Digital Rare Book :
Mahavamsa - The Great Chronicle of Ceylon
Translated into English by Wilhelm Geiger
Published dor The Pali Text Society by Henry Frowde, London - 1912

The Mahavamsa is a historical poem written in the Pali language. It describes the kings of Sri Lanka. It covers the period from the arrival of King Vijaya of Kalinga (ancient Orissain India) in 543 BC to the reign of King Mahasena (334 - 361).

The first printed edition and English translation of the Mahavamsa was published in 1837 by George Turnour, a historian and officer of the Ceylon Civil Service.

A German translation of Mahavamsa was completed by Wilhelm Geiger in 1912. The Mahavamsa is not actually a religious text; it is an important Buddhist document because it covers the early history of religion in Sri Lanka.

Every chapter of the Mahavamsa ends with the statement that it is written for the “serene joy of the pious”. Buddhist monks of the Mahavihara maintained chronicles of Sri Lankan history, starting from the Third Century BC. These records were combined and compiled into a single document in the Fifth Century CE by the Buddhist monk Mahathera Mahanama.

There is evidence, according to Wilhelm Geiger, that there was another compilation prior to this, known as Mahavamsa Atthakatha, and that Mahathera Mahanama relied on this text. Another earlier document known as the Dipavamsa that survives today, is much simpler and contains less information than the Mahavamsa, and was probably compiled using the Mahavamsa Atthakatha as well.

Read more :
http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2008/06/29/jun03.asp