History History

First human remains found around the village of Iranamadu, in the north of the island.

The occupants of Pahiyangala Cave (Fa Hien Cave) developed the use of the bow and arrow.

Culture of the Iron Age. Installation of a company on the site of Anuradhapura.

The island, already inhabited by the Veddas, is invaded by prince Vijaya and his army of 700 subjects, Indians of Aryan origin from Bengal. He founded the kingdom of Tambapanni.

In 437 B.C. or 377 B.C. according to the sources, the city of Anuradhapura was founded by Pandukabhaya, the king of Upatissa Nuwara, the second capital of the Tambapanni kingdom.

The Tooth of Buddha arrives on the island. This relic holds a preponderant place in the Sinhalese tradition. Indeed, it is said that the one who holds it is legitimate to govern the island. Under the reign of Devanampiya Tissa, a vassal of Emperor Ashoka of India, the kingdom will take off.

Ashoka sends his son Mahinda and his daughter, the nun Sangamitta, to convert Devanampiya Tissa to Buddhism. As a gift, they bring with them a branch of the Bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodhgaya. The Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi in Anuradhapura, considered the oldest tree in the world, is still one of the most revered sacred sites in the country. Devanampiya Tissa built the Thuparamaya, the first stupa in the city and in the country, built to preserve a Buddha's collarbone. Buddhism then became the main religion of the country.

Reign of Mahasena who built the Jetavanaramaya Stupa which is, with its 122 meters height, the third highest ancient building in the world after the two main pyramids of Giza. He also built several artificial reservoirs, including the Minneriya Wewa.

The capital of the kingdom is established temporarily in Sigiriya.

The Tamils plundered Anuradhapura. The sacred city remained the capital of the Sinhalese kingdoms until the beginning of the ^11th century AD, despite the successive invasions of the Chola dynasties of southern India.

The Chola dynasty seized power on the island.

In the ^11th century AD, Prince Keethi became Vijayabahu ^I and decided to move the capital to Polonnaruwa. He unified the kingdom, organized the resistance and drove out the Chola invaders.

King Parakramabahu ^I is the instigator of large-scale works. He renovated the sacred city and built large artificial reservoirs (wewa) to promote the irrigation of arable land. These reservoirs are still in use today. The ruins of the sacred city of Polonnaruwa, which can be admired today, date almost entirely from his reign.

Nissanka Malla, who succeeded Parakramabahu I, undertook to renovate the sacred places, but it is especially by imposing the protection of the nature and the animals of his kingdom that he registers his name in the history of the country.

The north of the territory is occupied by Tamils.

Little by little, the capital was abandoned by the lesser rulers of the island and the fall of the kingdom of Polonnaruwa became inexorable. The Sinhalese settled in the southwest of the country but had to face invasions from Asia (Malays and Chinese in particular). The kingdom of Kotte, near Colombo, was established in 1410. The divisions between the various kingdoms and principalities favored the arrival of the Portuguese.

The first government is headed by members of the UNP.

Solomon Bandaranaike left the UNP and founded the Sri Lankan Freedom Party (SLFP), a nationalist party.

Death of D.S. Senanayake. His son, Dudley Senanayake succeeded him as head of the country. His first measure was to suppress rice rations to the population. This initiative triggered violent riots and a state of emergency was declared. Religious and linguistic tensions shook the country.

The party of Solomon Bandaranaike won the elections. He introduced the "Sinhala Only Act" and Sinhala became the official language of Ceylon in education and administration. The country's businesses began to be nationalized. Ethnic unrest broke out as Tamils refused to be second-class citizens and fiercely opposed the introduction of Sinhala as their main language.

Tamil, recognized as a minority language, is spoken in the administration in the North and East.

Assassination of Solomon Bandaranaike by a Buddhist extremist.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the president's widow, became the world's first female prime minister. A period of political instability and economic stagnation followed.

Agreement with India on the return of Indian Tamils. 75,000 will leave until 1975.

The People's Liberation Front (Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna), a communist party, attempted an unsuccessful revolution to overthrow the Ceylonese government.

A new flag was created and Buddhism was virtually declared the "state religion. Indeed, according to the old Sinhalese chronicles, the Sinhalese people had the mission to "protect and strengthen" Buddhism in the island. The Tamil community was strongly discriminated against and young Tamils began to campaign for the creation of an independent Tamil state, Tamil Eelam, within the United Tamil Liberation Front (TULF). Creation of the Tamil New Tigers (TNT).

