SRI LANKA
by L.B. Ekanayake
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, an independent island state, is
incidentally the seventy-fifth member to join the United Nations, known as
"Ceylon" until 1972, and famous for its aromatic tea, Sri Lanka is a country
of enchanting beauty which has fascinated travellers from antiquity.
Situated at the southern tip of the Indian sub-continent, between the
latitudes 5.55 and 9.55 north, and separated by the Gulf of Mannar and Palk
Strait, it is virtually joined to the mainland by the submerged coral reef
known as `Adam's Bridge' which is 32 Kilometres in length. Sri Lanka is a
fragment of a vast southern continent known as Gondwanaland, which is supposed
to have existed in the Paleozoic Era.
This pear-shaped tropical island covering an area of 65610 square kilometres
is approximately the size of Tasmania. Although Pidurutalagala is the highest
point of the landscape with an altitude of 2524 metres, it is Sri Pada of
historical significance that hits the eye on a clear day as the first landmark
on the skyline. Thousands of pilgrims from the dawn of history have climbed
the slopes of this mountain which according to legend has been sanctified by
the sacred foot-print of the Buddha. the Central Highland Massif which
dominates the relief is the source of several perennial rivers that cascade in
torrential downpours and meander across the plains into the Indian Ocean.
There is a considerable variation in rainfall in certain areas, depending
mainly on the difference of altitude. While Watawala in the Central Highlands
receives an annual rainfall of 200 inches, Hambantota in the dry zone gets
only 40 inches.
The great Chronicle, `Mahavansa' says that the first Indo-Aryan tribe from
Northern India to land in the Island was Prince Vijaya with his seven hundred
followers. Legend says that this event which was coincident with the Buddha's
Parinibbana was the genesis of the Sinhala race which comprises about 70% of
the Island's population even today. Probably a subsequent wave of Immigrants
arrived from Bengal and Orissa on the eastern coast of Northern India. They
spoke a Prakrit which was influenced by the local speech; and by the beginning
of the second century B.C. it was no longer a Prakrit, but a distinct language
known as Sinhala.
Anuradhapura which remained the capital of Sri Lanka for over one and half
millennia since the 4th century B.C. is regarded as the hub of the Sinhalese
civilization in its golden period. Due to periodic Chola invasions from South
India the Sinhalese rulers were compelled to abandon the kingdom of
Anuradhapura in favour of Pollonnaruwa which was easier to defend from the
foes of South India. So for one and a half centuries Polonnaruwa continued to
be recognised as the new capital city.
By the beginning of the 13th century, the capital had already started
drifting to the South-West and by 1505, at the time of the landing of the
Portuguese in Colombo, there existed four small kingdoms located in the
South-West, the Central region, and the North.
The Portuguese who occupied the maritime area were succeeded by the Dutch in
1658. The Dutch in their turn surrendered to the British in 1976, who by 1815
had become the masters of the Island as a whole, and exercised their
sovereignty for 152 years. The rebellion of 1818 was the commencement of the
struggle for independence against British imperialism. In 1915 during the
first world war another civil disturbance took place in which some prominent
Sinhalese leaders were held under arrest. The independence movement was fast
gathering momentum.
In 1919 the Ceylon National Congress was formed. It became, as expected, a
common platform for the Sinhalese as well as the Tamils, and other minorities
to air their views. In 1931 a State Council was inaugurated. This gave the
local leaders an opportunity to gain experience in the parliamentary system of
democracy whereby Sri Lanka turned out to be one of the first countries in
Asia to adopt universal franchise. After the Second World War the British
Labour Party came to power. India was granted independence in 1947 and Sri
lanka in 1948.
A bicameral legislature was provided by the new constitution of independent
Sri Lanka with a popularly elected House of Representatives and a Senate. The
General Election was conducted on the party system. The United National Party
led by D.S. Senanayake formed the first government. In 1956 the U.N.P. was
defeated by S.W.R.D. Bandaranayake's Sri Lanka Freedom party. The Senate was
abolished by the new constitution proclaimed in 1972 and Sri Lanka became a
republic. Further changes took place in which the President was vested with
new executive powers as Head of State; and was elected by popular vote.
Five centuries under the foreign heel has emasculated Sri Lanka, turning it
into a third world country. With her newly-won independence she was faced with
tremendous problems-economic, social and cultural- which were unaddressed or
ignored by the foreign rulers. A goodly percentage of the population was not
benefited by the economic, educational and other changes initiated by the
British. The state language `English' continued to be the monopoly of the
wealthy elite, while `Sinhala' and `Tamil' the languages of the proletarian
masses were relegated to a back seat in almost all matters that had any
significance in the development of the country. In the predominantly Buddhist
country of Sri Lanka, Buddhism and the Buddhist clergy had lost their due
place. Clearly, a need for traditionalism and revivalism had become
imperative.
