94 



JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [VOL. XIX. 



Museum is Rupasiddhi. " The oldest version of the compilation from 

 Kachchayano's grammar," says Tumour, " is acknowledged to be the 

 Rupasiddhi " (see Tumour's Introduction to the Mahawa?isa, p. 46). 

 I quote the passage from the Rupasiddhi, which shows that°the author 

 was a Tamil Buddhist monk called Dipankaro, who flourished in the 

 Chola country when Buddhism was prevalent there : — 



, u Wikkhyatanandatherawhaya waragurunan Tambapanniddhajanan 

 sisso Dipankarakkhyo Damilawa sumati dipaladdhapakasa Baladich- 

 chadi wasaddwitayamaddhiwasan sasanan jotayiyo soyam Buddapiya- 

 who yati ; imamujukan Rupasiddhinakasi." 



The above quotation is translated as follows : — 



" A certain disciple of Anando, a preceptor who was (a rallying point) 

 unto eminent preceptors like unto a standard in Tambapanni, named 

 Dipankaro, renowned in the Damila Kingdom (of Chola) and the 

 resident-superior of two fraternities there, the Baladichcha (and the 

 Chudamaniyakyo), caused the religion (of Buddho)to shine forth. He 

 was the priest who obtained the appellation of Buddhabiyo (the delight 

 of Buddho) and compiled this perfect Rupasiddhi." 



E. S. W. Senathi Raja. 



[" Ceylon Observer," August 14, 1906.] 



Sir,— Owing to absence from home, it was only yesterday that I 

 had the opportunity of reading Mr. E. S. W. Senathiraja's letter 

 appearing in your issue of the 8th instant. Mr. Senathiraja haSj I 

 find, receded from his original position that the earliest Pali Grammar 

 was composed by a Tamil scholar. His letter under reply seeks to 

 prove that the Rupasiddhi, a work based on Kaccayana Grammar, was 

 composed by a Tamil Buddhist monk. In support of this second 

 contention Mr. Senathiraja quotes the concluding verse of the Rupa- 

 siddhi which, I am afraid, does not help him much. This verse only 

 goes to show that Buddhabiyo, the author referred to, was famous in 

 South India, where he resided at one period of his life, and worked 

 for the propagation of Buddhism in that country. Quite possibly 

 the Rupasiddhi was written during that time. This does not, however, 

 show that Buddhabiyo was a Dravidian, any more than the fact that 

 Dr. Copleston wrote his work on Buddhism when he was Bishop of 

 Colombo proves him to be a Ceylonese. The evidence quoted by 

 Mr. Senathiraja cannot therefore be regarded as of much value in deter- 

 mining the point under discussion. On the contrary, that quotation, 

 combined with information available from other sources, justifies the 

 inference that Buddhabiyo was a Sinhalese scholar. According to the 

 Rupasiddhi verse, his preceptor was Anando Thera, a famous Sin- 

 halese scholar. In the Pajja Madhu, another work of Buddhabiyo, 

 the full name of his preceptor is given as Yanaratana Ananda. This 

 was doubtless the great Sinhalese scholar described in the Rasavahinni 

 as the tutor of Vedeha Thera, author of that work, and also of the Sidat 

 Sangara and the Samantahuta Vannana. The Nilcaya Sangraha, the 

 well-known history of Buddhism, composed during the period imme- 

 diately following that of these Theras, mentions Ananda Vedeha and 



