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96-515: The act was strongly opposed by certain sections of the Sinhalese (while a few Tamil politicians opposed it for not going far enough), and was eventually torn up by Prime Minister Bandaranaike in May 1958 due to the pressure of Buddhist monks. The abandonment of the pact led to tensions between the two communities, resulting in a series of outbreaks of ethnic violence in the country which eventually spiraled into

192-505: A revolver and shot Bandaranaike in his stomach at point blank range. Bandaranaike succumbed to his injuries the next day. A commission of inquiry later found that the monk was manipulated by former supporters of Bandaranaike, who helped him get elected in 1956, but now opposed his moves to appease the Tamil population. At the 1960 parliamentary elections in Sri Lanka, no party was able to obtain

288-544: A Commonwealth of Dominion of Tamil Ilankai”. It also sparked suspicion among Sinhalese nationalist leaders, who saw it as a sell out to Tamil people. The main opposition in the Sinhalese community came from the opposition United National Party , headed by J. R. Jayawardene . Following the defeat of the UNP in the 1956 elections, Jayawardene invited former leader Dudley Senanayake to re-enter politics, and UNP used their opposition to

384-443: A South Indian style saree. Within the more populated areas, Sinhalese men also wear Western-style clothing — wearing suits while the women wear skirts and blouses. For formal and ceremonial occasions women wear the traditional Kandyan ( Osariya ) style, which consists of a full blouse which covers the midriff completely, and is partially tucked in at the front. However, modern intermingling of styles has led to most wearers baring

480-827: A campaign for better education facilities in the region. Christian missionary groups were at the forefront of this development contributing to a high literacy among Christians. By 1901 schools in the South and the North were well tended. The inner regions lagged behind however. Also, English education facilities presented hurdles for the general populace through fees and lack of access. Traditional Sinhalese villages in early days had at least one chief Medical personnel called Weda Mahaththaya (Doctor). These people practice their clinical activities by inheritance. Sinhalese Medicine resembles some of Ayurvedic practices in contrast for some treatments they use Buddhist Chantings ( Pirith ) in order to strengthen

576-508: A campaign to have Sinhala made the official language of Sri Lanka. At the 1956 parliamentary elections , the leader of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna , S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike campaigned on a promise to make Sinhala the sole official language of Sri Lanka. Bandaranaike won the election and was named the 4th Prime Minister of Sri Lanka . After his government was set up, he made it his priority to follow up on his promises related to

672-578: A final meeting was held at the Senate building on July 26, 1957. The discussions concluded successfully, with an agreement reached between the leaders. It was described by the ITAK as an “interim adjustment”, and would later be known as the Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact. The pact was a landmark in the history of Sri Lanka, as it marked for the first time a political agreement had been reached between

768-522: A high level of West Eurasian maternal ancestry among the Sinhalese. The analyses show strong gene flow between the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils, and higher gene flow from South Indian as well as some North and Northwest Indian populations. Among the Indian populations, the Sinhalese are closest genetically to certain South Indian subgroups, but the analyses also reveal deeply rooted common genetic ancestry with

864-418: A lion or because they were brave like a lion, but those who conquered and settled in Sri Lanka were called Sinhala simply as a derivative of "Sinha" for the people of the lion. Likewise, the conquered lands may be called 'Sinhalaya' or 'Sinhalé' (up-country Sri Lanka), or 'Sinhala dvipa', and their language 'Sinhala' or Sinhala-Bhasha'. The early recorded history of the Sinhalese is chronicled in two documents,

960-556: A major trade hub, it draws influence from colonial powers that were involved in Sri Lanka and by foreign traders. Rice , which is consumed daily, can be found at any occasion, while spicy curries are favourite dishes for lunch and dinner . Some of the Sri Lankan dishes have striking resemblance to Kerala cuisine , which could be due to the similar geographic and agricultural features with Kerala . A well-known rice dish with Sinhalese

1056-656: A majority in the country's 151 member legislature. As a result, the United National Party , which obtained the most seats by a single party, formed an unstable minority government . In its quest to form a government, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), successor to the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna, reached out to the Federal Party, and the two sides reached an agreement that if the Federal Party helped

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1152-640: A new political alliance, the Tamil National People's Front . Leaders of this party: In the 1947 election , the first for the independent Ceylon , the ACTC won 4.37% of the popular vote and 7 out of 95 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament . Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district In the 1952 election the ACTC won 2.77% of the popular vote and 4 out of 95 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament . Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district In

1248-508: A population that has been growing at a slow pace relative to India and other Asian countries. Within Sri Lanka the majority of the Sinhalese reside in the South, Central, Sabaragamuwa and Western parts of the country. This coincides with the largest Sinhalese populations areas in Sri Lanka. Cities with more than 90% Sinhalese population include Hambantota , Galle , Gampaha , Kurunegala , Monaragala , Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa . Sinhalese people have emigrated out to many countries for

