The first historical texts known from ancient South Asia are the Buddhist chronicles composed in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Consequently, from a very early period, the history of Buddhism on the island is known much better than in any other part of South Asia. Besides texts on the general history of Buddhism, there are specialized chronicles on relics and so on, written in both Pali and Sinhala languages or in Southeast Asian vernaculars.

The traditional historiography of Buddhism begins in all schools with the reports on the first and second councils, held at Rājagaha (Sk…