A Study of the Distinctiveness of Colophon in the Manuscript Literature in Sri Lanka

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume IV, Issue V, May 2020 | ISSN 2454–6186

A Study of the Distinctiveness of Colophon in the Manuscript Literature in Sri Lanka

Chandasiri, Olaganwatte¹, Ariyaratne, Manoj^2
1Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, ²Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka

Abstract:- The aim of this study is to identify the distinctiveness of Colophon, ‘Samamāpti vākya’ in the Manuscript Literature in Sri Lanka which has been evident since the 6th century BC. According to the Encyclopaedia of Britannica Colophonis an inscription placed at the end of a book or manuscript and giving details of its publication—e.g., the name of the printer and the date of printing. Colophons are sometimes found in manuscripts and books made from the 6th century BC on. In the world manuscript literature, in Medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, a colophon was occasionally added by the scribe and provided facts such as his name and the date and place of his completion of the work, sometimes accompanied by an expression of sincere thanks for the end of his task. As far as Sri Lanka is concerned the history of Ola-leaf manuscripts traces back to the 6th Century BC and until the third Century BC, Ola-leaf manuscripts were used and with the introduction of printing press by Dutch in 1737, Ola-leaf manuscripts writing were gradually disappeared. However, there is a very rich collection of Ola-leaf manuscripts in the National Museum of Sri Lanka, in Buddhist temples and and in some personal libraries throughout the country which are rarely accessed by the scholars for reference. This study was conducted through the content analysis of Colophons in those Ola-leaf manuscripts originally available in the National Museum of Sri Lanka. According to the finding of this research, the distinctiveness of colophon could be identified in several ways.The nature of the implications of these colophons can be analysed under several categories. Hence, Colophon could be considered as a resource for social reporting and its paramount importance for identifying the social stratification and belifs of contemporary Sri Lanka society is noteworthy.

Key words: Ola-leaf manuscripts, Colophon, Distinctiveness, Resource, Social reporting

I. INTRODUCTION

There is evident to prove that Ola leaf manuscripts have been used in Sri Lanka since the 6th century BC. Until the 3rd century BC, Ola-leaf manuscripts were used in writing daily correspondence. But with the rapid growth and popularity of literary writing during this period, the use of the sculpture for large-scale writing began. With the writing of Ven Mahinda thero, ola-leaf manuscripts were extensively used for large scale religious and linguistic writings.Accordingly, from the 6th century BC to the 19th century, the art of ola-leaf manuscripts in Sri Lanka continued. The arrival of the Dutch in 1764 and the introduction of the printing press in 1737 led to the demise of the Ceylon ola-leaf manuscripts writing. But at present, there is little or no traditional ola-leaf manuscript writing in Sri Lanka. However, there is a very rich collection of ola-leaf manuscripts in the National Museum of Sri Lanka, in Buddhist temples throughout the country and in some personal libraries in the country which are rarely accessed by the scholars for reference due to the existing unfamiliarity particularly due to the propagation and the development of printing technology up to the standard of modern digital printing.

II. DISCUSSION

Sri Lanka is a country with a long literary tradition. Historical information on the compilation and production of the bibliography of the island is more ancient than all the literary traditions of the region except Sanskrit. The earliest recorded evidence of the compilation and production of books in Sinhala, the main language of Sri Lanka, as well as the religious language, the Pāli and the Sanskrit language, dates back to the third century BC ( Godakumbura ; 1996 ).

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