1344-556: A prolonged struggle. At the same time, Prime Minister Bandaranaike faced pressure from Sinhalese extremist groups who complained about the delays in enforcing the Official Languages Act. " In the discussion which the leaders of the Federal Party had with me, an honourable solution was reached. In thinking over this problem I had in mind the fact that I am not merely a Prime Minister but a Buddhist Prime Minister." Fearing that violence would break out if an agreement between

1440-490: A protest on the lawn of Bandaranaike's Rosemead Place residence. They demanded that the Prime Minister abrogate the agreement he signed with Chelvanayakam. After listening to the monks and consulting a few members of his cabinet, Bandaranaike publicly tore the agreement into pieces. Upon the insistence of the monks, he also gave them a written pledge that the pact would be abrogated. The Prime Minister's decision to abrogate

1536-407: A single, merged, North-Eastern province for Tamils, as he feared a divide could ensue between Tamil people in the north and the east of the country. Despite the initial doubts, the agreement was seen as a reasonable compromise by both sides, and it was believed that both Bandaranaike and Chelvanayakam had enough credibility amongst their communities to pass it through. With the agreement, the government

1632-550: A variety of reasons. The larger diaspora communities are situated in the United Kingdom, Australia, United States and Canada among others. In addition to this there are many Sinhalese, who reside in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Europe, temporarily in connection with employment and/or education. They are often employed as guest workers in the Middle East and professionals in the other regions. The largest population centres of

1728-472: A well-developed agrarian society . According to the Mahavamsa, Prince Vijaya and his 700 followers left Suppāraka , landed on the island at a site believed by historians to be in the district of Puttalam , south of modern-day Mannar , and founded the kingdom of Tambapanni. It is recorded that Vijaya made his landing on the day of Buddha's Parinirvana. Vijaya claimed Tambapanni as his capital and soon

1824-427: Is Kiribath , meaning 'milk rice'. In addition to sambols , Sinhalese eat mallung , chopped leaves mixed with grated coconut and red onions . Coconut milk is found in most Sri Lankan dishes to give the cuisine its unique flavour. Sri Lanka has long been renowned for its spices . The best known is cinnamon which is native to Sri Lanka. In the 15th and 16th centuries, spice and ivory traders from all over

1920-531: Is a main foreign attraction in modern tourism. Sigirirya is famous for its frescoes. Folk poems were sung by workers to accompany their work and narrate the story of their lives. Ideally these poems consisted of four lines and, in the composition of these poems, special attention had been paid to the rhyming patterns. Buddhist festivals are dotted by unique music using traditionally Sinhalese instruments. More ancient rituals like tovils (devil exorcism) continue to enthrall audiences today and often praised and invoked

2016-773: Is often made colourful with the incorporation of songs and dance adding more uniqueness to the industry. In the recent years high budget films like Aloko Udapadi , Aba (film) and Maharaja Gemunu based on Sinhalese epic historical stories gain huge success. Performing arts of the Sinhalese people can be categorised into few groups: Angampora is the traditional martial art of the Sinhalese people. It combines combat techniques, self-defence , sport , exercise and meditation . Key techniques observed in Angampora are: Angam , which incorporates hand-to-hand fighting, and Illangam , which uses indigenous weapons such as Velayudaya , staves, knives and swords. Its most distinct feature

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2112-626: Is represented in many forms such as painting , sculpture , and architecture . One of the most notable aspects of Sri Lankan art are caves and temple paintings, such as the frescoes found at Sigiriya , and religious paintings found in temples in Dambulla and Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy . Other popular forms of art have been influenced by both natives as well as outside settlers. For example, traditional wooden handicrafts and clay pottery are found around

2208-495: Is the coconut sambol , made of ground coconut mixed with chili peppers , dried Maldives fish and lime juice . This is ground to a paste and eaten with rice, as it gives zest to the meal and is believed to increase appetite. Many forms of Sri Lankan arts and crafts take inspiration from the island's long and lasting Buddhist culture which in turn has absorbed and adopted countless regional and local traditions. In most instances Sri Lankan art originates from religious beliefs, and

2304-411: Is the use of pressure point attacks to inflict pain or permanently paralyse the opponent. Fighters usually make use of both striking and grappling techniques, and fight until the opponent is caught in a submission lock that they cannot escape. Usage of weapons is discretionary. Perimeters of fighting are defined in advance, and in some of the cases is a pit. Angampora became nearly extinct after

2400-565: The 1956 election the ACTC fielded only one candidate , party leader G.G. Ponnambalam in Jaffna , who managed to win the seat with 8,914 votes. In the March 1960 election the ACTC won 1.32% of the popular vote and 1 out of 151 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament . Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district In the July 1960 election the ACTC won 1.66% of the popular vote and 1 out of 151 seats in

