Are you planning to travel to Sri Lanka from abroad? Then this blog post may be of interest to you. Through this article, you will be able to gain an understanding of Sri Lanka’s geography, people, tourism industry, Sri Lankan restaurants, online money counters, etc.
History of Sri Lanka
The history of Sri Lanka is intertwined with the history of the Indian subcontinent and surrounding regions, including South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian Ocean.
The oldest human remains found in Sri Lanka date back to 125,000 years (the Balangoda Man). Evidence of Homo sapiens, which evolved from African chimpanzees, is found further afield in Block 2 of the Yala National Park.
The earliest documents containing information about the settlement of Sri Lanka are the Pali chronicles such as the Mahavamsa, the Deepavamsa and the Chulavamsa.
These chronicles describe the history of the arrival of the Sinhalese people from northern India. The establishment of the Thambapanni Kingdom in the 6th century BC marked the beginning of the Sinhalese dynasty. King Pandukabhaya, who reigned in the 4th century BC, is considered the first Sri Lankan ruler of the Anuradhapura Kingdom. Buddhism was introduced to the country by the arrival of Mahinda in the 3rd century BC.
The island was divided into smaller kingdoms in the centuries that followed, and was also subject to periodic divisions and reunification.
From the Anuradhapura period to the Kandyan period, Sri Lanka was ruled by 181 kings and queens. Since the 16th century, parts of the country’s coastal areas have been under the Portuguese, Dutch and British empires. Between 1597 and 1658, a significant part of the island was under Portuguese rule.
The Portuguese lost their territories due to Dutch intervention during the Eighty Years’ War. Following the Kandyan Wars, the island was reunified under British rule in 1815.
There were also two armed uprisings against the British, the Uva Wellassa Rebellion of 1818 and the Matale Rebellion of 1848. The country was finally granted independence by the British in 1948, but remained a Dominion under the British Empire until 1972.
In 1972, Sri Lanka became a republic.
A new constitution was introduced in 1978, which made the executive president the head of state.
In addition to the 1971 and 1987 rebellions, the Sri Lankan Civil War began in 1983 and lasted for 25 years, ending in 2009.
Prehistory of Sri Lanka
The Balangoda Man is believed to have arrived on the island about 125,000 years ago. They were identified as hunter-gatherers who lived in caves during the Mesolithic period. Among such caves, the famous Batadomba Cave and Pahiyangala Cave have yielded artifacts believed to be from the island’s earliest inhabitants.
Paintings rendered in natural plant essence
Pahiyangala Forest Scenery (painting)
It is believed that the Balangoda Man may have created the Horton Plains in the central highlands by burning trees to capture game.
However, evidence of oats and barley cultivation dating back to around 15,000 BC in the area suggests that agriculture was already well developed at that early date.
Small stone tools, pottery, wooden fragments and several clay burial jars, measuring about 4 cm in length, have been dated to the Mesolithic period. Recent excavations in a cave near the Varana Rajamaha Viharaya and in the Kalatuwawa area have also uncovered human remains believed to be around 6000 BC.
Cinnamon, native to Sri Lanka, has been found in ancient Egypt dating back to 1500 BC, providing evidence of trade between Sri Lanka and Egypt since ancient times.
In the prehistoric period (1000-500 BC), Sri Lanka showed cultural similarities with South India. Megalithic cemeteries, pottery, iron technology, farming methods and stone inscriptions are some of them. This cultural similarity is thought to have been spread by Dravidian peoples such as the Velir before the migration of Prakrit speakers.
Archaeological evidence of the beginning of the Iron Age in Sri Lanka has been found at Anuradhapura, a large city that was inhabited before 900 BC. In 900 BC, the settlement covered about 15 hectares, but by 700 BC it had expanded to 50 hectares. Another similar site from the same period has also been found in the area around Aligala, Sigiriya.
The Vannila Attho, or Veddi people, are hunter-gatherers who still live in the central, Uva and northeastern parts of the island. They are believed to be direct descendants of the Balangoda man. They are also believed to have migrated to the island during the time when early humans spread from Africa to the Indian subcontinent.
Later, Sinhala civilization developed from the Indo-Aryan migrants. Among their achievements were the magnificent Dagoba architecture and the most advanced irrigation technology in the ancient world. It was also during this period that the pure Buddhist philosophy was introduced to Sri Lanka.
According to Buddhist texts, the Buddha visited the island three times. There, he preached the Dhamma to the Naga kings who were then in Sri Lanka. It is believed that the Naga tribe is a species of serpent that can take human form at will.
According to the two oldest chronicles that are still preserved, the Deepavamsa and the Mahavamsa, before the migration of the Indo-Aryans, there were Yakshas, Nagas, The island was inhabited by Rakshasas and Devas.
Written by the Venerable Mahanama around 400 CE using the Deepavamsa, Atthakatha and other written sources, the Mahavamsa is well-connected with the Indian history of that period.
