Sri Lanka

Asia

most famous being its reference as Lanka in the ancient Indian text Ramayana.

Sri Lanka has been mentioned several times in the history for more than 2500 years; most famous being its reference as Lanka in the ancient Indian text Ramayana. The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka from northern India. Buddhism was introduced in the region in around 3rd century BC. It was partially occupied by Portuguese in the 16th Century and in 17th Century by the Dutch, the coastal part by the British in 1796 known as Ceylon. It became independent of the British rule in 1948 and changed its name to Sri Lank in 1972. The cultural diversity had threatened the peace of the country for as long as 3 decades with constant conflicts between the Sri Lankan Army and the Tamil Tigers. The final victory of the government forces in 2009 has now helped the country to experience peace after generation.