Manuscript chronicling Sri Lanka’s history from 543 BCE listed in UNESCO’s Memory of International Register 2023

Colombo Sri Lanka (Commonwealth Union)_Chronicling history from 543 BCE, the Mahavansaya written in the ancient script of Pali text on ola leaves, is now on UNESCO’s Memory of the World International Register.  Among the 64 new items listed by UNESCO, the Mahavansaya chronicles Sri Lanka’s history up to the reign of King Mahasen of Anuradhapura in 304 CE. An ancient ola leaf manuscript of the Mahavansaya also called the Great Chronicle is preserved at the University of Peradeniya and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage in 2021.

Sri Lankan civilization has roots even during the Neolithic age when archaeologists unearthed evidence of food gatherers and hunters.  The civilization is believed to have been highly developed with engineering marvels and construction feats showcased in kingdoms ruled even in 3 BCE.  The Mahavansaya notes that in 543 BCE, a banished Indian Prince Vijaya landed on the shores of Tambapanni as the island was called, making a Raksha princess his queen in order to rule the island. This was the beginning of the descendants of the Sinhalese race. 

Written in the style of an epic poem in Pali which is a classical and liturgical language of North Indian origin, the Mahavansaya meticulously etches the legendary beginnings of the island nation, right upto the reign of King Mahasen which ended in 304 CE. The etchings were initially composed by a Buddhist monk at the Mahavihara temple in Anuradhapura in the 5^th Century BC and updated by different writers including an obscure monk named Mahanama, residing in a monastery affiliated to the Mahavihara Temple.  It was King Dhatusena who ruled the Anuradhapura Kingdom, who compiled the collection of different writings into a single document in the 5^th century BE.

The Memory of International World Register was first launched in 1997 to compile a list of documentary heritage of world significance. With the aim of raising awareness among memory institutions, government, NGOs, the public, and stakeholders to create a supportive policy environment for the protection, access, and utilization of documentary heritage, the Register has 494 inscriptions as of May 2023.