The TNT became the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Junius Jayawardene of the UNP was elected Prime Minister. The TULF became the largest opposition party at the expense of the SLFP. Jayawardene liberalized the country's businesses, which reduced unemployment and brought in foreign currency. However, inflation remained high and social disparities widened.

The country's third constitution was adopted. It promoted the creation of the post of President of the Republic, held by J. Jayawardene, and established Tamil as the national language. These measures conceded to the Tamil community did not, however, ease ethnic tensions, which increased.

The TULF organized a rally in Jaffna where three Sinhalese policemen were killed. The police and the military then embarked on severe reprisals, with the tacit consent of the government, which resulted in the burning of the Jaffna public library on the night of June¹, completely destroying a large number of Tamil books and manuscripts of great cultural and historical value.

An ambush by LTTE rebels against a military bus in the north of the country kills 13 Sinhalese soldiers, setting off a firestorm. The escalation of violence became inevitable. In retaliation, armed gangs massacred between 1,000 and 3,000 Tamils (the figures provided by the two sides differ greatly), sometimes with the tacit agreement of the police and the army. Tamil neighborhoods in Colombo are burned. Gangs stop vehicles on the roads, burn cars with Tamil occupants, and execute Tamil passengers on buses. This anti-Tamil pogrom is known as Black July. This is how it goes down. Many Tamils then left the areas inhabited mainly by the Sinhalese community.

In Valvettithurai, Jaffna District, the Sri Lankan army kills 70 Tamil civilians after 10 soldiers die stepping on anti-personnel mines.

The LTTE killed 146 men, women and children in Anuradhapura. Over the next two days, the Sri Lankan army killed at least 75 Tamil civilians. The clashes did not only affect Sinhalese and Tamils, the Muslims were driven out of the north and east of the country by the LTTE.

Car bombing at Colombo bus terminal during rush hour: 113 dead and hundreds injured.

Although the country was suspected by the Sri Lankan government of supplying arms and training camps to Tamil rebels, India cooperated with Sri Lanka and agreed to send an intervention force, the Indian Peace-Keeping Force (IPKF), to pacify the conflict in the Jaffna peninsula. This period coincided with a period of insurgency led by the People's Liberation Front (JVP) and serious unrest in the central and southern parts of the country. The economy, already heavily affected by the war effort, was seriously affected by a series of strikes. During this revolt, between 60,000 and 80,000 people were killed and more than 20,000 disappeared.

Ranasinghe Premadasa of the UNP was elected president. A period of political assassinations followed. Members of the JVP were imprisoned or killed.

Withdrawal of the IPKF from Sri Lanka whose intervention ends without convincing success.

Murder of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi by the LTTE

Battle of Elephant Pass, a strategic point linking the Jaffna peninsula to the north of the island.

President Premadasa is assassinated in an attack.

Chandrika Kumaratunga, initially Prime Minister, became President. Her mother, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, was again appointed Prime Minister.

Attacks on the Colombo Central Bank killing 91 people and injuring 1,400.

Colombo World Trade Center attacks in the Fort area.

Kumaratunga was re-elected, despite an attack on her during the election campaign, in which she lost an eye.

Ranil Wickramasinghe of the UNP, a strong proponent of negotiations, was elected Prime Minister.

Peace talks with Norwegian mediation and signing of a mutual cease-fire. The two parties begin hopeful negotiations.

Legislative elections and victory of the UPFA (United People's Freedom Alliance), a coalition made up of the SLFP and the JVP. Mahinda Rajapaksa becomes Prime Minister.

A giant tsunami from off the coast of Indonesia formed after an earthquake and hit the island. Sri Lanka, which was already paying a heavy price for the war, was one of the hardest hit countries. There were 31,300 dead, more than 4,000 missing and 21,500 injured. Humanitarian aid is pouring in from around the world, but serious disagreements over the distribution of this aid are further dividing the various factions in the conflict.

Assassination of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lakshman Kadirgamar, a Tamil who was highly respected by international authorities and fiercely opposed to the LTTE. The killer was allegedly an LTTE sniper. A state of emergency was declared. From then on, the Tamil Tigers became marginalized and lost much of their sympathy among international political opinion.