2496-523: The 2 April 2004 parliamentary election in which the United People's Freedom Alliance alliance led by President Kumaratunga came to power, the Tamil National Alliance led by Rajavarothiam Sampanthan won 6.84% of the popular vote and 22 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament . Votes and seats won by TNA by electoral district In the 8 April 2010 parliamentary election in which

2592-514: The 2011 Canadian Census , 7,220 people identified themselves as of Sinhalese ancestry , out of 139,415 Sri Lankans. There are a small number of Sinhalese people in India , scattered around the country, but mainly living in and around the northern and southern regions. Sri Lankan New Zealanders comprised 3% of the Asian population of New Zealand in 2001. The numbers arriving continued to increase, and at

2688-474: The Hela Atuwa were lost after their translation into Pali . Other significant Sinhala texts include Amāvatura , Kavu Silumina , Jathaka Potha and Sala Liheeniya . Sinhala has also adopted many loanwords of foreign origin , including from many Indian such as Tamil and European languages such as Portuguese, Dutch, and English. Sandesha Kavyas written by Buddhist priests of Sri Lanka are regarded as some of

2784-580: The Mahavamsa , compiled in Pāli around the fourth century CE, and the later Culavamsa (the first segment probably compiled in the 13th century CE by the Buddhist monk Dhammakitti). These are ancient sources that cover the histories of the powerful ancient Sinhalese kingdoms of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa which lasted for 1500 years. The Mahavamsa describes the existence of fields of rice and reservoirs , indicating

2880-540: The Maratha . Some older studies however pointed towards a predominantly Bengali contribution and a minor Tamil influence. Gujarati and Punjabi lineages are also visible. In relation to the former, other studies also show the Sinhalese possess some genetic admixture from Southeast Asian populations , especially from Austroasiatic groups . Certain Y-DNA and mtDNA haplogroups and genetic markers of immunoglobulin among

2976-470: The Pandya kingdom . Genetic analyses have found genetic affinity between the Sinhalese and South Indian populations, as well as links to other Indian populations such as the Maratha . There are a couple of explanations for the word Sinhala. Sinhala may be considered a combination of sinha (සිංහ) , literally "lion", and la (ල), for "slayer" or "taker", hence Sinhala may mean "lion-slayer". The story of

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3072-481: The Sinhala sri character on the number plates of all state vehicles in the country. This was strongly opposed by Tamil people, and the Federal Party organized an “anti-sri” campaign. Participants in the campaign went around the north of the country applying tar on the sri character on vehicles they came across. This was met with anger amongst the Sinhalese community, who painted over Tamil characters in signs around

3168-399: The Sri Lankan parliament . In the 1965 election the ACTC won 2.44% of the popular vote and 3 out of 151 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament . Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district In the 1970 election the ACTC won 2.32% of the popular vote and 3 out of 151 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament . Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district In the 2000 election

3264-609: The 1970s. Italy was attractive to the Sinhalese due to perceived easier employment opportunities and entry, compared to other European countries. It is estimated that there are 30,000–33,000 Sinhalese in Italy. The major Sinhalese communities in Italy are located in Lombardia (In the districts Loreto and Lazzaretto), Milan , Lazio , Rome , Naples , and Southern Italy (Particularly Palermo , Messina and Catania ). Many countries census list Sri Lankan, which also includes Sri Lankan Tamils, so

3360-633: The 2018 census there were over 16,000 Sri Lankans living in New Zealand among those 9,171 were Sinhalese. In the U.S., the Sinhalese number about 12,000 people. The New York City Metropolitan Area contains the largest Sri Lankan community in the United States, receiving the highest legal permanent resident Sri Lankan immigrant population, followed by Central New Jersey and the Los Angeles metropolitan area . Many Sinhalese have migrated to Italy since

3456-420: The 26 year Sri Lankan Civil War . Prime Minister Bandaranaike's later attempts to pass legislation similar to the agreement was met by strong opposition. Following the gaining of independence for Sri Lanka from Britain in 1948, English continued to be the official language of the country. However sections within the Sinhalese community, who wanted the country to distance itself from its colonial past, began

3552-493: The ACTC won 0.32% of the popular vote and 1 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament . Votes and seats won by ACTC by electoral district In the first parliamentary election contested by the Tamil National Alliance , the 5 December 2001 election , the TNA led by Rajavarothiam Sampanthan won 3.88% of the popular vote and 15 out of 225 seats in the Sri Lankan parliament . Votes and seats won by TNA by electoral district In

