The land transportation depicted in Mahāvaṃsa and Dīpavaṃsa from 6th B.C.E to the 3rd C.E

Abstract

According to the written records like the Mahāvaṃsa and the Dīpavaṃsa history of Sri Lanka may have begun from the arrival of the prince Vijaya circa 6th B.C.E. Although the history begins from the 6th century B.C.E., the literary sources were not recorded till the 4th century C.E. The first Chronicle, the Dīpavaṃsa was written between the 4th and 5th C.E., while the Mahāvaṃsa was written a century later in the 5th or 6th C.E. The authors of these Chronicles belonging to the Mahā Vihāra of the orthodox tendency and they have exaggerate the works of some kings who have been sympathetic towards the Mahā Vihāra while those like Mahāsēna who were ardent supporter of the Mahāyāna were criticized. It is also necessary to bear in mind that most of the accounts of these authors are subjected to usual exaggerations. The authors of these Chronicles of the 4th and the 5th centuries impose their values and partial judgments over the events that have taken place in the 6th century B.C.E. The Mahāvaṃsa and the Dīpavaṃsa shed light on the land transportation in ancient Sri Lanka from the 6th B.C.E. The Immigration of Aryan, prove the fact that the land roads were connected with the ports like Mahātittha, Gōkaṇṇa, Jambukōlapattana etc. All these land routes are connected with ancient capital city of Anurādhapura. This paper proposes to discuss the significance of all the transportation methods as well. These accumulated data are analyzed to evaluate the above mentioned topic.