Sri Lanka is an island nation located off the southeast coast of India. Some key facts about Sri Lanka include:
- The capital and largest city is Colombo, and the population is over 20 million.
- Sri Lanka has a long history dating back over 125,000 years and was known by various names to ancient travelers. Buddhism was introduced in 250 BC and has had a significant influence on Sri Lankan culture and society.
- Notable historical sites include ancient cities like Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, and cultural landmarks like Sigiriya and the Temple of the Tooth.
- Sri Lanka gained independence from British rule in 1948 but then faced a 30-year
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Old ceylon and present sri lanka Dilhani nadashdha perera
4. Key factors
Capital - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (6属54N 79属54E)
Largest city Colombo
Population (2012 census ) - 20,277,597 (57th)
HDI (2012) 0.715[7], high 92nd
Currency - Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Official languages- Sinhala & English
Official religion- Buddhism
6. Geography
Sri Lanka lies on the Indian tectonic plate, a minor plate within the Indo-Australian
Plate.
It is in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal, between latitudes 5属 and
10属N, and longitudes 79属 and 82属E.
The longest of the 103 rivers in the country is Mahaweli River,
Covering 335 kilometres (208 mi).
These waterways give rise to 51 natural waterfalls of 10 meters or more.
The highest is Bambarakanda Falls, with a height of 263 meters (863 ft.).
8. History
In antiquity, Sri Lanka was known to travelers by a variety of names. Known in
India as Lanka or Sinhala, ancient Greek geographers called itTaprobane pron.:
In 1972, the name was changed to "Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of
Sri Lanka".
In 1978 it was changed to the "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka".
9. Pre-historic time
The pre-history of Sri Lanka dates back over 125 thousand years ,
The era spans the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and early Iron ages.
Among the Paleolithic (Homo erectus) human settlements discovered in Sri
Lanka, Pahiyangala (named after the Chinese traveler monk Fa-Hsien),
Which dates back to 37,000 BP, Batadombalena (28,500 BP) and Belilena (12,000
BP) are the most important.
The remains of Balangoda Man, an anatomically modern human, found inside
these caves,
10. Ancient Sri Lanka
According to the Mahavamsa, a chronicle written in Pli language, the ancient
period of Sri Lanka begins in 543 BC with the landing ofVijaya,
He established the Kingdom ofTambapanni, near modern day Mannar.
Vijaya is the first of the approximately 189 native monarchs of Sri Lanka that the
chronicles like Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa, Chulavamsa, and Rjvaliya,
Sri Lankan dynastic history spanned a period of 2359 years, from 543 BC to AD
1815, until the land became part of the British Empire.
11. Cont.
The Kingdom of Sri Lanka moved to Anuradhapura in 380 BC,
Thereafter, Anuradhapura served as the capital of the country for nearly 1400
years.
Ancient Sri Lankans excelled in various constructions such as tanks, dagobas and
palaces.
The society underwent a major transformation during the reign of Devanampiya
Tissa, with the arrival of Buddhism,
In 250 BC, bhikkhu Mahinda the son of the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka arrived in
Mihintale, carrying the message of Buddhism.
14. Cont.
His mission won over the monarch, who embraced the faith and propagated it
throughout the Sinhalese population.
The succeeding kingdoms of Sri Lanka would maintain a large number of Buddhist
schools and monasteries,
Sri Lankan Bikkhus studied in India's famous ancient Buddhist University of
Nalanda,
In 245 BC, bhikkhu Sanghamitta arrived with the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi tree,
It is considered the oldest human-planted tree (with a continuous historical
record) in the world.
17. Medieval Sri Lanka
The medieval period of Sri Lanka begins with the fall of Anuradhapura Kingdom.
In AD 993, the invasion of Chola emperor Rajaraja I forced the then Sri Lankan
ruler MahindaV to flee to the southern part of the country.
MahindaV was captured and taken to India, and the Cholas sacked the city of
Anuradhapura.
Following a seventeen-year long campaign,Vijayabahu I successfully drove the
Chola out of Sri Lanka,
During the medieval period, Sri Lanka was divided to three sub-territories, namely
Ruhunu, Pihiti and Maya.
18. Colonization
By the end of the 19th century, a new educated social class transcending race,
Caste arose through British attempts to staff the Ceylon Civil Service and the legal,
educational, and medical professions.
New leaders represented the various ethnic groups of the population in the Ceylon
Legislative Council on a communal basis.
19. 30tyYears war
The armed forces has thereby expanded to its current size and are in a continuous
mobilized state for the last 30 years.
Marking a rare occurrence in modern military history, Sri Lankan military was able
to bring a decisive end to the Sri Lankan Civil War in May 2009.
Sri Lanka claimed itself the first country in the modern world to eradicate
terrorism on its own soil.
Sri Lankan Armed Forces have engaged in United Nations peacekeeping
operations since the early 1960s.
It has contributed with forces as permanent contingents deployed in several UN
peacekeeping missions in Chad, Lebanon and Haiti.
20. LTTEs brutal attacks
In January 1996, the LTTE carried out one of their deadliest suicide bomb attacks at
the Central Bank in Colombo, killing 90 and injuring 1,400. In October 1997 they
bombed the Sri LankanWorldTrade Centre and, in January 1998, detonated a truck
bomb in Kandy (Mahanuvara), damaging theTemple of theTooth, one of the holiest
Buddhist shrines in the world.
30. ThankYou
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