Sri Lanka climate guide, regional weather guide and geography information. Best times to visit and required clothing info for travelling to Sri Lanka. History of Sri Lanka - Originally known as Heladiva. History of Sri Lanka. About Mahavamsa . Originally known as Heladiva, it is home to around twenty million people. Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia and has been a centre of Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times. Today, Sri Lanka is a multi- religious and multi- ethnic nation, with a fifth of the population following faiths other than Buddhism – notably Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population (around 7. Tamils, who are mostly concentrated in the north and east of the island, forming the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include the Muslim Moors and Malays as well as Burghers. English is widely spoken and is studied as a compulsory secondary language in school. Island has a pleasant tropical climate and average temperature of the low lands ranges between 2. Celsius. Famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, rubber and coconuts, Sri Lanka boasts a progressive and modern industrial economy. The natural beauty of Sri Lanka’s tropical forests, beaches and landscape, as well as its rich cultural heritage make it a world famous tourist destination. Sri Lanka’s Per Capita GDP is presently US$ 9. South Asia and the Literacy rate is 9. South Asia and second highest in Asia. According to the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) Forecast 1. Sri Lanka’s Business Environment ranks 1. India, China, Indonesia, Vietnam and Pakistan. After over two thousand years of rule by local kingdoms, parts of Sri Lanka were colonized by Portugal and the Netherlands beginning in the 1. British Empire in 1.
During World War II Sri Lanka served as an important base for Allied forces in the fight against the Japanese Empire. A nationalist political movement arose in the country in the early 2. British after peaceful negotiations in 1. Since then Sri Lanka has enjoyed a stable democracy and continuous economic progress, despite the ongoing conflict between the Sri Lankan government and a separatist militant group known as the Tamil Tigers in the northeastern parts of the country. ![]() Naming of Sri Lanka Known as Lamka, Lankadeepa, taprobane . In 1. 97. 2, the official name of the country was changed to “Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka” whereas the island itself is referred to as lank? In 1. 97. 8 it was changed to “Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka”. The current name is derived from Sanskrit word lamk?, meaning “resplendent land”, which was also the name of the island as described in the ancient Indian epics Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Brief History. Paleolithic human settlements have been discovered at excavations in several cave sites in the Western Plains region and the South- western face of the Central Hills region. Anthropologists believe that some discovered burial rites and certain decorative artifacts exhibit similarities between the first inhabitants of the island and the early inhabitants of Southern India. Recent bioanthropological studies have however dismissed these links, and have placed the origin of the people to the northern parts of India. One of the first written references to the island is found in the Indian epic Ramayana, which described the emperor Ravana as monarch of the powerful kingdom of Lanka. English historian James Emerson Tennent also theorized Galle, a southern city in Sri Lanka, was the ancient seaport of Tarshish from which King Solomon is said to have drawn ivory, peacocks and other valuables. The main written accounts of the country’s history are the Buddhist chronicles of Mahavansa and Dipavamsa. The earliest- known inhabitants of the island now known as Sri Lanka were probably the ancestors of the Wanniyala- Aetto people, also known as Veddahs and numbering roughly 3,0. Linguistic analysis has found a correlation of the Sinhalese language with the languages of the Sindh and Gujarat, although most historians believe that the Sinhala community emerged well after the assimilation of various ethnic groups. Dravidian people may have begun migrating to the island from the pre- historic period. From the ancient period date some remarkable archaeological sites including the ruins of Sigiriya, the so- called “Fortress in the Sky”, and huge public works. Among the latter are large “tanks” or reservoirs, important for conserving water in a climate that alternates rainy seasons with dry times, and elaborate aqueducts, some with a slope as finely calibrated as one inch to the mile. Ancient Sri Lanka was also the first in the world to have established a dedicated hospital in Mihintale in the 4th century BCE. Ancient Sri Lanka was also the world’s leading exporter of cinnamon, which was exported to Egypt as early as 1. BCE. Sri Lanka was also the first Asian nation to have a female ruler in Queen Anula (4. BC)Since ancient times Sri Lanka was ruled by monarchs, most notably of the Sinha royal dynasty that lasted over 2. Sri Lanka News Reports, updated regularly. May 28 (SO) Despite the rains