The History of Pali grammarPali is one of the oldest languages in India, that was in use in and around the 6th

century B.C. This language was traditionally known as a kind of Prakrit. The history of Indian languages seems to have begun at least 1500 years before the Christian era, with the arrival of Aryans to India. The language of Aryans was called Vedic (Sanskrit). In cause of time, two distinctive branches of languages started to emerge from that common source of Vedic, such as Sanskrit and Prakrit. Sanskrit was predominantly spoken by Brahmins who were the main inhabitants of the North-western part of India.

Today, Pali the language of Theravadi canon seems highly organized and well shaped and a number of grammar treatises have also been produced on it. But until the end of composing Pali commentaries, we have no considerable evidence to prove the existence of organized grammar for Pali. Even the great Pali commentator Buddhaghosa and subsequent writers seem to have employed some other grammatical method that was not so developed. The present Pali grammar treatises come to practice during the period of Polonnaruwa in medieval Sri Lanka. There are three treatises written in this period representing three different traditions, namely:

1. Kaccayana Vyakarana2. Moggallayana Vyakarana3. Saddaniti Vyakarana

From these, Kaccayana is considered as the oldest composition. Though this was written in Sri Lanka, and is a work of Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, it has been traditionally ascribed to the name of Mahakaccayana Thera, who was a famous disciple of the Buddha’s time. As the commentary to Anguttara-nikaya says Mahakaccayana Thera has composed (verbally) three texts such as Kaccayana, Mahanirutti and Nettippakarna.

It was a tradition of ancient writers not to mention the name of author in their works. Instead they ascribed them to a name of a reputed person in the past. Mahakaccayana, who was an Arahant had as interest in Pali grammar. As bereaved, who hailed from Avanti, a remote province in ancient India, has attempted to establish a method of grammar in order to define the teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha was also had appointed this Thera as the leading person of explaining what he said in brief in congregations.

However, this traditional view cannot be established, taking the commentaries of Buddhaghosa into account, since commentator shows no knowledge of such a tradition. Therefore, we are compelled to find the author of the Kaccayana grammar within Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the author of the Kaccayana grammar, though a Sri Lankan, was not freed from the influence of Sanskrit grammar. Since the author prescribes to adapt non-Pali designation in Pali studies, it implies the influence of Sanskrit on him.

The Moggallayana, 2nd important treatise on this subject is a work of Ven. Moggallana, a monk lived in Thuparama during the period of ParakramabahuⅠ (1153-1186). The text is explicitly, different from the Kaccayana tradition, but has adapted Sanskrit terms and forms in its composition as well. The book also demonstrates the impact of Sanskrit literature on Sri Lankan academic circle during the Polonnaruwa period.

3rd important text written on Pali grammar is the Saddaniti, a work of Aggavamsa Thera, who lived in Arimaddana of Burma and was introduced to Sri Lanka by an another monk named Uttarajiva. This bulky book, according to P. Buddhadatta, neither follows the Kaccayana nor the Moggallayana, but has adopted similar structure in its composition.