3648-508: The B-C Pact was as much a piece of paper as was the Munich paper to Hitler." In response to the abrogation, the Federal Party declared they would launch a direct action campaign in the form of a non-violent Satyagraha to achieve their objectives. The decision was announced at the party's annual convention held in May 1958. However, before the protests could begin, a series of riots broke out across

3744-630: The British Governor General Lord Soulbury as a "mockery of democracy ". Due to the cooperation of the ACTC with the United National Party a group led by S.J.V. Chelvanayakam broke away in 1949, forming the Federal Party (FP). The ACTC was largely discredited when their ally the UNP moved away from bilingual and bicommunal policies towards a pro- Sinhalese stance. Thus the FP emerged as

3840-529: The Mahavamsa and other historical sources , King Vijaya arrived on the island of Tambapanni (Sri Lanka) and gave rise to the Sinhalese. The story of the arrival of Prince Vijaya in Sri Lanka and the origin of the Sinhalese people is also depicted in the Ajanta caves, in a mural of cave number 17 . Another suggestion on the origin of Sinhala proposes that the descendants of Sinhabahu may have been called "Sinha" or lions, either because they were descended from

3936-486: The SLFP form a government, the Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact would be included in the throne speech as a policy statement of the new SLFP government. As a result, the SLFP and the Federal Party, along with a number of other minority parties, voted against the speaker nominee of the UNP government, and on April 22, 1960 defeated the throne speech of the UNP government by a majority of 86 votes to 61. However instead of calling on

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4032-547: The SLFP to form a government, the Governor General of the country called for fresh elections in July of the same year. Throughout the subsequent election campaign, the SLFP maintained contact with the Federal Party, and the agreement to include the Bandaranaike–Chelvanayakam Pact in the throne speech of a future SLFP government remained. At the July elections , the SLFP achieved a convincing victory, winning 75 seats. This permitted

4128-582: The Sinhalese by Portuguese, Dutch, and British missionary groups during their respective periods of rule. Most Sinhalese Christians are Roman Catholic ; a minority are Protestant . Their cultural centre is Negombo . Religion is considered very important among the Sinhalese. According to a 2008 Gallup poll , 99% of Sri Lankans considered religion an important aspect of their daily lives. A 2023 genetics study by Singh et al using higher resolution markers than previous studies found strong affinity between Sri Lankan and South Asian maternal gene pools as well as

4224-722: The Sinhalese diaspora are mainly situated in Europe, North America and Australia. The city of Melbourne contains just under half of the Sri Lankan Australians . The 2011 census recorded 86,412 Sri Lanka born in Australia. There are 73,849 Australians (0.4 of the population) who reported having Sinhalese ancestry in 2006. Sinhala was also reported to be the 29th-fastest-growing language in Australia (ranking above Somali but behind Hindi and Belarusian ). Sinhalese Australians have an exceptionally low rate of return migration to Sri Lanka. In

4320-405: The Sinhalese people from northern India who settled on the island in the sixth century BCE. Sinhala developed in a way different from the other Indo-Aryan languages because of the geographic separation from its Indo-Aryan sister languages. It was influenced by many languages, prominently Pali , the sacred language of Southern Buddhism, Telugu and Sanskrit . Many early texts in the language such as

4416-458: The Sinhalese, as a religious community, have a complex worldview as Buddhists. Due to the proximity and on some occasions similarity of certain doctrines, there are many areas where Buddhists and Hindus share religious views and practices. Sinhalese Buddhists have adopted religious elements from Hindu traditions in their religious practices. Some of these practices may relate to ancient indigenous beliefs and traditions on spirits ( folk religion ), and

4512-582: The Sinhalese, for example, show Southeast Asian genetic influences many of which are also found among certain Northeast Indian populations to whom the Sinhalese display increased genetic affinities. Sinhalese culture is a unique one dating as far back as 2600 years and has been nourished by Theravada Buddhism. Its main domains are sculpture, fine arts, literature, dancing, poetry and a wide variety of folk beliefs and rituals traditionally. Ancient Sinhala stone sculpture and inscriptions are known worldwide and

4608-573: The South Indians and regaining control of the kingdom. Other rulers who are notable for military achievements include Gajabahu I , who launched an invasion against the invaders, and Sena II, who sent his armies to assist a Pandyan prince. During the Middle Ages Sri Lanka was well known for its agricultural prosperity under king Parakramabahu in Polonnaruwa during which period the island

4704-436: The Sri Lankan population and number more than 15.2 million. The Sinhalese people speak Sinhala , an insular Indo-Aryan language . Sinhalese people are predominantly Theravada Buddhists , although a significant minority of Sinhalese follow branches of Christianity and other religions . Since 1815, Sinhalese people were broadly divided into two subgroups: the up-country Sinhalese of the central mountainous regions , and

