DIPAVAMSA

(Pali: History of the Island), oldest extant historical record of Sri Lanka, compiled in the 4th century. It is considered to be one of the main sources drawn upon by the author of the later and more comprehensive historical chronicle the Mahavamsa. In its emphasis on ecclesiastical (Buddhist) rather than political history and in the time span of its narrative, the Dipavamsa is similar to the Mahavamsa. Unlike the Mahavamsa, however, the Dipavamsa is a crude, unpolished workperhaps the first attempt of the Sinhalese people to write in Pali, the sacred language of Buddhism. Because of its lack of organization and a heterogeneity of style, it is generally considered the product of multiple authorship.