Arrival of Buddhism Dutthagamani's campaign Fall of Anuradhapura
377 BC–1017
Polonnaruwa
Chola conquest Sinhalese Resistance Invasion of Kalinga Magha
1017–1232
Transitional
Vijayabā Kollaya Crisis of the Sixteenth Century
1232–1597
Kandy
Kandyan Wars
1597–1815
British Ceylon
Great rebellion Matale rebellion Buddhist revival World War II Independence
1815–1948
Sri Lanka
Dominion Republic
1948–present
By Topic
Agriculture
Armed Forces
Army
Air Force
Navy
Economy
Education
Geography
Politics
Tamil immigration
World Heritage Sites
Sri Lanka portal
Bibliography
Glossary
Timeline
v
t
e
The history of Sri Lanka is unique because its relevance and richness extend beyond the areas of South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. The early human remains which were found on the island of Sri Lanka date back to about 38,000 years ago (Balangoda Man).
The historical period roughly begins in the 3rd century BCE, based on Pali chronicles like the Mahavamsa, the Deepavamsa, and the Culavamsa.[1] They describe the history of Sri Lanka since the arrival of Prince Vijaya who was from Northern India[2][3][4][5] The earliest documents of settlement in the Island are found in these chronicles. These chronicles cover the period since the establishment of the Kingdom of Tambapanni in the 6th century BCE by the earliest ancestors of the Sinhalese. The first Sri Lankan ruler of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, Pandukabhaya, is recorded for the 4th century BCE. Buddhism was introduced in the 3rd century BCE by Arhath Mahinda (son of the Indian emperor Ashoka).
The island was divided into numerous kingdoms over the following centuries, intermittently (between CE 993–1077) united under Chola rule. Sri Lanka was ruled by 181 monarchs from the Anuradhapura to Kandy periods.[6][unreliable source?] From the 16th century, some coastal areas of the country were also controlled by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Between 1597 and 1658, a substantial part of the island was under Portuguese rule. The Portuguese lost their possessions in Ceylon due to Dutch intervention in the Eighty Years' War. Following the Kandyan Wars, the island was united under British rule in 1815. Armed uprisings against the British took place in 1818 Uva Rebellion and 1848 Matale Rebellion. Independence was finally granted in 1948 but the country remained a Dominion of the British Empire until 1972.
In 1972, Sri Lanka assumed the status of a Republic. A constitution was introduced in 1978 which made the Executive President the head of state. The Sri Lankan Civil War began in 1983, including Insurrections in 1971 and 1987, with the 25-year-long civil war ending in 2009. There was an attempted coup in 1962 against the government under Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
^Rathanasara, K (2023). "The Origins and Evolution of Sri Lankan Historiography". Journal of History, Archaeology and Architecture. 2 (2): 147–158 – via Researchgate.
^Geiger, W. (1930). "The Trustworthiness of the Mahavamsa". The Indian Historical Quarterly. 6 (2): 228.
^Gunasekara, B. (1995) The Rajavaliya. AES reprint. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services. p iii ISBN 81-206-1029-6
^"Wh124 – Buddhism in South India – Unicode". bps.lk. Retrieved 7 April 2016.
^Holmstrom, Lakshmi (1 January 1996). Maṇimēkalai. Orient Blackswan. ISBN 9788125010135.
^Ancient Kings and Rulers of Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Archived 12 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine. kapruka.com
and 26 Related for: History of Sri Lanka information
The historyofSriLanka is unique because its relevance and richness extend beyond the areas of South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean. The early...
The mixed economy ofSriLanka was worth $84 billion by nominal gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019 and $296.959 billion by purchasing power parity (PPP)...
capital ofSriLanka is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and the executive and judicial capital is Colombo. Over the course of the island's history, the national...
The SriLankan Civil War (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකාවේ සිවිල් යුද්ධය, romanized: śrī laṁkāvē sivil yuddhaya; Tamil: இலங்கை உள்நாட்டுப் போர், romanized: Ilaṅkai...
divisions ofSriLanka, preceded by provinces. SriLanka has 25 districts organized into 9 provinces. Districts are further divided into a number of divisional...
Tamils have a very long history in SriLanka and have lived on the island since at least around the 2nd century BCE. The SriLankan Tamils are mostly Hindus...
SriLanka is officially a Buddhist country, while SriLankans practice a variety of religions. As of the 2012 census, 70.2% ofSriLankans were Buddhists...
The SriLanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic ofSriLanka encompassing the SriLanka Army, the Sri Lanka...
The known historyof the Jews in SriLanka (formerly Ceylon) begins at least in the ninth century BCE. Jews living in the neighbouring Kerala as well as...
The culture ofSriLanka mixes modern elements with traditional aspects and is known for its regional diversity. SriLankan culture has long been influenced...
SriLanka (formerly called Ceylon) has a climate and varied elevation that allows for the production of both Camellia sinensis var. assamica and Camellia...
The caste systems in SriLanka are social stratification systems found among the ethnic groups of the island since ancient times. The models are similar...
Cricket was introduced to SriLanka (then called Ceylon) in the first quarter of the 19th century, following colonisation of the island by the British...
British Ceylon period is the historyofSriLanka between 1815 and 1948. It follows the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom into the hands of the British Empire. It...
This is a timeline ofSriLankanhistory, comprising important & territorial changes and political & economic events in SriLanka and its predecessor states...
Global Information