4800-459: The agreement as it would have given the UNP an opportunity to “incite the Sinhalese extremists” as they had done in 1957. Sinhalese people The Sinhalese people ( Sinhala : සිංහල ජනතාව , romanized:  Sinhala Janathāva ), also known as the Sinhalese or Sinhala people are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the island of Sri Lanka . They are the largest ethnic group in Sri Lanka, constituting about 75% of

4896-504: The agreement as the basis of their return to active politics. In September 1957, Jayawardene announced a 72-mile march from Colombo to the central city of Kandy in opposition to the pact. He declared that at the end of the march, he would pray against the agreement at the sacred Buddhist shrine the Temple of the Tooth , and invoke the blessings of the gods against the agreement. The proposed march

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4992-417: The ancient world after Great Pyramid of Giza , and Abayagiriya – third tallest brick building in the ancient world. And also with the ancient hydraulic technology which is also unique to Sinhalese people to build ancient tanks, systematic ponds with fountains moats and Irrigational reservoirs such as Parakrama Samudra , Kaudulla and Kandalama . Sigiriya which is considered by many as the eighth wonder of

5088-552: The artistic masterwork Rekava which sought to create a uniquely Sinhalese cinema with artistic integrity. Since then, Peries and other directors like Vasantha Obeysekera , Dharmasena Pathiraja , Mahagama Sekera , W. A. B. de Silva, Dharmasiri Bandaranayake , Sunil Ariyaratne , Siri Gunasinghe , G. D. L. Perera , Piyasiri Gunaratne, Titus Thotawatte , D. B. Nihalsinghe , Ranjith Lal, Dayananda Gunawardena , Mudalinayake Somaratne, Asoka Handagama , and Prasanna Vithanage have developed an artistic Sinhalese cinema. Sinhala cinema

5184-403: The basis of language or ethnicity and all Sri Lankans are classified into one group as Asian British or Asian Other. Sinhalese people speak Sinhala , also known as "Helabasa"; this language has two varieties, spoken and written. Sinhala is an Indo-Aryan language within the broader group of Indo-European languages . The early form of the language was brought to Sri Lanka by the ancestors of

5280-492: The building of reservoirs and canals was passed down from generation to generation through home training and outside craft apprenticeships. The arrival of the Portuguese and Dutch and the subsequent colonisation maintained religion as the centre of education though in certain communities under Catholic and Presbyterian hierarchy. The British in the 1800s initially followed the same course. Following 1870 however they began

5376-481: The capital to Anuradhapura and developed it into a prosperous city. Anuradhapura (Anurapura) was named after the minister who first established the village and after a grandfather of Pandukabhaya who lived there. The name was also derived from the city's establishment on the auspicious asterism called Anura. Anuradhapura was the capital of all the monarchs who ruled from the dynasty. Rulers such as Dutthagamani , Valagamba , and Dhatusena are noted for defeating

5472-710: The coastal areas. Sinhalese people, depending on where they live in Sri Lanka, may also additionally speak English and or Tamil . According to the 2012 Census 23.8% or 3,033,659 Sinhalese people also spoke English and 6.4% or 812,738 Sinhalese people also spoke Tamil. In the Negombo area bilingual fishermen who generally identify themselves as Sinhalese also speak the Negombo Tamil dialect . This dialect has undergone considerable convergence with spoken Sinhala . Folk tales like Mahadana Muttha saha Golayo and Kawate Andare continue to entertain children today. Mahadana Muttha tells

5568-564: The country came under British rule in 1815, but survived in a few families until the country regained independence. The Sinhalese have a long history of literacy and formal learning. Instruction in basic fields like writing and reading by Buddhist Monks pre-date the birth of Christ . This traditional system followed religious rule and was meant to foster Buddhist understanding. Training of officials in such skills as keeping track of revenue and other records for administrative purposes occurred under this institution. Technical education such as

5664-483: The country, further damaging relations between the two communities. On August 5, 1958, Prime Minister Bandaranaike introduced the Tamil Language (Special Provisions) Act No. 28 of 1958, as a compromise measure to appease the Tamil community. The bill act part of the original Official Languages Act , but had been removed at the insistence of Sinhalese extremists. The bill was passed on August 14, 1958, and it dealt with

5760-461: The country. In May 1959, leftist members of Bandaranaike's administration including Philip Gunawardena quit the government and joined the opposition. As Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike struggled to keep his party in power, Talduwe Somarama , a Buddhist monk called upon Bandaranaike at his residence in Rosemead Place. As Bandaranaike was paying obeisance to Somarama, the monk took out

5856-507: The derivation of Sinhala is told in Mahāvaṃsa , and it is believed to be a reference to the founding legend of Sri Lanka; the island was conquered by a descendant of Sinhabahu , who is said to have killed his father, a lion. According to legend, a princess Suppadevi of Vanga was abducted by a lion, with whom she then bore a daughter called Sinhasivali , and a son, Sinhabahu . On the origin of Sinhala, Mahāvaṃsa says: "By whatever means;

