According to the Theravāda tradition, the Pali Canon, or Tipiṭaka, was first compiled at the First Buddhist Council held in Rājagaha, also known as Rajagaha or modern-day Rajgir in India. This gathering took place shortly after the Buddha’s passing, with traditional accounts placing it around the late fifth century BCE, approximately three months after his death. The council was convened by the elder Mahākassapa and attended by a community of senior monks, often described as arahants. In this setting, the teachings were carefully arranged and systematized so that they could be preserved with precision.

At that council, different disciples assumed responsibility for different portions of the teaching. Ānanda is said to have recited the Sutta Piṭaka, the collection of discourses, while Upāli recited the Vinaya Piṭaka, the body of monastic rules. The foundational material for what would become the Abhidhamma Piṭaka, the analytical and philosophical treatment of doctrine, was also established at this time. Rather than being written down, these teachings were preserved through a disciplined oral tradition, relying on collective recitation and memorization by groups of monks trained for this purpose.

Only many generations later were these orally transmitted teachings committed to writing. This occurred in Sri Lanka at the Aluvihāra (Alu Vihāra) monastery near Matale, during the reign of King Vaṭṭagāmaṇi Abhaya. Traditional dating places this momentous event in the first century BCE, roughly between 29 and 17 BCE. The decision to inscribe the Canon can be seen as a response to the fragility of memory and the need to safeguard the Dhamma for future generations, transforming a living oral current into a stable textual body while still honoring its original spirit.