Sri Lanka – ancient kingdoms, colonial rule and an island's independence
Sri Lanka has one of the longest recorded histories in South Asia. From the kingdom of Anuradhapura, founded in the first millennium BCE, a sophisticated civilisation developed with vast irrigation reservoirs, monasteries and great stupas. Buddhism reached the island in the third century BCE and became central to its culture. Later Polonnaruwa became the royal capital, and in the following centuries power shifted between several kingdoms, including a Tamil kingdom in the north.
From the early sixteenth century European powers arrived, drawn by cinnamon and other spices. The Portuguese took control of coastal areas, followed by the Dutch in the seventeenth century. The British seized the coast at the end of the eighteenth century and conquered the inland Kingdom of Kandy in 1815, bringing the whole island under colonial rule as Ceylon. Coffee and then tea plantations transformed the highlands, and many workers were brought from southern India.
Ceylon gained independence peacefully in 1948 and became the Republic of Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and the Tamil minority escalated into a civil war that lasted from 1983 until 2009 and cost many lives on all sides. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami struck the coasts devastatingly, and in recent years the country has faced a severe economic crisis.
Today Sri Lanka is shaped by its ancient heritage, its diverse communities and religions, and the resilience of its people.
Do you have family memories or stories about your town or village in Sri Lanka? Share them with other members in the Local History section.