receding, the Met Department states that more severe showers could be expected in the. Comprehensive Sri Lanka weather guide for October, festivals and when best to travel. Contact the Asia tailor-made experts. Recorded History of Sri Lanka. Country history goes back much further, to the Balangoda People, about 32,000 - 3000 BC. Most of Sri Lanka's History is based on. His wonderment at the island's endless contradictions stayed. The island was also infrequently invaded by South Indian kingdoms and parts of the island were ruled intermittently by the Chola dynasty, the Pandya dynasty, the Chera dynasty and the Pallava dynasty. The island was also invaded by the kingdoms of Kalinga (modern Orissa) and those from the Malay Peninsula. Buddhism arrived from India in the 3rd century BCE, brought by Bhikkhu Mahinda, who is believed to have been the son of Mauryan emperor Ashoka. Mahinda’s mission won over the Sinhalese monarch Devanampiyatissa of Mihintale, who embraced the faith and propagated it throughout the Sinhalese population. The Buddhist kingdoms of Sri Lanka would maintain a large number of Buddhist schools and monasteries, and support the propagation of Buddhism into Southeast Asia. Sri Lanka had always been an important port and trading post in the ancient world, and was increasingly frequented by merchant ships from the Middle East, Persia, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and other parts of Southeast Asia. The islands were known to the first European explorers of South Asia and settled by many groups of Arab and Malay merchants. A Portuguese colonial mission arrived on the island in 1. Louren. At that point the island consisted of three kingdoms, namely Kandy in the central hills, Kotte at the Western coast, and Yarlpanam (Anglicised Jaffna) in the north. The Dutch arrived in the 1. Although much of the island came under the domain of European powers, the interior, hilly region of the island remained independent, with its capital in Kandy. The British East India Company established control of the island in 1. British India. The fall of the kingdom of Kandy in 1. British rule. European colonists established a series of tea, cinnamon, rubber, sugar, coffee and indigo plantations. The British also brought a large number of indentured workers from Tamil Nadu to work in the plantation economy. The city of Colombo was established as the administrative centre, and the British established modern schools, colleges, roads and churches that brought Western- style education and culture to the native people. Increasing grievances over the denial of civil rights, mistreatment and abuse of natives by colonial authorities gave rise to a struggle for independence in the 1. Youth Leagues opposed the “Ministers’ Memorandum,” which asked the colonial authority to increase the powers of the board of ministers without granting popular representation or civil freedoms. During World War II, the island served as an important Allied military base. A large segment of the British and American fleet were deployed on the island, as were tens of thousands of soldiers committed to the war against Japan in Southeast Asia. Following the war, popular pressure for independence intensified. On February 4, 1. Commonwealth of Ceylon. Don Stephen Senanayake became the first Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. In 1. 97. 2, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth, and the name was changed to Sri Lanka. On July 2. 1, 1. 96. Sirimavo Bandaranaike took office as prime minister, and became the first female head of government in post- colonial Asia and the first female prime minister in the world. The island enjoyed good relations with the United Kingdom and had the British Royal Navy stationed at Trincomalee. Since 1. 98. 3, there has been on- and- off civil war, predominantly between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), a separatist militant (Terrorist) group who fight to create an independent state named Tamil Eelam in the North and East of the island. Best time to visit Sri Lanka - weather by month - climate. Unlike many other Asian destinations, Sri Lanka can lay genuine claim to being a year- round holiday destination. You just have to know which side of the island to focus on in any given month, and this is never more important than when planning your beach destination. Unquestionably, the starting point when planning your trip in Sri Lanka is understanding the two monsoon seasons. The south- western monsoon brings rain to the south- west of Sri Lanka between May and September, while the dry season in this region runs from December to March. In the north and eastern coastal regions of the country, the weather is influenced by the north- eastern monsoon, which brings wind and rain between October and January, and drier weather between May and September. There is also an inter- monsoonal period during October and the first half of November, when rain and thunderstorms can occur across the island. This clears up as December nears, with conditions getting balmier by the day during the second half of November. As with many South- East Asian destinations, the period from December to mid- April is considered the peak season for