historically known as Hela people, Ceylonese islanders, and Sinhalese islanders. They constitute about 75% of the Sri Lankan population and number greater than 16.2 million. The Sinhalese identity is based on language, cultural genetic heritage and nationality. The Sinhalese people speak Sinhala, an insular Indo-Aryan language, and are predominantly Theravada Buddhists, although a minority of Sinhalese follow branches of Christianity and other religions.
The Pre-Anuradhapura period of Sri Lankan history begins with the gradual onset of historical records in the final centuries of the prehistoric period and ending in 437 BC. According to the Mahavamsa, the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka are the Yakshas and northern Naga tribes. Sinhalese history traditionally starts in 543 BC at the arrival of Prince Vijaya, a semi-legendary king who was banished from the Indian subcontinent with his 700 followers, and is recorded in the Mahavamsa chronicle. This period was succeeded by the Anuradhapura period.
Sri Lankan Forest Monks' Tradition claims a long history. As the oldest Theravada Buddhist country in the world, several forest traditions and lineages have existed, disappeared and re-emerged circularly in Sri Lanka. The current forest traditions and lineages in Sri Lanka have been influenced by the Burmese and Thai traditions which descend from the ancient Indian and Sri Lankan traditions.
The Thūpavaṃsa is a Sri Lankan historical chronicle and religious text recorded in the Pali language. Its composition is attributed to a Buddhist monk known as Vācissara, the putative author of several Pali and Sinhala commentaries and handbooks. It was likely composed in the second half of the 13th Century.
Yagirala Pannananda Thera was a Sri Lankan Buddhist monk and scholar. He was the author of a number of works in Sinhala and Pali, including a biography of his teacher Hikkaduve Sumangala and Mahavamsa Part III, an extension of the Mahavamsa chronicle covering the period from 1871 - 1935.
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