On the Chronicles of Ceylon
A judicious appraisal of the various Chronicles that were written in Sri Lanka, assessing their chronology, literary and historical character.
A judicious appraisal of the various Chronicles that were written in Sri Lanka, assessing their chronology, literary and historical character.
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4<br />
Foreword to <strong>the</strong> Digital Edition<br />
The Sri Lankan monastic tradition is outstanding in having kept<br />
good, and for <strong>the</strong> most part accurate, records <strong>of</strong> its history,<br />
particularly in regard to two types <strong>of</strong> lineage: that <strong>of</strong> its kings and<br />
that <strong>of</strong> its monastic elders, and recording <strong>the</strong>ir good works for<br />
posterity.<br />
The great Bengali scholar Bimala Churn Law was renowned for his<br />
studies <strong>of</strong> ancient Indian history, and particularly for his Buddhist<br />
studies. He also made a number <strong>of</strong> very useful translations <strong>of</strong> texts,<br />
including three from <strong>the</strong> Vaṁsa literature, and so was very familiar<br />
with this area <strong>of</strong> study.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> present work he has made a judicious appraisal <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> various<br />
<strong>Chronicles</strong> that were written in Sri Lanka (or <strong>Ceylon</strong>, as it was<br />
known in his day), from different angles, assessing <strong>the</strong>ir chronology,<br />
literary and historical character.<br />
What follows is a transcription by my good helper Donny Hacker <strong>of</strong><br />
B. C. Law’s book as it was published in 1947. The final pro<strong>of</strong>ing and<br />
corrections were made by myself. I have made some small changes,<br />
like breaking up some <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> longer paragraphs, and making<br />
headings <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> works described and appraised, which was absent in<br />
<strong>the</strong> original, but o<strong>the</strong>rwise <strong>the</strong> work is basically as published.<br />
Ānandajoti Bhikkhu<br />
June 2017