A History of Pali Literature v2.c19.24

v2.c19.24

On the monuments of the 2nd century B.C. the names of donors of different parts of the buildings are inscribed and in many cases with their titles. Some of these titles are very important because they have been derived from the well-known divisions of the Buddhist canonical literature. Among these epithets have been found the following: Dhammakathika, Peṭakin, Suttantika, Suttantakini, and Pañcanekāyika which refer to the Buddhist books. They conclusively prove the existence of a Buddhist literature before the date of the inscriptions. This Buddhist literature had divisions known by the technical names of Piṭaka, Nikāya, Suttanta, and Jātaka. Again the Nikāya is said to have five divisions. There were not only the Piṭaka, the five Nikāyas and the Jātakas but also distinct groups of reciters known as the bhāṇakas.