Dīpavaṃsa

Sinhalese historical record

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Article History

Dīpavaṃsa, (Pāli: “History of the Island”), oldest extant historical record of Sri Lanka, compiled in the 4th century. It is considered to be one of the main sources drawn upon by the author of the later and more comprehensive historical chronicle the Mahāvaṃsa. In its emphasis on ecclesiastical (Buddhist) rather than political history and in the time span of its narrative, the Dīpavaṃsa is similar to the Mahāvaṃsa. Unlike the Mahāvaṃsa, however, the Dīpavaṃsa is a crude, unpolished work—perhaps the first attempt of the Sinhalese people to write in Pāli, the sacred language of Buddhism. Because of its lack of organization and a heterogeneity of style, it is generally considered the product of multiple authorship.