It also contains records of the reign of Emperor Ashoka. The Mahavamsa’s account of the period before Emperor Ashoka’s coronation, which took place 218 years after the Buddha’s Parinirvana, takes the form of a legend. The historical accounts begin with the story of Prince Vijaya’s arrival from Vanga with 700 followers. From that point on, the Mahavamsa includes a detailed account of the dynasty.
Vijaya was an Indian prince and the eldest son of King Sinhabahu and his sister, Queen Sinhasivali. The Mahavamsa mentions that Sinhabahu and Sinhasivali were two children born to a mythical lion and a human princess. It also states that Prince Vijaya arrived on the island on the same day that the Buddha passed away.
According to the Mahavamsa, Prince Vijaya landed near the Mahathitta (Mathota, or present-day Mannar). There, they named the island “Thambapanni”, which means copper-colored sand. This is also confirmed by Ptolemy’s ancient world map.
The Mahavamsa also describes the Buddha’s three visits to the island. The Buddha’s second visit to Lanka was to reconcile a Naga king and his nephew, who were in a conflict over a gem throne, and prevent a major disaster from happening in the country. During his third visit, his holy feet were placed on the top of the Samanala mountain and since then it has been known as Sri Padasthana.
The present-day Sinhalese people are a mixture of Indo-Aryans and indigenous peoples. Based on their Indo-Aryan language, culture, Theravada Buddhism, genetics and physical anthropology, the Sinhalese people are recognized as an ethnic group distinct from other peoples of neighboring South India.
Anuradhapura Period (377 BC-1017 AD)
In the early period of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, the economy was based on agriculture and the early settlements were mainly spread in the eastern, north-central and northeastern riverine areas. This was because water was easily available for farming throughout the year.
The ruler of the country was the king, and his responsibilities included law and the army. He also had to work to maintain the trust of the people. Devanampiyatissa (250–210 BC) was a Sinhalese king who was friendly with King Ashoka of the Mauryan dynasty of India. As a result of his relations, around 247 BC, the Arahant Mahinda (the son of King Ashoka in lay life) introduced Buddhism to the country. Subsequently, the Arahant Sanghamitta Thera (the daughter of King Ashoka in lay life) brought the southern branch of the Sri Maha Bodhi through the Dambakolapatuna port (west of Kankesanthurai). That period was a very important time for the spread of Theravada Buddhism and for Sri Lanka.
Map of the Three Sinhalese
The Three Sinhalese are the divisions of Ruhunu, Bhikkhu, and Maya.
King Elara (205-161 BC) was a Tamil invader who came from South India and killed King Asela, who was ruling Sri Lanka, and seized power in Sri Lanka north of the Mahaweli River. At that time, the Maya country or the southwestern part of Sri Lanka was ruled by King Kelanitissa, and the Ruhuna or the southeastern part of Sri Lanka was ruled by King Kavantissa.
The Mahavamsa describes King Dutugemunu (167-137 BC), the eldest son of King Kavantissa, as having defeated King Elara on his first attempt at the age of 25. The construction of the Ruwanweliseya, which is considered a marvel of engineering, was also carried out under the guidance of King Dutugemunu.
Ruwanweliseya
B.C. In 103 BC, there was another Dravidian invasion, and King Valagamba, who was the king at that time, retreated and organized himself 14 years later and regained his kingdom. During those 14 years, five rulers known as the Pancha Dravidians ruled the kingdom by killing each other.
Conflicts over doctrines based on Mahavihara (Theravada) and Abhayagiri (Mahayana) also occurred during this period. One of the most important events that took place during the reign of King Valagamba (89-77 BC) was the compilation of the Tripitaka in the Pali language. The king was poisoned and killed by Anula, the queen of King Chora Naga (63-51 BC), a son of King Valagamba. Queen Anula (48-44 BC), the widow of Chora Naga and Kuda Tissa, is considered the first female ruler of Sri Lanka. She poisoned several of her lovers and was eventually assassinated by King Kutakanna Tissa (44-22 BC).
King Vasabha (67-111 BC), the founder of the Lambakarna dynasty, built 11 large tanks.
During the reign of King Mahasena (274-301), the Mahayana sect became more powerful than the Theravada Mahavihara sect. However, King Mahasena later extended state patronage to the Mahavihara sect.
From 436 to 452 AD, the kingdom once again changed hands between six invading Dravidian rulers, and with the end of that reign, the Mauryan dynasty began. Its first ruler was King Dhatusena (455-477). The Kalawewa was completed during his reign, and Sigiriya is the rock where the palace of his son King Kasyapa (477-495) is located. About 700 historical inscriptions written in ancient Sinhala can be seen there today.
Decline
AD In 993, King Rajaraja Chola sent a massive Chola army and conquered the Anuradhapura kingdom from the north, bringing it under the rule of the Chola Empire. Later, during the reign of his son, King Rajendra Chola, the entire island was considered a single province under the Chola Empire.
