Page 41 - Peoples_Journal_Sri_Lanka

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ISSN 3121-3049
People's Journal Sri Lanka Volume 01, Issue 01

resemble those found in the Dīpavaṃsa than the Mahāvaṃsa, suggesting a
stronger influence from the former.

Overall, the SUV was identified as the earliest complete Sinhalese genealogy
of Sri Lankan monarchs composed by a single author, dating to the 19th
century CE.

5. Discussion

5.1 Authorship Attribution

Before determining the authorship of SUV, it is essential to clarify its exact
title. As mentioned in the introduction, this work has been introduced under
several titles, including Suḷuvaṃsaya, Suḷurājavaṃsaya, and Suḷu
Rājāvaliya. Both Jayavardhana and Samaranāyaka, who edited this work,
identified it as Suḷu Rājāvaliya, while Sannasgala referred to it as
Suḷuvaṃsaya. However, in the manuscript preserved at Saṅgharājārāmaya,
the title appears as Suḷuvaṃsē.

Notably, neither Suḷu Rājāvaliya nor Suḷurājavaṃsaya is mentioned
anywhere within the manuscript, either in its content or in the end. The term
Suḷu Rājāvaliya is found in brackets at the end of the text in both of the
above-mentioned editions, suggesting uncertainty regarding the accuracy of
that term. Therefore, introducing this text with the term Suḷuvaṃsaya is more
appropriate as it is the only title used by the author himself to introduce his
work.

To clarify the true authorship of SUV, first, the description at the end of the
text should be investigated. In the manuscript at the Saṅgharājārāmaya, the
following phrase can be seen at the end (Sangharājārāmaya, 1818).

―Pōyamaḷu vihāra padaviya karavana vælivita saraṇaṅkarābhidāna
mahānāyaka unvahansē visin liyavana lada mahāvaṃsen ven karavā
liyāpu suḷuvaṃsē potayi‖.

―The book of Suḷuvaṃsē, which Vælivita Saranaṅkara Mahānāyaka
Unvahansē, the chief prelate of Pōyamaḷu Vihāra, had written by someone‖.