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5952-399: The effectiveness. All Ceylon Tamil Congress All Ceylon Tamil Congress ( Tamil : அகில இலங்கைத் தமிழ்க் காங்கிரஸ் ), is the oldest Tamil political party in Sri Lanka . The ACTC was founded in 1944 by G.G. Ponnambalam . Ponnambalam asked for a 50-50 representation in parliament (50% for the Sinhalese , 50% for all other ethnic groups). This was immediately rejected by

6048-506: The good powers of the Buddha and the gods in order to exorcise the demons. Traditionally during recreation the Sinhalese wear a sarong ( sarama in Sinhala). Men may wear a long-sleeved shirt with a sarong. Clothing varies by region for women. Low country Sinhalese women wear a white Long sleeved jacket, and a tight wrap around skirt, which usually is embedded with a floral or pattern design. As for

6144-434: The hill country while Portuguese-inspired lacework and Indonesian-inspired Batik have become notable. It has many different and beautiful drawings. Developed upon Indo-Aryan architectural skills in the late sixth century BCE Sinhalese people who lived upon greater kingdoms such as Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa have built so many architectural examples such as Ruwanwelisaya , Jetavanaramaya – second tallest brick building in

6240-589: The immensely popular children's novel Madol Duwa . Munadasa Cumaratunga's Hath Pana is also widely known. The form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka is known as Theravada (school of elders). The Pali chronicles (e.g., the Mahavansa) claim that the Sinhalese as an ethnic group are destined to preserve and protect Buddhism. In 1988 almost 93% of the Sinhala-speaking population in Sri Lanka were Buddhist. Observations of current religious beliefs and practices demonstrate that

6336-433: The influence of the Indian cooking methods and food have played a major role in what Sri Lankans eat. The island nation's cuisine mainly consists of boiled or steamed rice served with curry. This usually consists of a main curry of fish or chicken , as well as several other curries made with vegetables , lentils and even fruit curries. Side-dishes include pickles , chutneys and sambols . The most famous of these

6432-547: The island. In the 15th century a Kandyan kingdom formed which divided the Sinhalese politically into low-country and up-country. In this period, the Sinhalese caste structure absorbed recent Dravidian Hindu immigrants from South India leading to the emergence of three new Sinhalese caste groups – the Salagama , the Durava and the Karava . The Sinhalese have a stable birth rate and

6528-1040: The language issue, and introduced the Official Language Act (commonly known as the Sinhala Only Act) on June 5, 1956. In opposition to the act, Tamil People staged a hartal in parts of the country, and demonstrated in front of the parliament at Galle Face Green . In reaction to the legislation, the main Tamil political party in Sri Lanka, the Federal Party (known as the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kadchi in Tamil) put forward four major demands at their convention held in Trincomalee on August 20, 1956. They were, The Federal Party vowed that if their demands were not met by August 20, 1957, they would engage in “direct action by non-violent means” to achieve these objectives. They also called on their supporters to prepare for

6624-538: The late 1930s/early 1940s. He has been followed by artists of repute such as Sunil Shantha , W. D. Amaradeva , Premasiri Khemadasa , Nanda Malini , Victor Ratnayake , Austin Munasinghe, T. M. Jayaratne , Sanath Nandasiri , Sunil Edirisinghe , Neela Wickremasinghe, Gunadasa Kapuge , Malini Bulathsinghala and Edward Jayakody . Dramatist Ediriweera Sarachchandra revitalised the drama form with Maname in 1956. The same year, film director Lester James Peries created

6720-676: The leaders of the communities was not reached, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike reached out to the Federal Party leadership, who agreed to meet the Prime Minister in April 1957. The first meeting between a Federal Part delegation comprising its leader S. J. V. Chelvanayakam , V. A. Kandiah , N. R. Rajavarothayam, Dr E. M. V. Naganathan and V. Navaratnam , and a government delegation which included Prime Minister Bandaranaike, Minister Stanley de Zoysa and P. Navaratnarajah took place at Bandaranaike's ancestral house at Horagolla . A second meeting took place at Bandaranaike's residence in Rosemead Place, Colombo, and

6816-437: The leaders of the two main ethnic groups of the country. Both sides made concessions by agreeing to the pact, with Chelvanayakam accepting less than federalism that had been demanded by the Federal Party, and Bandaranaike agreeing to give regional councils substantial powers. However the pact left out the issue of citizenship for Tamils of Indian origin. Chelvanayakam was also not entirely pleased that he had been unable to obtain