Victory of Mahinda Rajapaksa of the SLFP in the presidential elections. Negotiations with the LTTE are at a standstill.

Escalation of violence not seen since the 2002 ceasefire. The LTTE committed attacks targeting the civilian population and the Sri Lankan government bombed the rebels' military positions.

The eyes of the world are riveted on the conflict in Sri Lanka after the massacre of 17 Tamil aid workers of the French NGO Action contre la Faim in Muttur (North-East). Both sides blame each other for this tragedy, which has not yet been resolved.

The Sri Lankan Navy sinks 8 depot ships used as logistical supply bases for the LTTE, which in return will multiply terrorist acts.

The north of the country is under high security with increased surveillance of the roads leading to Anuradhapura and Trincomalee.

Determined to end the war and the LTTE, Mahinda Rajapaksa hardened his positions. For 40 days, Sri Lankan soldiers attacked the town that had been the administrative headquarters of the LTTE since 1998. The army, victorious, took Kilinochchi and pushed the last rebel pockets back to the east coast.

The LTTE has lost all its strategic positions and remains entrenched in Mullivaikkal, in the northeast of the island. Thousands of civilians are trapped in this last combat zone. Despite the incessant calls from the international community for a ceasefire since February 2009, the Sri Lankan army continues its inexorable advance and eliminates soldiers and civilians.

Deprived of all logistical support and supplies, and having lost their last access to the sea, the LTTE finally laid down its arms.

The historical leader of the LTTE, Velupillai Prabhakaran, is shot by the army.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa officially announced in the Sri Lankan parliament the end of the conflict. The toll of the war is very heavy: 100,000 people (military and civilians) have died and more than 800,000 people have been displaced.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa, whose term of office ends in 2011, wants to build on his victory over the Tamil Tigers and has brought forward the presidential elections to January 2010.

With the support of the UPFA coalition, Mahinda Rajapaksa was re-elected president for another five years with 59 per cent of the vote. He won against former army chief Sarath Fonseka, who had previously been his ally in fighting the LTTE. The issue of national reconciliation was not mentioned by any of the candidates during the campaign, much to the dismay of the Tamil community.

Inauguration of the international port in the President's fiefdom, Hambantota. It is the second port of the country after the one in Colombo.

The Cricket World Cup, a major Commonwealth sporting event, is held in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh. On this occasion, a large stadium is inaugurated in Hambantota, named Mahinda Rajapaksa International Staidum.

First efforts to modernize the infrastructure and make the country more attractive to tourists. The first section of the Southern Expressway linking Colombo to Galle was inaugurated and the first hotel complexes in Passikudah, on the east coast, opened their doors.

Since the end of the conflict, the number of foreign tourists visiting the island has been steadily increasing. The government reports a 21.6 per cent increase in tourist arrivals compared to the same month last year. However, the island's population has benefited little from these advances, and the standard of living of Sri Lankan citizens has been affected by increases in the price of transport, oil and electricity.

Colombo hosts the Commonwealth summit. Canada, India and Mauritius decline the invitation in the face of Sri Lanka's refusal to allow an international inquiry into the abuses committed during the final days of the civil conflict.

Anti-Muslim riots, organized by the extremist Buddhist organization Bodu Bala Sena, took place for 3 days in Aluthgama, Beruwela and Dharga Town (in Kalutara district). The attacks targeted Muslim civilians, houses, stores, mosques... The death toll was 4 people killed, 80 injured and 10,000 displaced. It is important to note that the Sri Lankan media did not cover the event because of government orders.

Maithripala Sirisena of the New People's Front (NDF) won the presidential election. Contested by the population because of suspicions of corruption and mismanagement of the state budget, Mahinda Rajapaksa had once again decided to anticipate the elections, counting on the weakness and disorganization of his opposition. Elected with 51.28 per cent of the vote, Sirisena is more of a challenger to Rajapaksa, but the Sri Lankan people still have high hopes for him. On January 9, he appointed Ranil Wickremesinghe, with whom he had formed a coalition, as Prime Minister. The new president reversed the fiscal policy of his predecessor and lifted many of the security restrictions still in place in the country.

the UNP won the parliamentary elections and Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed Prime Minister for the fourth time. His goal is to bring about national reconciliation by returning to the Tamils the land still occupied by the Sri Lankan army and by setting up a tribunal to try the abuses committed at the end of the civil war. He is also drafting a new constitution with the participation of the island's population.

