Kavsilumina Kalpalatha Vyakya Sahitha

With its 15 cantos Kavsilumina is considered to be the finest example of Sinhalese epic poetry. Its authorship is attributed to King Parakramabahu II (1236 – 1270) of Sri Lanka who based his work on Kusa Jataka. The work is said to have been written on an invitation of a princess named Kalikal Sarasavi. The 15 cantos include 767 verses. Ancient scholars like Bhamaha believed that reading good poetry would pave the way to consummation of virtue as well as skill in art. Scholars unarguably agree that the Kavsilumina serves that purpose. Anyone interested in studying the classical dictum of Sinhalese will be largely benefitted by reading Kavsilumina.