In Sri Lanka, the oldest historical text is the Mahavamsa ( 5th century CE). Buddhist monks of the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya maintained chronicles of Sri Lankan history starting from the 3rd century BCE.
The Mahavamsa, an early text from the 5th century CE, was preserved by Buddhist monks in the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya. These monks recorded Sri Lankan history starting from the 3rd century BCE.