The government refuses the UN proposal to create a special tribunal to judge war crimes.

Major floods and landslides killed more than 92 people, with 109 missing and 500,000 evacuated.

A monsoon of exceptional strength caused severe flooding in the southwest of the country. The heavy toll is 224 dead, 78 missing, 72 injured and 600 000 displaced.

Maithripala Sirisena dissolved Parliament, dismissed Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and appointed Mahinda Rajapaksa. Wickremesinghe challenged this unconstitutional action and the country was left with two prime ministers. The dissolution of the Assembly was overturned by the Supreme Court, which restored it to office.

Mr. Sirisena appointed a new government, confirmed R. Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister and ended a seven-week political crisis that had agitated the country. The lull will be short-lived.

The president appointed Shavendra Silva, a general suspected of war crimes, as chief of staff of the army. This decision is causing concern among international human rights organizations.

A series of eight terrorist attacks claimed by the Islamic State has rocked the country. The suicide bombings targeted Catholic churches in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa and four luxury hotels in and around Colombo. Zahran Hashim, the leader of the Sri Lankan Islamist group National Thowheeth Jama'ath, was one of the suicide bombers. These attacks, the deadliest since the end of the civil war, killed 258 people (including 46 foreigners) and injured 519.

Beyond the human tragedy, these attacks are also a blow to the country's economy because the feeling of insecurity is pushing tourists to shun the destination. At the end of 2019, Sri Lanka is starting to welcome foreign travelers again and has high hopes for 2020..

Gotabaya, the brother of former President Mahinda, who is not eligible to stand for re-election, was elected with 52.25 per cent of the vote. Gotabaya Rajapaksa is a member of the Sri Lanka People's Front (SLPP), a Sinhala/Buddhist nationalist party led by the Rajapaksa brothers. The new president is a former army officer who served in the last offensive against the LTTE in the civil war, and as such is suspected of serious abuses. However, he appointed his brother Mahinda Rajapaksa as Prime Minister. Human rights activists and international observers are deeply concerned that the Rajapaksas are drifting towards nationalist dictatorship.

Hopes of a tourism revival for Sri Lanka were dashed with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The SLPP won the legislative elections and Mahinda Rajapaksa was confirmed as Prime Minister.

This family has ruled the political and economic life of the nation for several decades with an iron hand. The most influential is Mahinda Rajapaksa, born on November 18, 1945. He has been leader of the opposition, leader of the SLFP, minister, Prime Minister and President of the Republic. He is particularly appreciated by the Sinhalese for crushing the Tamil separatists at the end of the civil war, after a controversial military offensive. His brother Gotabaya, born in 1948, was a high-ranking military officer who was suspected of committing several abuses at the end of the conflict. Gotabaya also faces several charges of corruption, but he has been immune since he was elected president in 2019, as Mahinda is legally unable to stand for re-election. Basil Rajapaksa, the older brother, has been finance minister since 2021, and Najam Rajapaksa, Mahinda's son, is a member of parliament.

Sri Lankan soldiers destroyed a monument commemorating the tragedy of Mullivaikkal, where more than ten thousand Tamils were exterminated by the army in 2009, which caused a great stir in the Tamil community, which feels completely abandoned by the government.

Basil Rajapaksa, the eldest of the siblings, was appointed Minister of Finance.

While tourism was gradually recovering, the economy is collapsing after a disastrous management of the government. Rampant inflation is greatly affecting the standard of living of the country's inhabitants. The lack of foreign currency is severely penalizing Sri Lanka, whose foreign debt continues to climb. The island is facing a shortage of oil, food, medicine, paper for students' exams... The inhabitants are protesting massively in the streets of Colombo and the country and are demanding the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The climax was reached on July 9, 2022, when the president's house was stormed and the Prime Minister's private residence was burned by the crowd. Rajapaksa fled to Singapore and resigned by e-mail. On July 13, he fled to the Maldives. On July 21, 2022, Ranil Wickermesinghe, the leader of the opposition, became the country's ^ninth president after a vote in Parliament. The country remained in crisis, however, with record inflation peaking at 54% in December 2022.