Rice was the staple food of the first Aryan settlers. During the Anuradhapura
period, at the zenith of the agrarian civilization, this Island was known as
the `Granary of the East'. The extensive network of tanks, dams, sluices,
spillways, bunds and other features of irrigation engineering remain to this
day as visual monuments to the superior technological expertise of the ancient
Sinhalese Engineers. However, it is a matter for regret that with the
establishment of the Sinhalese kingdom in the wet zone, this magnificent
civilization came to an untimely end, and merged into the limbo of forgotten
things.
At the time of independence in 1948, even rice had become a significant
import item. Since the task of re-building the nation became the prime
responsibility of the newly-elected governments, the zealous leaders set their
shoulders to the wheel to accomplish their aim. It was no mean task by any
means after the lapse of seven centuries under the foreign heel. Forests
wherein the leopard, the wild buffalo, and the elephant roamed at their own
sweet will had to be cleared. Ancient tanks which had turned into vast
stagnant pools wherein wild elephants bathed and frolicked had to be cleared
and restored. Farmers from various populated areas had to be selected for
settling in colonies and developing them into villages with a well-organised
social life. By 1965, the dry zone once again became the main rice producing
region in the Island.
Tea is still the top foreign exchange earner. Brought by the British in 1880,
it was grown successfully on the upper and lower slopes of the Hill Country.
While rubber plantations thrived mainly on the lower slopes, coconut is
cultivated in the plains of the wet zone as a commercial crop. Spices such as
cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg and cardamom are grown as subsidiaries in the Hill
Country.
From the remote past, the Island has been famous for her gemstones such as
rubies, star sapphires, and cat's eyes, etc. --other export minerals being,
graphite and ilmenite. The Free Trade Zone of Greater Colombo which was
established in 1978 continues to attract foreign entrepreneurs. A variety of
garments, miscellaneous electrical goods, and many other export items are
manufactured providing employment for the Sri Lankans, while bringing foreign
exchange into the country. Hydroelectric plants generate about 80% of the
electricity which the country needs.
Sri Lanka is a welfare state. The prices of essential food-items such as
bread and sugar are regulated by price-control. Education is free from the
Kindergarten to the University. Health and medical facilities are provided to
the public free of charge. A decimal currency of Rupees and Cents which is in
circulation within the country is administered by the Central bank which
regulates the banking system.
The capital city Colombo is the centre of Sri Lance's fast-growing economy.
The Colombo harbour and the International airport are two of the busiest of
their kind in Asia. The main roads are adequate and well-maintained. One
cannot find a spot on the map which cannot be reached from the capital within
a day.
This Island with its unparalleled scenic beauty of an abundant, luxuriant,
tropical vegetation with a flora comprising about 2850 indigenous species and
a varied fauna both carnivorous and herbivorous, is blessed with a remarkably
rich cultural heritage of two thousand five hundred years, which was inspired
by the noble, human value inherent in the pure Buddha-word.
Bibliography
The Geology of Sri Lanka - P.G. Cooray, National Museum of Sri Lanka
Publications, 1984.
A Regional Geography of Ceylon - S.F. de Silva, The Colombo Apothecaries.
People of Ceylon - N.D. Wijesekara
Mahavamsa - Ananda P. Guruge
Mahavamsa and Culavamsa - Wilhelm Geiger - Ceylon Govt. information Dept.
Colombo 1957
History of Ceylon - Ceylon University Press-1959.
History of Sri Lanka - K.M. de Silva
The Cultural Triangle- UNESCO Publications 1993.
Ancient Irrigation Works in Ceylon - R.L. Brohier
Inscriptions of Ceylon - S. Paranavithana
Sinhalayo - S. Paranavithana , Lakehouse Publ.
An historical relation of Ceylon - Robert Knox, Tissa Prakasakayo.
Ceylon yesterday - Sri Lanka today - H.A.J. Hulugalla, M.D. Gunasena & Co.
The Economy of Ceylon - Ivor Jennings
Ceylon: Dilemmas of a New Nation - W. Howard Wriggins
The Growth of Party System in Ceylon - Calvin A. Woodward, 1967.
Sri lanka in Change and Crisis - James Manor.