Brief Summary
This video provides an overview of literary sources for studying Sri Lankan history, focusing on local and foreign sources. It highlights key texts like the Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa, and Chulavamsa, explaining their significance and the factors to consider when using local literary sources. The video also discusses foreign literary sources, categorising authors who visited Sri Lanka and those who did not, while mentioning important figures and texts.
- Literary sources are divided into local and foreign categories.
- Local sources include texts like Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa and Chulavamsa, providing insights into political and religious aspects of Sri Lankan history.
- Foreign sources are categorised by authors who visited Sri Lanka and those who gathered information remotely, offering diverse perspectives.
Introduction to Sources of Studying History
The lesson introduces the concept of historical sources, which are essential for studying past human activities. These sources are broadly divided into two categories: literary sources and archaeological sources. The primary focus of this lesson is on literary sources.
Understanding Literary Sources
A literary source is defined as any written document, including books, prose, and poetry. These sources are further divided into local and foreign literary sources. Local literary sources consist of books and documents written by Sri Lankans who lived in olden days, while foreign literary sources are those written by foreign authors about Sri Lanka.
Local Literary Sources: Key Texts
The oldest local literary source is the Dipavamsa, composed in the 4th century. The second oldest chronicle is the Mahavamsa, written by Mahanama, who lived in Dighasana. A significant annotation or dictionary that explains the difficult parts of the Mahavamsa is known as the Vamsaththappakasini or Mahavamsa Tika. The Dipavamsa contains information from the arrival of Lord Buddha to the end of King Mahasena, a narrative also found in the first part of the Mahavamsa, indicating similarities and influence from the Atthakatha.
Importance of Other Local Texts
The Rajavaliya is important for understanding the political information from the Gampola Kingdom to the Kotte Kingdom. The Nikaya Sangrahaya provides insights into the Buddhist order, Buddha Sasana, and Bodhisattva. These local literary texts are crucial for studying religious factors in Sri Lankan history.
Factors to Consider When Using Local Literary Sources
When building history through local literary sources, four factors must be considered: the author's objective, the time in which the source was written, how the author collected information for the source, and the author's objective.
Foreign Literary Sources: Definition and Examples
Foreign literary sources are books and documents written by foreign authors that mention information about Sri Lanka. Three famous Tamil books—Silappatikaram, Manimekalai, and Kundalakesi—mention information about Sri Lanka. Foreign authors are categorised into those who came to Sri Lanka and those who did not.
Categories of Foreign Authors
Examples of authors who came to Sri Lanka include Fa-Hsien, Ibn Battuta, Robert Knox, and Queyroz. Authors who did not come to Sri Lanka but wrote about it based on information from others include Aristotle, Megasthenes, Claudius Ptolemy, and Pliny the Elder.
