Sri Lanka

A

Ancient Sinhala

The Mahavamsa relates that the island was conquered in 504 BC by Vijaya, a Hindu prince from north-east India. After subjugating the aboriginal inhabitants, a people now known as Veddas, Vijaya married a native princess, encouraged emigration from the mainland, and made himself ruler of the entire island. However, the realm (called Sinhala after Vijaya’s patrimonial name) that was inherited by his successors consisted of the arid region lying to the north of the south-central mountain system.

Members of the dynasty founded by Vijaya reigned over Sinhala for several centuries. During this period, and particularly after the adoption in the 3rd century bc of Buddhism as the national religion, the Sinhalese created a highly developed civilization. Extant evidence of their engineering skill and architectural achievements includes remnants of vast irrigation projects, many ruined cities, notably the ancient capital Anuradhapura, and numerous ruined shrines (dasobas).

B

Foreign Control

From the late 3rd century ad to the middle of the 12th century, Sinhala was dominated by Tamil kings and by a succession of invaders from southern India. Local princes regained power briefly in the late 12th century and again in the 13th century. From 1408 to 1438 Chinese forces occupied the island of Sinhala, which had been partitioned into a number of petty kingdoms.

In 1517 the Portuguese, having established friendly relations with one of the island’s monarchs, founded a fort and trading post at Colombo. Their sphere of influence expanded steadily thereafter, mainly as a result of successful wars of conquest, and by the end of the 16th century they controlled large sections of the island. Consequently, in 1638 and 1639, when the Dutch launched the first of a series of attacks on Portuguese strongholds in the island, they found numerous allies among the local people. The struggle ended in 1658 with the Dutch gaining control of most of the island, although the kingdom of Kandy remained an independent entity.

C

British Rule

In 1795, following the occupation of the Netherlands by France, the British government dispatched an expeditionary force to the island. The Dutch capitulated early the next year, and in 1798 the British made all the island, except the kingdom of Kandy, the Crown Colony of Ceylon. By the provisions of the 1802 Treaty of Amiens, which terminated the second phase of the Napoleonic Wars, the country was formally ceded to Great Britain. The kingdom of Kandy was also occupied in 1803 and annexed to the Crown Colony in 1815.

The British period of rule was marked by abortive rebellions in 1817, 1843, and 1848. Tea and rubber estates were developed. In this period violent social and religious struggles between the Sinhalese peasants, mostly Buddhists, and the moneylenders and traders, chiefly Muslims, also occurred, and all the local peoples struggled continuously for representative government and national freedom. The first substantial victory in the struggle for self-government came after more than a century, when, in 1931, Great Britain promulgated a new constitution that granted Sri Lankans semi-autonomous control over national affairs.

During World War II, Sri Lanka was an important base of operations in the Allied offensive against the Japanese and a major source of rubber, foodstuffs, and other materials vital to the war effort.

D

Independence

On February 4, 1948, the colony of Ceylon gained its independence, with dominion status as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations; Sir Henry Moore was installed as Governor-General and D. S. Senanayake, leader of the United National Party (UNP), became prime minister. An ancient Sinhalese flag was adopted as the flag of the new state.

The foreign ministers of the Commonwealth of Nations assembled in Colombo in January 1950, and drafted a tentative plan for the economic development of South East Asia. As finally formulated, the Colombo Plan allocated nearly US$340 million of Commonwealth funds for a variety of projects designed to advance the Sri Lankan economy, notably irrigation works and hydroelectric plants.

When D. S. Senanayake died in 1952, his son, Dudley Senanayake, who belonged to the same party, was named prime minister. In 1954 Sri Lanka declined to join the South East Asia Treaty Organization, which was formed as a defensive alliance by the United States, Great Britain, and six other nations. On December 14, 1955, Sri Lanka was admitted as a member of the UN.

E

The Bandaranaikes

The UNP lost the elections held in April 1956, and Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike, leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), became prime minister. Sri Lanka subsequently adopted a policy of neutrality in the disputes between the communist and non-communist countries. The United States agreed in early 1958 to provide the country with technical assistance and a grant of about US$780,000 for economic projects. The Soviet Union and Sri Lanka signed trade and economic agreements at about the same time. Shortly afterwards the country accepted a loan of about US$10.5 million from China.