Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
possibly Southeast Asia, and existed on the island as far back as 32,000 BC. It's also likely
that rising waters submerged a land bridge between India and Sri Lanka in around 5000
BC.
Historians and archaeologists have differing interpretations of its origins, but a mega-
lithic culture emerged in the centuries around 900 BC with striking similarities to the
South Indian cultures of that time. Also during this Early Iron Age, Anuradhapura grew as
a population centre.
Objects inscribed with Brahmi (an ancient 'parent' script to most South Asian scripts)
have been found from the 3rd century BC; parallels to both North Indian and South Indian
Brahmi styles have been made, though Tamil words are used in many of those found in the
north and east of the island. Sri Lankan historians debate these details fiercely, as do many
Sri Lankans, but rather than there being two distinct ethnic histories, it is more likely that
migrations from West, East and South India all happened during this time and that those
new arrivals all mixed with the indigenous people.
Possible Early Iron Age Sites
Sigiriya
Kantarodai
Tissamaharama
Anuradhapura
The 5th-century-AD Pali epic, the Mahavamsa, is the country's primary historical source.
Although it's a somewhat faithful record of kingdoms and Sinhalese political power from
around the 3rd century BC, its historical accuracy is shakier - and indeed full of beautiful
myths - before this time. Nonetheless, many Sinhalese claim they're descended from Vi-
jaya, an immoral 6th-century-BC North Indian prince who, according to the epic, had a li-
on for a grandfather and a father with lion paws who married his own sister. Vijaya was
banished for bad behaviour, with a contingent of 700 men, on dilapidated ships from the
subcontinent.
Landing near present-day Mannar, supposedly on the day that the Buddha attained en-
lightenment, Vijaya and his crew settled around Anuradhapura, and soon encountered
Kuveni, a Yaksha (probably Veddah) who is alternately described as a vicious queen and a
seductress who assumed the form of a 16-year-old maiden to snag Vijaya. She handed Vi-