6912-543: The low-country Sinhalese of the coastal regions. Although both groups speak the same language, they are distinguished as they observe different cultural customs. According to the Mahavamsa , a Pali chronicle compiled by Buddhist monks of the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya in Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese descend from settlers who immigrated to the island circa 543 BCE , from the legendary kingdom of Sinhapura led by Prince Vijaya , who mixed with later settlers from

7008-594: The major Tamil party in 1956. In 1972 the ACTC and the FP formed the Tamil United Front, which later evolved into the Tamil United Liberation Front in 1976. Ahead of the 2001 elections, ACTC joined the LTTE -backed Tamil National Alliance (TNA). In the 2004 elections the TNA won 6.9% of the popular vote and 22 out of the 225 seats in parliament. The ACTC left the TNA in 2010 and subsequently joined

7104-489: The middle of the road with his supporters to stop the march at Imbulgoda, in Gampaha . As a result, the UNP was forced to give up the march, and they proceeded to Kandy by vehicle, where they declared they would oppose the setting up of regional councils. As opposition to the agreement was growing, other factors were causing increased tensions between the two communities. In March 1958, the government introduced legislation to place

7200-433: The midriff. The Kandyan style is considered as the national dress of Sinhalese women. In many occasions and functions, even the saree plays an important role in women's clothing and has become the de facto clothing for female office workers especially in government sector. An example of its use is the uniform of air hostesses of Sri Lankan Airlines . Sinhalese cuisine is one of the most complex cuisines of South Asia . As

7296-420: The monarch Síha Báhu slew the 'Síha' (lion), from that feat his sons and descendants are called 'Síhala' (the lion-slayers)." By this account, Sri Lanka conquered and colonised by his descendants therefore also came to be associated with 'Sinhala'. The first king of Sri Lanka, Vijaya , was the son of Sinhabahu, the ruler of Sinhapura . Some versions suggest Vijaya was the grandson of Sinhabahu. According to

7392-540: The most sophisticated and versatile works of literature in the world. The Sinhala language was mainly inspired by Sanskrit and Pali, and many words of the Sinhala language derive from these languages. Today some English words too have come in as a result of the British occupation during colonial times, and the exposure to foreign cultures through television and foreign films. Additionally many Dutch and Portuguese words can be seen in

7488-465: The need to establish Buddhist schools for educating Buddhist youth and organising Buddhists with new organisations such as the Young Men's Buddhist Association, as well as printing pamphlets to encourage people to participate in debates and religious controversies to defend Buddhism. There is a significant Sinhalese Christian community, in the maritime provinces of Sri Lanka. Christianity was brought to

7584-453: The numbers of just Sinhalese are not as accurate when the census states Sri Lankan and not Sinhalese. Though Sinhalese people in particular and Sri Lankans in general have migrated to the UK over the centuries beginning from the colonial times, the number of Sinhalese people in the UK cannot be estimated accurately due to inadequacies of census in the UK. The UK government does not record statistics on

7680-505: The original gods. Prominent Sri Lankan anthropologists Gananath Obeyesekere and Kitsiri Malalgoda used the term "Protestant Buddhism" to describe a type of Buddhism that appeared among the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka as a response to Protestant Christian missionaries and their evangelical activities during the British colonial period. This kind of Buddhism involved emulating the Protestant strategies of organising religious practices. They saw

7776-476: The pact was greeted with dismay by moderate Tamil politicians. Savumiamoorthy Thondaman called it the “saddest day in the history of Ceylon’s racial relations”. V Navaratnam, a member of the Federal party who took part in the initial discussions later wrote “(Bandaranaike's enemies) forced him to treat the B-C Pact like Adolf Hitler treated the solemn undertaking which he gave to Neville Chamberlain at Munich . To them

7872-435: The party, now headed by assassinated Prime Minister S. W. R. D Bandaranaike's widow Sirimavo Bandaranaike , to form a government without the help of the Federal Party. As a result, they cast aside the agreement with the Federal Party, and later introduced legislation to make Sinhala the official language of the courts of the country. In explaining the decision, Felix Dias Bandaranaike said the government did not go through with

7968-416: The provisions regarding education, public service entrance examinations and the administration of the north and east of the country. However it did not satisfy the Tamil politicians, and it also led Buddhists who worked for Bandaranaike to be increasingly dissatisfied with him. At the same time, the country faced unrelated anti-government strikes organized by the leftist LSSP and other communist parties in

8064-483: The south of the country. Amid the growing opposition to the pact, Prime Minister Bandaranaike continued his efforts to convince the people of the country that it was the best solution to the communal problems of the country. He equated the pact to the Middle Way doctrine of Buddhism. However the demonstrations continued, and came to a head on April 9, 1958 when approximately 100 Buddhist monks and 300 other people staged

