Sinhala languageSinhala ( ; Sinhala: සිංහල, siṁhala, ), sometimes called Sinhalese ( ), is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. It is also the first language of about 2 million other Sri Lankans, as of 2001. It is written in the Sinhalese script.
MahāvaṃsaBy TopicAgricultureArmed ForcesArmyAir ForceNavyEconomyEducationGeographyPoliticsTamil immigrationWorld Heritage SitesBibliographyTimelineMahāvaṃsa (Pali: මහාවංස, romanized: Mahāvaṃsa) is the historical chronicle of Sri Lanka until the period of Mahasena of Anuradhapura. It was written in the style of an epic poem written in the Pali language.
Sri LankaSri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It is located in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and is separated from India by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.
Christianity in Sri LankaChristianity is a minority religion in Sri Lanka. It was introduced to the island in the first century. Traditionally, after Thomas the Apostle's visit in Kerala in AD 52, Christianity is said to have been introduced to Sri Lanka because of its close geographical and commercial ties.
BuddhistsBuddhists, also known as Bauddha, are people who adhere to Buddhism, an Indian religious and philosophical tradition founded by the Buddha in the 6th or 5th century BCE in the Indian subcontinent. Buddhist identity may be religious, cultural, or secular, encompassing ordained members of the monastic community (Saṅgha), lay practitioners, and individuals who adopt Buddhist ethical principles, meditation, or mindfulness practices without formal ritual affiliation.PaliPāli (; IAST: Pāḷi) is a Middle Indo-Aryan language that is widely studied as the sacred language of Theravada Buddhism and the language of the Tipiṭaka. Pali was designated a classical language of India by the Government of India on 3 October 2024.
Religion in Sri LankaSri Lanka is officially a Buddhist country, however Sri Lankans practice a variety of religions. As of the 2024 census, 69.8% of Sri Lankans were Buddhists (mostly Theravada), 12.6% were Hindus, 10.7% were Muslims (mainly Sunni), 7.6% were Christians (mostly Catholics). Buddhism is declared as the state religion of Sri Lanka and receives special privileges in the Sri Lankan constitution, such as mandatory protection and nationwide propagation by the government.
Indo-Aryan languagesThe Indo-Aryan languages (or sometimes Indic languages) are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family. As of the early 21st century, there were 800 million speakers, primarily concentrated east of the Indus River in South Asia, spread across Eastern Pakistan, Northern India, southern Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.
Central Province, Sri LankaProvince of Sri Lanka Province in Sri Lanka The Central Province (Sinhala: මධ්යම පළාත Madhyama Paḷāta, Tamil: மத்திய மாகாணம் Maddiya Mākāṇam) is one of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. The province has an area of 567,400 ha (1,402,000 acres) and a population of 2,421,148, making it the second most populated province. The city of Kandy has been its capital since 1469.TheravadaTheravāda (Pali: 𑀣𑁂𑀭𑀯𑀸𑀤, Theravāda; Sanskrit: स्थविरवाद, Sthaviravāda) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed Theravādins (anglicized from Pali theravādī, 𑀣𑁂𑀭𑀯𑀸𑀤𑀻), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or Dhamma in the Pāli Canon for over two millennia.
Anuradhapura Maha ViharayaThe Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya was an important mahavihara or large Buddhist monastery for Theravada Buddhism in Sri Lanka. King Devanampiya Tissa of Anuradhapura (247–207 BCE) founded it in his capital city of Anuradhapura.
Indo-AryansIndo-Aryan peoples (also known as Indic peoples in the context of Indo-European studies) are a diverse collection of peoples predominantly found in South Asia, who (traditionally) speak Indo-Aryan languages. Historically, Aryans were the pastoralists who spoke Indo-Iranian languages, migrated from Central Asia into South Asia, and introduced the Proto-Indo-Aryan language.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.