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Sri Lanka’s history coincides with
the arrival of Buddhism in the 4th
century BC. Buddhism was brought to the Sinhalese kingdoms
by Mahinda,
the son of the powerful Indian ruler Ashoka. Within a
century, Buddhism
had firmly established itself as the nation’s religion and a
strong
source of cultural identity. The first centre of power was
at
Anuradhapura, an ancient city which still exists today.
However, 1,000
years of repeated Indian invasions kept the nation in a
continual state
of flux.
The first Europeans to arrive on the scene were the
Portuguese in 1505.
They cornered the island’s lucrative spice trade, and by
1597 had firm
control over the majority of Sri Lanka. But the Sinhalese
kingdom of
Kandy proved impossible to usurp, and with the help of the
Dutch the
Portuguese were driven from the island in 1658. The Dutch
proved to be
more passive colonisers, interested in trade and profits
rather than
changing the culture. They shared power with the locals
until the
arrival of the British in 1796.
The British were the first Europeans to undermine Kandy’s
power, and by
1815 had gained control over the entire island. During their
reign,
tea, coffee, cinnamon and coconut became major exports from
the
plantations. They introduced Tamil labourers from southern
India and
made English the official language of the colony, then known
as Ceylon.
It wasn’t until 1948 that Sri Lanka finally gained
independence from
the British. This change marked the beginning of the ongoing
conflict
between the Sinhalese majority who ran the government and
made all the
money and the Tamil Hindu minority who did much of the
labour.
The Tamil Tigers rebel group emerged by the 1980s to fight
for an
autonomous Tamil homeland in the north of Sri Lanka. This
conflict
continues today, making travel to the northern region of the
country
restricted. The 2004 tsunami added another blow to the
nation, as 80
per cent of the island’s coastline was ravaged by the waves.
Although
it devastated tourism at the time, Sri Lanka continues to
rebuild and
attract tourists who come to explore this wonderful country.
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