overall weather and therefore overall visitor numbers. Whilst there is good reason for this, there are equal benefits to travelling outside of this period, with the shoulder season often providing the best of both worlds; namely great weather and a lower visitor numbers. Whilst planning any holiday around the seasons, it’s important to remember that the world’s weather has a funny habit of not sticking to script, and this is never truer than in Sri Lanka. You will often be blessed with clear blue skies in what should be rainy season, or with torrential downpours in the middle of the dry season. Therefore you would do well to consider a whole host of other elements (ie seasonal airfares,school holidays etc) in addition to the weather when making your plans. In general when it does rain, it’s unusual for the rain to last all day, with downpours tending to be short and sharp, often with a number of inches falling in just a matter of minutes. In extreme cases this can lead to localised flooding, which when severe can require last minute alterations to your travel plans.. While Colombo can experience year- round daytime humidity in excess of 7. Cultural Triangle drops as low as 6. March, and peaks at around 8. November and December rains. In the highlands, Kandy's daytime humidity usually ranges between 7. A Brief History of Sri Lanka. By Tim Lambert. ANCIENT SRI LANKAAbout 5. 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 2. 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 (1. 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. 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. King Mahensa (2. 74- 3. 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. Sri Lanka suffered from invasions from India. In the 1. 0th century the Chola kingdom became powerful in southern India. In 9. 93 the Cholas captured northern Sri Lanka and they made Polonnaruwa the capital. In 1. 01. 7 they captured the south. However the Sinhalese continued to resist and in 1. Cholas withdrew from Rohana, in the Southeast. In 1. 07. 0 the Sinhalese ruler Vijayabahu recaptured the north. However after his death in 1. Sri Lanka broke up into independent states. Then in 1. 15. 3 Parakrama Bahu the Great became king of the realm of Dakkinadesa. This great ruler reunited Sri Lanka and he repaired the irrigation system. He died in 1. 18. In the 1. 3th 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 1. 25. 5 the capital Polonnaruwa was abandoned. In the 1. 3th century the Tamils settled in the north of Sri Lanka and by 1. 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. PORTUGUESE COLONIALISM IN SRI LANKAA new era in the history of Sri Lanka began in 1. Portuguese arrived. The Portuguese sought cinnamon (a very valuable spice). In 1. 51. 7 they sent an expedition to Colombo and asked permission to build a fort there. King Vijayabahu of Kotte reluctantly assented. However the Portuguese then ordered the king to sell them his cinnamon at a price fixed by them. When the king refused the Portuguese used force. In 1. 51. 8 the king of Kotte was forced to agree to give cinnamon to the Portuguese each year as tribute. Increasing Portuguese demands led to a war in 1. Portuguese won. The king lost the support of his people and he was overthrown by his 3 sons. The eldest son became King Bhuvanekbahu VI. He reigned until 1. However he agreed to give his 2 brothers principalities of their won within Kotte to rule. The largest of these became the kingdom of Sitavaka. The smallest was based on Rayigama but when its ruler died in 1. Sitavaka. In time the states of Kotte and Sitavaka began to quarrel. The rulers of Sitavaka resented the increasing Portuguese influence in Kotte. So Kotte and Sitavaka fought a number of wars. Each time Kotte was forced to look to the Portuguese for help. So inevitably Portuguese influence in Kotte increased. In 1. 55. 1 King Bhuvankbahu was assassinated and the Portuguese installed a puppet ruler in Kotte. Meanwhile Catholic missionaries were at work in Kotte. In 1. 55. 7 the puppet ruler became a Catholic. Many of his subjects also converted. Finally in 1. 59. Portuguese annexed Kotte and Sitavaka. In 1. 61. 9 they annexed Jaffna. Only Kandy was still independent. The Portuguese made several attempts to conquer Kandy, in 1. DUTCH COLONIALISM IN SRI LANKIn 1. King Rajsinha of Kandy turned to the Dutch for help. In 1. 63. 8 the Portuguese invaded again but they were crushed at the battle of Gannoruwa. Afterwards the Dutch agreed to capture the Portuguese held ports on the Sri Lankan coast in return for their expenses. Between 1. 63. 8 and 1. Dutch captured certain ports but they held onto them instead of giving them to Kandy, claiming their expenses had not been paid. The Dutch and Portuguese made peace in 1. Once again the kingdom of Kandy formed an alliance with the Dutch. This time the Dutch attacked Colombo and they captured it in 1. However they refused to hand it over to Kandy. Instead they pushed inland. In 1. 65. 