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Since the beginnings of the literature tradition, three languages have been used in Sri Lanka for particular purposes until contemporary times, namely in addition to Singhalese, Pāli for religious Buddhist literature and Sanskrit above all for secular works, especially scientific texts (medicine, astronomy, iconography, etc.). Singhalese could be used for all types of literature. In addition to these, Tamil, the language of the neighboring Indian population and a minority on the island, and from the sixteenth century the languages of the colonial powers (Portuguese, Dutch, English) have been used in Sri Lanka. The Singhalese and Pāli literature of Sri Lanka has already been described at length. However, the present volume offers the first comprehensive description of the island’s Sanskrit literature. Texts are written in Sanskrit still today, allowing one to speak of a living tradition. The volume, covering all areas of Sanskrit literature on the island, contains a discussion of the general problems of the language diversity as well as five sections: 1. Buddhist Sanskrit literature; 2. Literature of the Singhalese god cults and Hinduism; 3. Secular Sanskrit lyric and didactic works; 4. Texts concerning law, politics, etc.; 5. Scientific texts (philology, medicine and its related disciplines, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, fortune telling, Śilpaśāstra, etc.). The editions and the manuscripts in manuscript catalogues as well as relevant secondary literature are shown for each text. In addition to the Sanskrit texts written in Sri Lanka, Singhalese literature that is quoted in Sanskrit texts of Indian origin until the early nineteenth century and that has been lost on the island during times of political upheaval (especially in the sixteenth century) has been taken into consideration.
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