Preserving the history of this amazing island 🇱🇰
Praveen - Genealogist, Student, Nerd, History Buff, and Cricket Fanatic
DM for Family History Research
"I was kneeling down and praying when the rebels started shooting. The firing went on for 15 minutes. I escaped without being hit and found myself among bodies all over the place."
"At the junction there were hundreds of IPKF soldiers. I saw there many cars smashed up. Most of the shops at the junction had been burnt down. I saw many dead bodies in front of the shops."
Looking at some of Sri Lanka's oldest civil registration records done under British rule, it looks like only Arabic numerals are used (1822 Colombo Marriage Records). 
"Mobs of Sinhala youth rampaged through the streets, ransacking homes, shops and offices, looting them and setting them ablaze, as they sought out members of the Tamil ethnic minority." - London Daily Telegraph 
Nuwara Eliya (29 July 1983) 
“While travelling on a bus when a mob laid siege to it, passengers watched as a small boy was hacked ‘to limb-less death.’ The bus driver was ordered to give up a Tamil. He pointed out a woman who was desperately trying to erase the mark on her forehead..."
According to the Mahavamsa, the Sinhalese people descend from present-day Bengal. At this time, a supposed "lion-man" named Sinha had two children with a princess from Vanga, named Suppadevi. Their son, Sinhabahu would go on to found the city of Sinhapura and became king. 
Prior to Independence, the national anthem of Ceylon was 'God Save the King' - a fact of colonial rule which many despised. The Ceylon National Congress, one of the nation's independence organisations, vowed to create a new national anthem when the nation became independent. 
The origins of these labour protests can be traced back to colonial rule. Many low-class native Sri Lankans worked in factories and estates while British business owners simply managed their monopolies. Wages were low, hours were long, and little to no facilities were provided. 
The Holiday celebrates the resurrection of Christ. According to the New Testament, this occurred 3 days after he was crucified in 30 AD. This holiday concludes the 40 day period of fasting that began with Lent. 
As many of you may know, Spanish flu is not actually from Spain. There are many theories on where it actually began but many claim the source was Camp Funston in Kansas, USA. There it spread via WW1 troops to Spain were the uncensored press reported on it for the first time. 
Originally, Galle Face was a strategic military location for the Dutch and was named "Gal Gate" as the gateway to Colombo Fort. In the 1800s, it covered a massive area and was home to many recreational activities - cricket, racing, golf, and, rugby - that drew large crowds. 
December 1, 1941
In the 1952 elections, the UNP, led by Dudley Senanayake, won a majority in Parliament. However, in 1953, things went downhill as Sri Lanka slumped into economic crisis after the boom from the Korean war came to an end. 
For centuries, while rice cultivation in Sri Lanka existed, the country mainly relied on imports from India for it's supply. This continued even after the British took control of Ceylon in 1796 and they imposed import duties and taxes to profit off this trade and raise revenue. 
There is no definite origin story for the Sri Lankan New Year and most scholar point to a multitude of sources that all evolved into what we now celebrate today. But, it can be said that the modern festival originated in the 1500s during the Sītāvaka Period. 
In the late 1800s, Sri Lanka experience a period of Buddhist revival as many resented the encroachment of Christian missionaries, the weakening of traditional authority under British rule since 1815, and the growing Muslim culture and identity in Ceylon. 
In July 1960, Sri Lanka elected its first female PM, Sirimavo Bandaranaike with her party, the SLFP gaining power. They intended to continue the "Sinhalisation" started by her husband. 