a brief history o sri lanka
Answers
About 500 BC when a people called the Sinhalese migrated there from India. According to legend the first settlers were led by a man named Vijaya.
According to tradition Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in 260 BC by a man named Mahinda. It soon became an integral part of Sinhalese culture.
However at first Sri Lanka was divided into different states. A man named Dutthagamani (161-137 BC) united them into a single kingdom. As well as being a powerful ruler Dutthagamani was a great builder and he erected palaces and temples.
The capital of the first Sri Lankan kingdom was at Anuradhapura.
The staple diet of the Sri Lankan people was rice but to grow rice needs to stand in water. However in Sri Lanka’s hot climate water soon evaporated. Some water was provided by rain in the rainy season (October to April) but it was not enough. To gain extra water the people dammed streams and rivers.
However in time it became the ruler’s responsibility to provide water for farming. King Mahensa (274-303) built large reservoirs and irrigation canals to take water from one area to another. The network of reservoirs and canals gradually became bigger and more complex.
In the 2nd 3rd and 4th centuries AD Sri Lanka became a rich kingdom. She traded with India, China, Persia and Ethiopia.
however from the 5th century onward Sri Lanka suffered from invasions from India. In the 10th century the Chola kingdom became powerful in southern India.
In 993 the Cholas captured northern Sri Lanka and they made Polonnaruwa the capital. In 1017 they captured the south. However the Sinhalese continued to resist and in 1030 the Cholas withdrew from Rohana, in the Southeast. In 1070 the Sinhalese ruler Vijayabahu recaptured the north.
However after his death in 1111 weak rulers succeeded him. Sri Lanka broke up into independent states.
Then in 1153 Parakramabahu the Great became king of the realm of Dakkinadesa. This great ruler reunited Sri Lanka and he repaired the irrigation system. He died in 1183.
In the 13th century Sri Lankan power declined. There were repeated invasions from India and political instability. The irrigation system began to breakdown and the people drifted to the Southwest. In 1255 the capital Polonnaruwa was abandoned.
In the 13th century the Tamils settled in the north of Sri Lanka and by 1505 Sri Lanka was divided into 3 areas. In the north lived Tamils. There was a Sinhalese kingdom in the Southwest based in Kotte and another in the center and east based in Kandy.
it's help u..
srilanka is an island nation in the indian ocean .it is just a few kilometer off the southern coast of tamilanadu .srilanka has a diverse population of about two crore people with 74 ℅being Sinhalese and 18 ℅tamils.
srilanka has emerged as an independent country 1948.the leader's sinhal community sought to secure dominant over government by virtue of their majority.
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