Buddhist Sinhala Literature: A Brief Historical Survey

Abstract

It is believed that Sinhala language came to Sri Lanka with the original migrants. According to the Mahåv,oüsa, the great chronicle of Sri Lanka they who came from Bengal, Magadha and Kälinga are traditionally considered to be the founders of the Sinhala nation. They spoke Indo-Aryan local languages depending on the areas from which they migrated. Further, the Mahäva?üsa states that King Vijaya (dh century BC) communicated (MV.vi.51) with kings in India to arrange marriages, etc. and for this commonly understood language and script would have been required. It proves that original migrants also brought with them the Brähnzi script. Later, the 'Sinhala Language" came to be influenced by Pali, which is the language in which the Buddhist canonical writings were preserved. It can be accepted because, it is believed that Ven. Mahinda brought the commentaries, which was in Pali and was translated in to Sinhala by him self (Hettiarachchi, Introduction p.6) Later, in Anuradhapura period both Sanskrit and Pali appear to have influenced the Sinhalese. New sounds were added to the language as words were taken into Sinhalese both as derivatives and in the pure form. Verse however remained "Elu" or pure Sinhalese. Further, it is also to be considered that Siyabas/akara and Elu Sandas Lageuna too refer to earlier works and on poetics shows us that there must have been an earlier literature which is lost to us. Here it is a brief historical study on Buddhist Sinhala Literature. Considering the easy way to make the discussion, the method has been föllowed here is after having mentioned about Sinhalese Inscriptions, Sinhalese Commentary Literature and Sigiri Graffiti, history of Sinhalese literature has been discussed according to the periods called Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Damhadeniya etc. That is also has to be limited from the beginning up to Kotte Period (15 h century AD). Periods have named according to the changing of the capital in the history,