Sri Lanka has its beginnings from the stone Age, stretched from 125,000 BC to 1000 BC. This era is called prehistory, during which we find traces of early man, who appears to have lived in caves, like Fa Hsien – lena, near Buthsinhala ( c. 35,000 – 3400 BC ) Batadomba – lena in Kuruwita ( C 29,000 – 9500 BC ) and Beli lena in Kitugala ( C 28,000 – 1500 BC ).
Sri Lanka has a proud historical record of a great civilization that spans over 25 chronicled centuries, which is documented primarily in three books; the Mahavamsa (Great Genealogy or Dynasty), Dipavamsa and Culavamsa. These records reveal the legend of Prince Vijaya, from whom the Sinhalese people claim descent and about the earliest inhabitants, the Veddahs who arrived around 125,000 BC.
From the ancient period the country is proud of some remarkable archaeological sites, the ruins of Sigiriya, the large "tanks" or reservoirs, important for conserving water and Mihintale in the 4th century BCE, the first in the world to have established a dedicated hospital. Sri Lanka was also the world's leading exporter of cinnamon, which was exported to Egypt in 1400 BCE and the first Asian nation to have a female ruler in Queen Anula (47–42 BC).
The usage of coins in Lanka is found in the Buddhist Literature which mentions types of coins issued in the 3rd century BC.
Polonnaruwa was established as the city of the land in 11th century AD. Replacing
Anuradhapura as the capital city of Sri Lanka, due to its constant south Indian invasions, Polonnaruwa remained as the capital until 13 AD. Later, the Sinhalese kingdom began to break due to civil war and foreign attacks and by the end of 13 century the glory of Sri Lanka faded. For70 years Sri Lanka was ruled by Cholas from South India.
The Colonial Era
A Portuguese colonial mission arrived on the island in 1505. 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.
After the Dutch arrived in the 17th century, the island came under the domain of European powers but the hilly region remained independent, with its capital in Kandy. In 1815, the fall of the kingdom of Kandy unified the island under British rule.
Independence in Sri Lanka
Don Stephen Senanayake was chosen as the first prime minister on 4 February 1948 when the country won its independence as the Commonwealth of Ceylon. On 21 July 1960 Sirimavo Bandaranaike took office as the world's first female prime minister. In 1972, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth, and the name was changed to Sri Lanka.
