vaṃsa

Buddhist literature

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vaṃsa, particular class of Buddhist literature that in many ways resembles conventional Western histories. The word vaṃsa means “lineage,” or “family,” but when it is used to refer to a particular class of narratives it can be translated as “chronicle,” or “history.” These texts, which may be ecclesiastically oriented, dynastically oriented, or both at the same time, usually either relate the lineage of a particular individual, king, or family or describe in concrete terms the history of a particular object, region, place, or thing.

Three of the most famous vaṃsas in the South Asian context are the Buddhavaṃsa, Dipavaṃsa, and Mahāvaṃsa. The Buddhavaṃsa provides an account of the lineage of 24 buddhas who preceded the historical Buddha, Gotama. The Dipavaṃsa primarily chronicles the history of the island of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from the time of the Buddha Gotama until the end of the reign of Mahāsena (4th century ce). The Mahāvaṃsa, attributed to Mahānāma, is also a history of Ceylon, but it is composed in a more refined and polished style, and it includes more details than the Dipavaṃsa.

Some vaṃsas are devoted to chronicling particular objects or places of note in Buddhist history. The Dā-thāvaṃsa, for example, tells the history of the Buddha’s tooth relic until it reached Ceylon in the 9th century ce. The Thūpavaṃsa, dating from the 13th century, purports to be an account of the history and construction of the great stupa in Ceylon during the reign of King Duṭṭagāmaṇi in the 1st century bce. The Sāsanavaṃsa, compiled in the 19th century, is a Burmese text of ecclesiastical orientation that charts the history of central India up to the time of the third Buddhist council and then provides an account of the missionary activities of monks in other countries. The Sangītivaṃsa, an 18th-century text from Thailand, combines many of these themes, since it gives an account of the Buddha lineage; presents a history of Buddhism in India, Sri Lanka, and, especially, Thailand; and provides an account of the decline of the Buddhist age.