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TheThūpavaṃsa ("Chronicle of theStupa") is aSri Lankan historical chronicle and religious text recorded in thePali language. Its composition is attributed to aBuddhist monk known as Vācissara, the putative author of several Pali andSinhala commentaries and handbooks. It was likely composed in the second half of the 13th Century.[1][2]
TheThupavamsa follows the structure of theMahavamsa and other Pali chronicles- it begins with the story of past Buddhas, describes the life ofBuddha Shakyamuni,Ashoka's missions, and the arrival of various Buddha relics and a sapling of theBodhi tree in Sri Lanka.[3] It was composed inSanskritized Pali typical of the era in Sri Lanka.[3]
The second half of the book is devoted to describing the reign of KingDutugamunu, focusing on his construction of theMahathupa ('Great Stupa') atAnuradhapura.[3] The relics enshrined in the stupa are traced back to the division of relics recorded in theMahaparinibbana Sutta.[1]
TheThupavamsa overlaps significantly with theMahabodhivamsa, and portions of it are included in the extended (or Kambodian)Mahavamsa.[2] Material for theThupavamsa seems to have been borrowed from theMahavamsa,Jataka-Nidana-katha,Samantapasadika, and the Mahavamsa commentary.[3]
The colophon of the Pali version identifies its author, Vācissara, listing several Sinhala compositions attributed to him and describing him as a relative or dependent of KingParakrama.[2] Vācissara seems to be the same individual who was a senior Sangha leader under Vijaya-Bahu III, and whose name is included in a listing of learned monks and laymen in theRaja-ratnakara.[3] Vācissara identifies two works that he relied on in composing the Thupavamsa, an unknownSinhala chronicle and an older Pali text identified with the lost Cetiya-vamsattha-kathathat by scholars.[3]
Two versions of the Thupavamsa are preserved, one in Pali and one inSinhala.[2] The Sinhala version seems to be an expansion of the Pali chronicle, but the situation is complicated by the fact that both existent versions seem to have relied on earlier, Sinhala language sources in addition to theMahavamsa and its commentary.[2] Some 19th Century scholars suggested that the Sinhala Thupavamsa was actually the earlier work and the Sinhala source of the Pali version, but this possibility is now discounted by scholars.[3] The Sinhala version identifies its author as Sakala Kala Widya Chakrawarthi Parakrama Pandita, whose name appears in a list of 'learned laymen' composed in the 13th Century.[3]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) Sri Lankan chronicles | |||||
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