Ancient
Sinhala
Sinhalese Ruins, Sri Lanka Sri Lanka is the site of the
ancient civilization of Sinhala. Remains of many Buddhist shrines, such as the
one seen here, exist as reminders of that time.Sri Lanka Embassy.
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.