Polonnaruwa period (1056–1232)
The Polonnaruwa Kingdom was the second most important kingdom in Sri Lanka. After the Anuradhapura kingdom fell to the Chola invasions, Sinhala kings ruled the Ruhuna Kingdom, and King Vijayabahu (1055–1110) after a 17-year effort drove the Cholas out of the country and unified the island once again. He then built his kingdom around the city of Polonnaruwa.
King Parakramabahu I (1153-1186), a grandson of King Vijayabahu, was a very powerful king and the Parakrama Samudra, a huge irrigation project in ancient Sri Lanka, was completed during his reign.
Later, King Nissankamalla (1187-1196) came to power, starting a new dynasty, and Queen Lilavati, the queen of King Parakramabahu, reigned four times (1153-1186, 1197-1200, 1209-1210, 1211-1212).
The fall of the Polonnaruwa Kingdom was due to the invasion of Kalinga Magha (1215-1255). Magha is also believed to have been the founder of the Jaffna Kingdom.
Transitional period (1232–1505)
After the Kalinga invasion, the Sinhalese people migrated southwards in large numbers. This resulted in the formation of the Kingdom of Jaffna in the north of the island and several other kingdoms that emerged from time to time in the south.
Jaffna Kingdom (1215–1624)
The Jaffna Kingdom, also known as the Arya Chakravarti Dynasty, was a tributary colony of the Pandya Empire in southern India in 1258 and gained independence in 1323.
The Jaffna Empire reached its peak in the early 14th century, when all the regional kingdoms of the time recognized Jaffna as their principal kingdom. However, in 1450, Prince Sapumal, on the advice of King Parakramabahu VI, who ruled the Kingdom of Kotte, conquered the Kingdom of Jaffna.
The Kingdom of Dambadeniya (1120-1345)
was founded by King Vijayabahu III (1220-1224). His son, King Parakramabahu II (1234-1269), considered a great ruler of the Sankranti period, defeated the Kalinga Magha.
During this period, the kings ruled from the cities of Yapahuwa, Polonnaruwa and Kurunegala as their capitals in addition to Dambadeniya.
Kingdom of Gampola (1341-1408)
The Kingdom of Gampola was founded by King Buwanekabahu IV, and the Gadaladeniya and Lankatilaka temples belong to that period.
Kingdom of Kotte (1412–1597)
The island was once again unified after the conquest of the Jaffna Kingdom by King Parakramabahu VI, who ruled the Kingdom of Kotte, which emerged after the Kingdom of Gampola. The decline of the Kingdom of Kotte was mainly due to Portuguese invasions, while the contemporary kingdoms of Seethawaka and Kandy also opposed the Kingdom of Kotte due to the loyalty of the kings of Kotte to the Portuguese.
Kingdom of Seethawaka (1521–1594)
The Kingdom of Seethawaka was formed as a result of the Vijayaba plunder in 1521. Over the next seven decades, the kings of Seethawaka were able to control a significant part of the island. The Kingdom of Seethawaka fought several successful battles against the Portuguese and declined with the rise of the Kingdom of Kandy.
Sixteenth-century crisis (1505–1594)
Portuguese intervention
The first European nation to arrive in Sri Lanka in the modern era was the Portuguese. The arrival of the Portuguese Lorenzo de Almeida in 1505 had limited opportunities to repel the invaders on an island that was divided into several kingdoms. They built a fort near the port of Colombo in 1517 and gradually expanded their power to the coastal areas.
By 1592, the Sinhalese had moved their kingdom to the city of Kandy in the center of the country, which was a safe place to face enemy attacks. Various battles were fought between the two sides throughout the 16th century.
The most notable event in independent Sri Lanka was the Sri Lankan Civil War. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fought against the Sri Lankan government to create a separate state called Tamil Eelam in the northern and eastern parts of the island, and the war ended with the victory of government forces on 19 May 2009. It lasted for more than 25 years and claimed at least 100,000 lives.
More recent events include the terrorist attack on Easter Sunday on 21 April 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic, which has become a health and economic problem for the country in 2020-21.
Sri Lanka is currently governed as a unitary semi-presidential democratic republic under a constitution introduced in 1978, with Gotabaya Rajapaksa serving as the President and his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa serving as the Prime Minister since November 2019.
In the face of the severe economic crisis in Sri Lanka, the then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned due to the impact of the struggle that began at Galle Face due to the rising prices and shortages of essential goods such as fuel and food. The cabinet was also dissolved. Later, on 12 May 2022, Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Prime Minister (for the sixth time) to end the chaos in the country.
On 09/07/2022, protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa led to the occupation of the Presidential Secretariat, the Presidential Palace and Temple Trees by protesters. Under these circumstances, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa left the country and Ranil Wickremesinghe became the Acting President on 13/07/2022.
Following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa on 14/07/2022, Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected as the 8th Executive President of the country by a secret ballot in Parliament on 20/07/2022. He then appointed Dinesh Gunawardena as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka on 22/07/2022.
