Sri Lanka History: Difference between revisions

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According to legend, Sri Lanka was founded about 500 B.C. by a prince from northern India. He allegedly founded the Sinhalese Kingdom, which was prominent in the northern part of the island. In the second half of the third century B.C., the Sinhalese king was converted to Buddhism. From this time until approximately 1000 A.D., Sri Lanka was a center for the development and spread of Buddhism. It also became an important trading center during this period, and Tamil Hindu settlements were established in the northern and eastern portions of the island.

From about 1000 to 1500 A.D., Sri Lanka was ruled by Buddhist Sinhalese kings who struggled to prevent encroachments from the Hindu mainland. A Tamil kingdom was established in the northern portion of the island, during this time, which eventually separated itself from the Sinhalese kingdom. The Portugese first arrived in 1505, and established coastal settlements for trade and missionary work. The Dutch intervened in a local civil war in 1638, and eventually expelled the Portugese from most of their coastal settlements. By 1766, the coastal areas of Sri Lanka were entirely controlled by the Dutch, while the interior remained under the jurisdiction of the Sinhalese and Tamil kingdoms. In 1796, the British seized the Dutch settlements on Sri Lanka and expelled the Dutch Colonists. In 1802, Sri Lanka was ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Amiens and became the British colony of Ceylon.

After years of agitation, Ceylon was granted independence in 1948. However, conflicts between Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Christians continues. In 1972, Ceylon became a democratic socialists republic, and the name Sri Lanka ( which means something akin to holy place) was chosen to replace Ceylon.^[1]

Additional information may be found at Sri Lanka history and geography

External Links[edit | edit source]

Colonial Histories and Vädda Primitivism

References[edit | edit source]

↑ The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Sri Lanka,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1990-2000.

[profile-1] The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Sri Lanka,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1990-2000.

[1]

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+''[[Asia]] [[Image:Gotoarrow.png|go to]] [[Sri Lanka Genealogy|Sri Lanka]]''
-|Country=Sri Lanka
-|Name=Sri Lanka
-|Type=Topic
-|Topic Type=Background
-|Background=History
-|Rating=Acceptable
-}}{{breadcrumb
-| link1=[[Sri Lanka Genealogy|Sri Lanka]]
-| link2=
-| link3=
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-| link5=[[Sri Lanka History|History]]
-}}
-==Online Resources==
+{{Sri Lanka-sidebar}}
-*[http://vedda.org/obeyesekere2.htm Colonial Histories and Vädda Primitivism]
+According to legend, Sri Lanka was founded about 500 B.C. by a prince from northern India.  He allegedly founded the Sinhalese Kingdom, which was prominent in the northern part of the island.  In the second half of the third century B.C., the Sinhalese king was converted to Buddhism.  From this time until approximately 1000 A.D., Sri Lanka was a center for the development and spread of Buddhism.  It also became an important trading center during this period, and Tamil Hindu settlements were established in the northern and eastern portions of the island.
+From about 1000 to 1500 A.D., Sri Lanka was ruled by Buddhist Sinhalese kings who struggled to prevent encroachments from the Hindu mainland.  A Tamil kingdom was established in the northern portion of the island, during this time, which eventually separated itself from the Sinhalese kingdom.  The Portugese first arrived in 1505, and established coastal settlements for trade and missionary work.  The Dutch intervened in a local civil war in 1638, and eventually expelled the Portugese from most of their coastal settlements.  By 1766, the coastal areas of Sri Lanka were entirely controlled by the Dutch, while the interior remained under the jurisdiction of the Sinhalese and Tamil kingdoms.  In 1796, the British seized the Dutch settlements on Sri Lanka and expelled the Dutch Colonists.  In 1802, Sri Lanka was ceded to Great Britain by the Treaty of Amiens and became the British colony of Ceylon.
+After years of agitation, Ceylon was granted independence in 1948.  However, conflicts between Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Christians continues.  In 1972, Ceylon became a democratic socialists republic, and the name Sri Lanka ( which means something akin to holy place) was chosen to replace Ceylon.<ref name="profile">The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: Sri Lanka,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1990-2000.</ref>
-==History==
+Additional information may be found at [http://www.infoplease.com/country/sri-lanka.html Sri Lanka history and geography]
-Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British colonial rule as Ceylon, US also /seɪˈlɒn/). A nationalist political movement arose in the country in the early 20th century to obtain political independence, which was granted in 1948; the country became a republic and adopted its current name in 1972. Sri Lanka's recent history has been marred by a 26-year civil war, which decisively ended when the Sri Lanka Armed Forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009.
-After years of agitation, Ceylon was granted independence in 1948.  However, conflicts between Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and Christians continues.  In 1972, Ceylon became a democratic socialists republic, and the name Sri Lanka was chosen to replace Ceylon.
+==External Links==
-The current constitution stipulates the political system as a republic and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential system. It has had a long history of international engagement. Along with the Maldives, Sri Lanka is one of only two South Asian countries rated high on the Human Development Index , with its rating and per capita income the highest among South Asian nations. The Sri Lankan constitution accords Buddhism the foremost place, although it does not identify it as a state religion. Buddhism is given special privileges in the Sri Lankan constitution.
-The island is home to many cultures, languages and ethnicities. The majority of the population is from the Sinhalese ethnicity, while a large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the island's history. Moors, Burghers, Malays, Chinese, and the indigenous Vedda are also established groups on the island.
+*[http://vedda.org/obeyesekere2.htm Colonial Histories and Vädda Primitivism]
-<br>
-[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sri_Lanka]
-==Timeline==
-- The Portuguese built a fort at the port city of Colombo and gradually extended their control over the coastal areas<br>
-- The king signed a treaty with the Dutch East India Company to get rid of the Portuguese who ruled most of the coastal areas<br>
-- Great Britain occupied the coastal areas of the island, which they called Ceylon, with little difficulty<br>
-'s -  The British had to draw on its reserve army of labor in India, to man its lucrative new outpost to the south. An infamous system of contract labor was established, which transported hundreds of thousands of Tamil coolies from southern India into Sri Lanka for the coffee estates. These Tamils laborers died in tens of thousands both on the journey itself as well as on the plantations<br>
-- New leaders represented the various ethnic groups of the population in the Ceylon Legislative Council on a communal basis. Buddhist and Hindu revivalism reacted against Christian missionaries<br>
-- The Soulbury constitution ushered in Dominion status, with independence proclaimed<br>
-- Sinhala Only Act, recognized Sinhala as the only official language of the government. Although partially reversed in 1958, the bill posed a grave concern for the Tamil community, which perceived in it a threat to their language and culture<br>
-- Anti-Tamil race riots, allegedly backed by Sinhalese hard-line ministers, which resulted in more than 150,000 Tamil civilians fleeing the island, seeking asylum in other countries<br>
--  Asian tsunami killed over 35,000 in Sri Lanka<br>
 == References ==
 {{reflist}}
-[[Category:Sri Lanka]][[Category:Histories]]
+[[Category:Sri Lanka]]