History of Sri Lanka

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History

A small tear shaped Island, Sri Lanka has a rich history that is reflected in its cultural and architectural heritage. Apart from its splendid beach resorts, the architectural ruins in the inner highlands highlight the rich history of Sri Lanka.

The first inhabitants of Sri Lanka, a small Island in the Indian Ocean, with any living descendants were the Wanniyala-Aetto. A few tribes continued to live in the same Hunter-gatherer style till some time back.

Mahinda, son of the Indian Mauryan Emperor - Ashoka, introduced Buddhism in the 3rd century BC. Buddhism spread quickly and became the main religion, bringing with it a feeling of nationalism. During the 4th century, Anuradhapura and many other Sinhalese kingdoms were established. But Anuradhapura was not strong enough to resist the repeated invasions from South India. The country was soon reduced to a state of dynasty power struggles and this has continued to date.

According to most historians, Sinhalese migrated to Sri Lanka from the Northern part of India during the 6th century BC. There was a continuous state of migration between Sri Lanka and South India.

In 1505, the Portuguese, attracted by the abundance of spices descended on Colombo and gained monopoly over the spice trade. They had gained almost a full formal control of the Island by 1597. The only region they could not gain control of, was the Sinhalese kingdom in Kandy. This kingdom enlisted the help of the Dutch and finally succeeded in ousting the Portuguese from Sri Lanka in 1658.

The resistance of the Sinhalese Kingdom in Kandy was put to test once more in 1796 when the British arrived. The Dutch being interested only in trade and profits put up hardly any resistance and this time the Sinhalese kingdom was ruled out of power in 1815.

This made the British the first European power to rule the entire Island. They established coffee, tea, cinnamon and coconut plantations and introduced English as the National language.

Sri Lanka succeeded in getting Independence in 1948, and the socialist government introduced Sinhalese as the National language. The best jobs were reserved for the Sinhalese in an attempt to balance the power between them and the minority of English speaking upper class.

In 1972 major changes were made – the country was made a republic, “Sri Lanka” became the official name of the country and Buddhism was made the primary religion. The places for the Tamilians were reduced in universities which led to unrest in the areas occupied in majority by the Tamils.

This unrest between the two communities continues to date. With peace talks and a cease fire going on it is hoped that the long awaited peace will come soon.

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