8160-591: The tale of a fool cum Pundit who travels around the country with his followers ( Golayo ) creating mischief through his ignorance. Kawate Andare tells the tale of a witty court jester and his interactions with the royal court and his son. In the modern period, Sinhala writers such as Martin Wickremasinghe and G. B. Senanayake have drawn widespread acclaim. Other writers of repute include Mahagama Sekera and Madewela S. Ratnayake. Martin Wickramasinghe wrote

8256-767: The throne. However, Vijaya had died before the letter had reached its destination, so the elected minister of the people Upatissa , the Chief government minister and leading chief among the Sinhalese became regent and acted as regent for a year. After his coronation (in 505 BC), which was held in Tambapanni, he left it, building another city Upatissa Nuwara , named after himself, 11–13 km (7–8 miles) further north of Tambapanni. When Vijaya's letter finally arrived, Sumitta had already succeeded his father as king of his country, and so he sent his son Panduvasdeva to rule Upatissa Nuwara. In 377 BC, King Pandukabhaya (437–367 BC) moved

8352-502: The up country Sinhalese, women wear a similar outfit, but with a puffed up shoulder jacket, and a tucked in frill that lines the top of the skirt (Reda and Hatte in Sinhala). Traditionally, high caste Kandyan women wear a Kandyan style sari , which is similar to the Maharashtrian sari , with the drape but with a frill lining the bottom half and sometimes puffed up sleeves. It is also called an Osariya. The low country high caste women wear

8448-495: The whole island went under this name. Tambapanni was originally inhabited and governed by Yakkhas , having their capital at Sirīsavatthu and their queen Kuveni . According to the Samyutta Commentary, Tambapanni was one hundred leagues in extent. At the end of his reign, Vijaya, having trouble choosing a successor, sent a letter to the city of his ancestors, Sinhapura , in order to invite his brother Sumitta to take over

8544-459: The world who came to Sri Lanka brought their native cuisines to the island, resulting in a rich diversity of cooking styles and techniques. Lamprais , rice boiled in stock with a special curry , accompanied by frikkadels ( meatballs ), all of which is then wrapped in a banana leaf and baked as a Dutch-influenced Sri Lankan dish. Dutch and Portuguese sweets also continue to be popular. British influences include roast beef and roast chicken . Also,

8640-441: The world, it is a combination of natural and man made fortress, which consists so many architectural aspects. There are extensive folk poems relating to specific jobs of the ancient society. These poems were communal songs which had a rhythm that were sung when performing day-to-day tasks like harvesting and sowing. Concerning popular music, Ananda Samarakoon developed the reflective and poignant Sarala gee style with his work in

8736-439: The worship of Hindu deities . Some of these figures are used in healing rituals and may be native to the island. Gods and goddess derived from Hindu deities are worshiped by Sinhalese. Kataragama Deviyo from Kartikeya , Upulvan from Vishnu and Ayyanayake from Aiyanar can be named as examples. Though these gods take the same place as their Hindu counterparts in mythology, some of their aspects are different compared to

8832-533: Was also able to prevent the campaign threatened by the Federal Party across the country. As an initial step towards implementing the pact, the legislators of the Mahajana Eksath Peramuna agreed on a draft of the Regional Councils Bill, which would combine the 22 districts of the country into regions. The councilors of the Regional Councils were to be chosen by urban and municipal councilors. The pact

8928-470: Was banned by the government, which cited fears of violence, but the ban was ignored by the UNP. The march began on October 4, 1957, with Jayawardene at the head of the procession. At Grandpass junction in Colombo, the march was pelted with stones by supporters of the SLFP. Opposition to the march intensified further as it passed Kelaniya , and S. D. Bandaranaike, nephew of Prime Minister Bandaranaike, squatted in

9024-579: Was famous around the world as the rice mill of the east. Later in the 13th century the country's administrative provinces were divided into independent kingdoms and chieftaincies: kingdom of Sitawaka , kingdom of Kotte , Jaffna kingdom and the Kandyan kingdom . The invasion by the Hindu king Magha in the 13th century led to migrations by the Buddhists (mostly Sinhalese) to areas not under his control. This migration

9120-450: Was followed by a period of conflict among the Sinhalese chiefs who tried to exert political supremacy. Parakramabahu VI , a Sinhalese king invaded the Jaffna kingdom and conquered it, bringing the entire country back under the Sinhalese kingdom for 17 years. Trade also increased during this period, as Sri Lanka began to trade cinnamon and a large number of Muslim traders were bought into

9216-479: Was greeted by mixed reception around the country, and was immediately opposed by certain sections of both communities. The leader of the All Ceylon Tamil Congress , G. G. Ponnambalam opposed the pact, as did Member of Parliament C Suntheralingham, who in a letter to Chelvanayakam wrote that instead of the regional councils promised by the pact, he wanted “an autonomous Tamil state which would constitute

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