The Maha Wamsa ("greater genealogy") is one of the oldest historical chronicles in the world in that it, to gether with the companion volume "Chula Wamsa" ("lesser genealogy"), provides a continuous chronicle of the Kings of Sri Lanka from about 500 B.C. to modern times.
As it often refers to the royal dynasties of India, it is a valuable text for historians who wish to date and relate contemporary royal dynasties in the Indian subcontinent. Written by Sinhala buddhist monks, and maintained as a lineage by successive generations of monks, the Maha Wamsa often reads like a "list of meritorious deeds" of the Sinhala kings who followed Buddhism. An English translation by Wilhelm Geiger is available.
