148 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [Yol. VIII. 



Mr. Ranesinghe, says : " If this view is correct, the work 

 must have been done between 413 and 432 A.D." 



Sinhalese version. — Of the current Sinhalese version 

 Jayawardane Mudaliyar writes as follows :— 



The Sinhalese version of the Jatakas is not of pure Sin- 

 halese, but it is understood better by the present generation ; 

 as the language, though mixed with Sanskrit and Pali, is 

 colloquial. In this version many Pali words are retained, 

 while several others have expletives added to them in Sin- 

 halese ; but neither the addition of these expletives nor the 

 quotation made of words affect the sense of the Pali version. 

 In illustration of this remark* I would quote the two 

 versions of Pali and Sinhalese of one of the shortest Jatakas, 

 namely, 'Gamini Jataka,' in juxta-position for the inspection 

 of members. This Sinhalese version seems to be the same 

 as that which existed in the 14th century. Another 

 Sinhalese version of an earlier date seems to have existed 

 (306 B.C.) during the reign of Dewanampiyatisso. This 

 version is not to be found, nor does any work now extant 

 make any allusion as to its fate. It is possible that the 

 work was destroyed by one of the kings who was inimical 

 to literature. 



While on this subject, it may not be amiss to mention here 

 that the Sinhalese version which existed during the reign 

 of Dewanampiyatisso seems to have been spread through- 

 out Ceylon by the Buddhist Priest Mahindasthavira. But 

 the party who translated it from the original Pali is not 

 known. The Sinhalese version now extant seems to have 

 been made by Prakramabahu IV. 



Opinions as to the Sinhalese version, whether it represents 

 anything of the old version, whether it is a perfect specimen 

 of the Xtoh century, or has the defects of a servile translation. 



Sumangala Unnanse contributed the following valuable 

 monograph on the Sinhalese version 



Mahendra, a Buddhist monk of Ujjeni in Northern 

 India, the first propagator of Buddhism in Lamka, arrived 

 in this Island about the beginning of the reign of Deveni- 

 poetissa, who governed the country for forty years from 

 B.C. 307 to B.C. 267. On the very day he arrived here 



* See Appendix 4. 



