The earliest chronicle from Sri Lanka that has been handed down to us is the Dipavamsa, compiled in the 4th century C.E. from earlier sources that are lost to us. Here，no reference to the "relic in the spear" is found. However，it is explicitly said that Elara, the adversary of Dutthagamani，acted as a just ruler，"avoiding the four evil paths of lust，hatred，fear and ignorance" (Di 18.50). Thus, the Dipavamsa provides no evidence of hostile actions of king Elara against Buddhism. Dutthagamani Abhaya thereafter，dethroned Elara and，"killing 32 princes he ruled for 24 years" (Dipavamsa 18.54). The later classical chronicle of ancient Sri Lanka, viz，the Mahavamsa, is a rather elaborated work. It is necessary to analyze its composition in order to evaluate its contents. It is a combination of (1) a Buddhist work that was written down for the edification of its readers, (2) a work of artificial poetry (kavya) in the Indian tradition，and (3) a work of national Sinhala historiography written and handed down by Buddhist monks, incorporating historical facts as well as mythological elements.
