# Appreciating and recording of the ancient Commentaries and tikas

**URL:** <https://classicaltheravada.org/t/appreciating-and-recording-of-the-ancient-commentaries-and-tikas/2251>\
**Category:** Authenticity of Texts\
**Created:** [February 27, 2026, 10:55pm UTC](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/appreciating-and-recording-of-the-ancient-commentaries-and-tikas/2251 "2026-02-27T22:55:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 2

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**Author:** ![renaldo](https://classicaltheravada.org/user_avatar/classicaltheravada.org/renaldo/32/2033_2.png) [@renaldo](https://classicaltheravada.org/u/renaldo)\
**Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 3:55am UTC](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/appreciating-and-recording-of-the-ancient-commentaries-and-tikas/2251/2 "2026-03-03T03:55:04Z")

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The following paragraphs are from _Buddhism in Sri Lanka: A Short History_, by H.R Perera. They give us a little clue as to what was happening with the writing and compiling of this literature. Three of those paragraphs (the ones about Mahākassapa) may look familiar, as I posted them recently in the thread about Parākramabāhu I here:

> [@Parākramabāhu I and the creation of the Gal Vihara inscription](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/parakramabahu-i-and-the-creation-of-the-gal-vihara-inscription/2214/19):
>
> > [@Parākramabāhu I and the creation of the Gal Vihara inscription](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/parakramabahu-i-and-the-creation-of-the-gal-vihara-inscription/2214/2):
> >
> > In 1164 or 1165, Parākramabāhu convened a great council of the monastic community, summoning the most respected elders from across the island. Chief among them was Mahākassapa Thera of Udumbaragiri, a forest-dwelling bhikkhu renowned for his strict adherence to the Vinaya and deep learning. The King, acting in the tradition of great Buddhist emperors like Asoka, placed his royal authority at the service of the elder’s spiritual judgment
> 
> In fact, Mahākassapa Thera of Mahā-Parakkamabāhu-Katikāvata fame may have also composed a Subcommentary to the Abhidhammatthasaṅgaha.

I repost them here, along with the other ones from the section, for completeness (the other thread just has those snippets).

Thank you to @RobertK who kindly posted a link to the _Saddhammasaṅgaha_ in that thread, which is a 14th century text that H.R. Perera mentions in the quoted text, and which he used as a source for his information:

> [@Parākramabāhu I and the creation of the Gal Vihara inscription](https://classicaltheravada.org/t/parakramabahu-i-and-the-creation-of-the-gal-vihara-inscription/2214/20):
>
> [2015.50914.A-Manual-Of-Buddhist-Historical-Traditions\_text bimala law.pdf](https://classicaltheravada.org/uploads/short-url/fllMCDRjYEusOv5TQYPKSPhCdXs.pdf) (3.5 MB)  
> the translation is here 🙏

R

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