8 they captured Jaffna. That was the end of Portuguese rule in Sri Lanka. The Dutch extended their rule and in 1. Tincomalee on the east coast. Kandy remained independent and continued to exist uneasily beside the Dutch colony until 1. The Dutch won the war and they forced Kandy to accept a humiliating treaty. Kandy was forced to recognize Dutch sovereignty over all the Sri Lankan coast line, even those parts that formerly belonged to Kandy, to a depth of 4 Sihanalese miles. BRITISH COLONIALISM IN SRI LANKA (CEYLON)However in 1. Dutch rule gave way to British. In that year the British annexed Colombo and Jaffna and Dutch rule was extinguished. The British were keen to conquer Kandy. They gained their opportunity in 1. Kandy was ruled by Sri Wickrama Rajasiha (1. He was a cruel king and was deeply unpopular with his subjects. Some of his nobles conspired with the British to get rid of him. The British army invaded Kandy and met little resistance. The king fled abroad. However in 1. 81. Kandy against British rule but it was crushed. At first the British trod cautiously. Trial by jury was introduced in 1. British built a network of roads. Then in 1. 83. 3 they introduced wide- ranging reforms. English was made the official language and the administration was reformed. Slavery was abolished in 1. In the early 1. 9th century the British created large plantations for growing coffee. Import duties on coffee in Britain were reduced and coffee drinking became more common. Exports of Sri Lankan or Ceylonese coffee boomed and large numbers of laborers from India were brought to work on the plantations. However from the 1. In the late 1. 9th century tea replaced coffee as the main Ceylonese crop. Rubber and coconuts were also important crops. Also in the late 1. Hinduism and Buddhism revived in Ceylon. In the early 2. 0th century Sri Lankan nationalism grew. The Ceylon National Congress was formed in 1. In 1. 91. 0 the Ceylonese were allowed to elect one member of the legislative council and in 1. British made further concessions. However the Ceylonese were not satisfied. In 1. 93. 1 Ceylon was granted a new constitution. From then on the legislature was elected by universal suffrage. However the Ceylonese demanded complete independence. Yet another constitution was introduced in 1. British announced that India was to become independent. The Ceylonese now demanded their independence and in June 1. British agreed to make Sri Lanka a dominion. Sri Lanka became independent on 4 February 1. MODERN SRI LANKAThe first prime minister was Dr Stephen Senanayake. When he died in 1. Dudley Senanyake followed him. Dudley resigned in 1. Sir John Kotewala. All three were members of the United National Party. However in 1. 95. The next government was led by S W R D Bandaranaike. He promoted Sinhalese culture and extended state control of the economy. However he was assassinated in 1. In 1. 96. 0 he was replaced by his widow Sirimavo Bandaranaike. She was prime minister until 1. She continued the policy of nationalization. She also brought most schools under state control. In 1. 96. 5 she was replaced by Dudley Senanayake who was prime minister again until 1. From the 1. 95. 0s tension between Tamils and Sinhalese grew. In 1. 95. 6 Sinhalese was made the only official language (instead of both Sinhalese and Tamil). Mrs Bandaranaike also deported many Indian Tamil laborers. In 1. 97. 1 a rebellion of young people was led by an anti- Tamil organisation called the Janatha Vimukthi Permuna. The rebellion was quickly crushed. In 1. 97. 2 Sri Lanka was given a new constitution. This one stated that Buddhism had 'foremost place' among Sri Lankan religions. This was very unpopular with followers of other religions. Furthermore in 1. Tamil places at university was reduced. Furthermore in 1. Ceylon to Sri Lanka. In 1. 97. 6 the Tamil United Liberation Front was formed. They demanded a separate Tamil state. Then in 1. 97. 7 Sri Lanka was rocked by ethnic riots in which 1. Yet another constitution was introduced in 1. This one made a president the head of state. However the new constitution failed to satisfy the Tamils. In 1. 98. 3 civil war broke out between Tamils and Sinhalese. On 2. 3 July 1. 98. Tamil separatists ambushed and killed 1. Sinhalese soldiers. The result was rioting in which hundreds of people died. Afterwards the Tamils fought a guerrilla war against the government. India was drawn into the crisis in 1. Sri Lanka. However fighting soon broke out between the Indian forces and the Tamil 'Tigers' or guerrillas. The Indian Peace Keeping force withdrew in 1. Tamils and Sinhalese began again. Meanwhile in the late 1. Maoist Janatha Vimukion Peramuna led a violent campaign in the south. It was crushed in 1. In 1. 99. 3 President Premadasa was assassinated. From the mid 1. 99. A cease fire was made in February 2. However the cease fire broke down and fighting resumed. The war ended in 2. Tamil Tigers by the Sri Lankan government. Despite the bloodshed some progress was made in Sri Lanka. By 1. 98. 6 Sri Lanka. Life expectancy increased from 5. From 1. 97. 7 the Sri Lankan government adopted a market economy. Sri Lanka still produces tea, rubber and coconuts and a textile industry is growing. Tourism has now become a major industry. Today the economy of Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. Sri Lanka is growing more prosperous. Today the population of Sri Lanka is 2.
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