Pujavaliya
Historical Sinhalese literary work
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Through Golden Age and The Buddha
Composition
It is recorded that Buddhaputta Thero wrote the Pujavaliya while residing at the Pathiraja Pirivena at Palabathgala between 1266 and 1275 A.D., during the reign of Panditha Parakramabahu II. The king himself was a patron of literature and Buddhist scholarship, and his court produced several significant works, including Saddharmaratnāvaliya and Saddharmālankāraya.
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Content
The central theme of the Pujavaliya is said to be based on the extol Araham, one of the qualities of the Buddha known as Nava Arahadi Budu Guna (Nine epithets of the Buddha). The text contains a collection of tales related to the Buddha and his followers, moral instructions for laypeople, and reflections on karmic law.
It also records a number of episodes from Sri Lankan history and society, making it one of the main literary sources for understanding the political, religious, and social life of 13th-century Sri Lanka.
Chapters
The chronicle consists of 34 chapters:
- Pǔjãsangraha Kathã
- Abhinihara Magul Puja Katha
- Vivarana Magul Puja Katha
- Bodhisambara Puja Katha
- Jathibeda Puja Katha
- Dwithīya Puja Katha
- Sādhunãda Puja Katha
- Prathisandhi Puja Katha
- Prasava Mangala Puja Katha
- Mahabhinikman Puja Katha
- Bõdhimandala Puja Katha
- Sãdhunāda or Āyāchana Pǔjã Kathã
- Isipathanarama Pǔjã Kathã
- Veluvanarama Pǔjã Kathã
- Nigrodharama Pǔjã Kathã
- Bhikshatanadi Adbhuta Pǔjã Kathã
- Jetavanarama Pǔjã Kathã
- Purvarama Pǔjã Kathã
- Namaskaradi Pǔjã Kathã
- Asadrisha Mahanama Pǔjã Kathã
- Ganga Rohana Pǔjã Kathã
- Divya Raja Pǔjã Kathã
- Yamaka Pratiharya Pǔjã Kathã
- Pandukambalasena Pǔjã Kathã
- Devorohana Pǔjã Kathã
- Bhiksuni Sasana Utpatthi Pratipatti Pǔjã Kathã
- Adahana Pǔjã Kathã
- Jivakarama Pǔjã Kathã
- Samameth Noyek Jathibeda Pǔjã Kathã
- Jîvithadî Pǔjã Kathã
- Pratiharyadi Pratipatti Pǔjã Kathã
- Uddēsika Pǔjã Kathã
- Samyak Pratipatti Pǔjã Kathã
- Lankadvīpa Uddēsika Pǔjã Kathã
Legacy
Pujavaliya is valued for its unique contribution to Sinhala prose style and is often compared to the Saddharmaratnāvaliya. It helped establish a moral-ethical genre of Sinhala Buddhist literature that shaped the devotional and didactic works of subsequent centuries.
The work continues to be studied by historians and linguists for its insights into medieval Sinhala language development, its preservation of Buddhist doctrinal interpretation, and its role in shaping cultural memory in Sri Lanka.