The Mahavamsa as a Historical Record of Sri Lanka: Its Strengths and Shortcomings

Abstract

One of the most prestigious historians in Sri Lanka, Sirima Kiribamune stated that it is common knowledge the chronicle writing was very popular literary from in ancient and medieval Sri Lanka. The Mahavamsa is one of the most significant and oldest historical sources which contributes to build a continuous history in Sri Lanka. It was written by a Buddhist monk called Ven. Mahanama in the fifth or sixth century A.D. There are thirty-seven chapters in the first part of the Mahavamsa from the visit of Tathāgata to King Mahāsena. The Mahavamsa reveals information about the culture, religion and mythology of Sri Lanka before the introduction of Buddhism and fundamentally, the Mahavamsa illustrates the enormous transformations of politics, economic, social and religion that had appeared in the local society and culture after the introduction of Buddhism. The main objective of this research is to study the strengths and weaknesses of the Mahavamsa when use it as a source to build history in Sri Lanka and to study the various perspectives expressed by historians on this subject. The research used primary and secondary data and collected primary data through interviews and primary sources. Secondary data were obtained from both published and unpublished sources. As further data were gathered, it was brought to light that since the Mahavamsa was written by a Buddhist monk, some shortcomings can be seen, though many other countries lack the resources to build a continuous history. Hence, the support given by the Mahavamsa to build a continuous history is invaluable. Nevertheless, the information revealed only in the Mahavamsa is not sufficient and it is clear that archeological sources are essential to build and ensure the historical facts.