BOOK REVIEW
TITLE : MANDARAMPURA PUWATHA
EDITOR : NIMESHA THIWANKARA SENEVIPALA
PUBLISHED BY SAMANTHI PUBLISHERS
The splendid opus entitled : Mandarampuwatha Edited by Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala published by Samanthi prakashakayo was released recently.
The Mandaram pura puwatha was the title of a book released as an author publication in 1958 by an edition edited by the High priest Labugama Lankananda .The high priest did his edition from a palm leaf manuscript that was found with the chief incumbent of Asgiriya Wijayasunderamaya Ven Yatawatte Sri Sumangala Dhammaratanabhidana Mahanayake of Yatawatte temple Asgiriya ,which spanned into eight hundred and sixty six verses.He claimed that after 779 verse as a leaf was damaged twenty verses could not be traced thus his edition was incomplete.
The second edition of the book emerged in 1996 published by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs to mark the ninety fifth birthday of the high priest which fell on 10th July 1996.
Sunil J. Madugalle when he wrote his book entitled :" Four Kandyan Families" Vijitha Yapa publications 2015 he had utilized the same manuscript used by Labugama Lankanada High priest evidently the same palm leaf manuscript is still found at the Yatawatte temple Asgiriya Therefore as claimed by Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala in his epilogue that as this copy cannot be traced or it was widely believed as there is no original in existence this version should be taken as cum grano salus -taken with a pinch of salt. .
The book entitled: Mandarampura puwatha was edited by Mandaramnuwara Chandrananda himi was released as an author publication in 2013 where the paraphrases are found in this edition below each verse the reviewer could not find same for hundred and ninety two to hundred and ninety four verses. Also two hundred and eighty one to two hundred and eighty four verse the paraphrases are not provided by the editor.The priest claimed that he could not find and palm leaf manuscript on Mandarampura puwatha .
Nimesha Thiwankara Senewipala's edition of the book titled:Mandarampura Puwatha is done with a discovery of a new manuscript copied by Ven Ukuthule Seelananda of Kadadora Raja Maha Viharaya as the chief incumbent from a palm leaf copied by a principal of Padiyapelellla Udahewaheta on 5th March 1831 spanning into forty eight pages of A5 size of exercise book of 120 pages.This manuscript was originally titled Madarapura puwatha has only two hundred and forty three verses.
Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala's edition numerically the verses differed with the earlier book the meaning was found similar in the contents of the verses found thereto .
The indispensable value of the discovery of Ven Ukuthale Seelananda's copy which was included in Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala's book is that he has ransacked and found same as he claims the second copy discovered.The rarity of the palm leaf copies bear ample testimony as it cannot be traced from the K.D. Somadasa's Index on the Palm Leaf Manuscripts volumes 1,2 and 3 published by the Ministry of Cultural affairs 1959,1964.W A de Silva's Catalogue of Palm Leaf Manuscripts in the Colombo Museum Volume 1 Gov press Colombo 1938 and the Catalogue of the Hugh Nevill Collection of Sinhalese Manuscripts in the British Library by K D Somadasa Volume 1 to 7 published by the Pali Text Society and The British Library from 1987 to 1995 do not contain any references on the Mandarampuwatha.
We owe Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala a deep debt of gratitude for his remarkable discovery as he has allayed the doubts hitherto existed.
'
Nimesha Thiwankara Senewipala's edition of the book titled:Mandarampura Puwatha is done with a discovery of a new manuscript copied by Ven Ukuthule Seelananda of Kadadora Raja Maha Viharaya as the chief incumbent from a palm leaf copied by a principal of Padiyapelellla Udahewaheta on 5th March 1831 spanning into forty eight pages of A5 size of exercise book of 120 pages.This manuscript was originally titled Madarapura puwatha has only two hundred and forty three verses.
Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala's edition numerically the verses differed with the earlier book the meaning was found similar in the contents of the verses found thereto .
The indispensable value of the discovery of Ven Ukuthale Seelananda's copy which was included in Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala's book is that he has ransacked and found same as he claims the second copy discovered.The rarity of the palm leaf copies bear ample testimony as it cannot be traced from the K.D. Somadasa's Index on the Palm Leaf Manuscripts volumes 1,2 and 3 published by the Ministry of Cultural affairs 1959,1964.W A de Silva's Catalogue of Palm Leaf Manuscripts in the Colombo Museum Volume 1 Gov press Colombo 1938 and the Catalogue of the Hugh Nevill Collection of Sinhalese Manuscripts in the British Library by K D Somadasa Volume 1 to 7 published by the Pali Text Society and The British Library from 1987 to 1995 do not contain any references on the Mandarampuwatha.
We owe Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala a deep debt of gratitude for his remarkable discovery as he has allayed the doubts hitherto existed.
'
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