Who wrote the world’s first book? The first writers of India, Sri Lanka, and the Eelam Tamils.

01 Aadi 2026 What is a book? A clay tablet, a palm-leaf manuscript, printed paper? The answer changes depending on that. But one thing does not change. The first people who inscribed their own names in their own writing are still remembered by us even after 2,000 or 4,000 years. Let us see who they were. 1. The world — Enheduanna, 2300 BCE The first known author in history is a woman. Her name is Enheduanna. Born as the daughter of Sargon, the Akkadian emperor, in the city of Ur in what is now Iraq. She was the high priestess of the moon god. She wrote in cuneiform on clay tablets. She wrote her name within her own hymn: “I am Enheduanna.” “The Exaltation of Inanna,” composed in praise of the goddess Inanna, and 42 temple hymns are still extant today. Writing existed before her; stories existed. The Epic of Gilgamesh is older than that. But the first work whose author’s name is known is Enheduanna’s. If we speak of the first printed book: China’s Diamond Sutra, 868 CE. In Europe, the Gutenberg Bible, 1455. 2. India — Valmiki, Vyasa In India, there was an oral tradition for a thousand years even before writing arrived. The Vedas were transmitted purely by memorization. The first known authors are two. Valmiki — the Adikavi The author of the Ramayana. 24,000 shlokas, Sanskrit. Tradition says he was first a robber named Ratnakara and later became a sage. Scholars estimate the period from the 5th century BCE to the 1st century CE. Vyasa The compiler of the Mahabharata. One lakh shlokas. A contemporary of Valmiki or slightly later. Both epics lived for many centuries in oral form and were later written on palm-leaf manuscripts. India’s first printed book — it was in Tamil A little-known pride. The first book printed in India was a Tamil book. Thambiraan Vanakkam / Doctrina Christam em Lingua Malauar Tamul Author: Henric Henricus Year: 1578 Place: Kollam, Kerala This was the first book printed with Tamil letters cast in wooden type. If we speak of the modern novel, in Tamil it is Mayuram Vedanayagam Pillai’s “Prathapa Mudaliar Charithiram,” 1879. 3. Sri Lanka — Mahānāma Thera Sri Lanka’s first historical author is Mahānāma Thera. Period: 5th century CE Place: Anuradhapura, Mahāvihāra Work: Mahavamsa, Pali language From Vijaya’s arrival in Sri Lanka to the advent of Buddhism and the history of the kings, he compiled the island’s entire history. Before this, there is the Dipavamsa, 4th century CE. But the author’s name is unknown. 4. Sri Lankan Tamils — from Eelathu Boothanthevanar to Arumuga Navalar Among Eelam Tamils there are two “firsts.” Ancient first: Eelathu Boothanthevanar 1st–3rd century CE, Sangam period. Seven poems in Akananuru, Kurunthogai, and Natrinai. The first Eelam Tamil poet recorded with a name. Modern print first: Arumuga Navalar 1822, Nallur, Jaffna — 1879 The father of Eelam Tamil prose. In 1849 he founded his own printing press in Jaffna called “Viththiyānupālana Yantrasālai,” and printed more than 60 books such as Balapadam and Saiva Prakasam. He was the first author among Eelam Tamils to print books continuously. First Eelam Tamil novel: T. Saravanamuthupillai’s “Asalatchumi,” 1895. Conclusion Enheduanna wrote on clay. Valmiki spoke in oral form. Mahānāma Thera wrote on palm leaves. Arumuga Navalar printed on a press. Even if the tool changes, the purpose is the same: to carry the story of one’s time to the next generation. Even today, what we write in our hunger for knowledge is the same work. That tradition which Enheduanna began 4,000 years ago, we continue today from Switzerland.