The Sinhalese are the inhabitants of Sri Lanka. They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Indo-Aryan languages form a subgroup of the Indo-Iranian languages, thus belonging to the Indo-European family of languages. ...

Sinhalese History and Lore

According to legend, they are descended from the exiled Prince Vijaya and his party of several hundred who arrived on the island around 500 BC after having been made to leave their native Bengal by his father. The recorded history of the Sinhalese can be found in two large chronicles, the Mahavamsa and the Chulavamsa, which are considered unique in terms of age and longevity, and cover the histories of the powerful ancient kingdoms of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. Notable Sinhalese monarchs include Devanampiya Tissa (who converted to Buddhism in the 4th c BC), Parakramabahu the Great (c1164 - 1197) (who led an expedition to Thailand), and Mayadunne (1521 - 1581)(who led fierce resistence againt the Portuguese). Much of Sinhalese history was dominated by struggles against encroaching overseas powers such as the mighty Chola Kingdom of South India, and European colonial powers. However, the ancient kingdoms of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa were particularly renowned for their wealth and at certain points their military prowess. Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC - 460s BC - 450s BC Events and trends 509 BC - Foundation of the Roman Republic 509 BC September 13 - The temple of... Bengal, known as Bôngo (Bengali: বঙ্গ), Bangla (বাংলা), Bôngodesh (বঙ্গদেশ), or Bangladesh (বাংলাদেশ) in Bangla (Bengali), is a region in the northeast of South Asia. ... The Mahavamsa (Pali: “Great Chronicle”) is an important non-canonical Buddhist historical text compiled in Sri Lanka in the 6th century CE , in the Pali language. ... The very first kingdom in Sri Lanka, Anuradhapura was made the countrys capital by King Pandukabhaya (reigned c. ... The second most ancient of Sri Lankas kingdoms, Polonnaruwa was first declared the capital city by King Vijayabahu I, who defeated the Chola invaders in 1070 to reunite the country once more under a local leader. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a religion and philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, who lived between approximately 566 and 486 BCE in India. ... The Cholas were the most famous of the three dynasties that ruled ancient Tamil Nadu. ... A map of South India, its rivers, regions and water bodies. ...

Given its position at the junction of major trade routes spanning the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka inevitably became home to other ethnic groups as well as the Sinhalese, such as Sri Lanka's small Arab, Chinese and Burgher communities. This ongoing mingling of ethnic groups can be most obviously noticed in the Sinhalese language (Sinhala) itself, which has a vocabulary that borrows heavily from foreign languages, particularly Portuguese. However the core of the language is quite unlike that spoken by the Dravidian populace of the southern Subcontinent and is closest to Sanskrit and Pali, further giving credence to the idea that the Sinhalese are, ultimately, of north Indian extraction. The Dravidian Race is the name sometimes still given to the peoples of southern and central India and northern Sri Lanka who speak Dravidian languages, the best known of which are Tamil (தமிழ்), Telugu (తెలుగు), Kannada and Malayalam. ... The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ... . Pāli (ISO 639-1: pi; ISO 639-2: pli) is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ...

Sinhalese Origins

They are generally considered to be a Caucasoid race, but display some traits of their Dravidian neighbors (Australoid with strong Caucasoid traits), possibly due to assimilation of Tamils. The vast majority live in Sri Lanka (mostly in the south and west of the island), but there are significant expatriate communities in Europe (notably the UK) and in North America (in particular Canada). Typical Caucasoid Skull Caucasoid describes some anthropological traits associated with humans indigenous to an area roughly similar to Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, and South Asia. ... A race is a population of humans distinguished from other populations. ... The Dravidian Race is the name sometimes still given to the peoples of southern and central India and northern Sri Lanka who speak Dravidian languages, the best known of which are Tamil (தமிழ்), Telugu (తెలుగు), Kannada and Malayalam. ... Australoid describes a major race of humans primarily from Australia but also prersent in New Guinea and Melanesia. ... Typical Caucasoid Skull Caucasoid describes some anthropological traits associated with humans indigenous to an area roughly similar to Europe, Western Asia, North Africa, and South Asia. ... Tamil girls in Tiruvannamalai. ...

Sinhalese Religion

Most of the Sinhalese are Buddhists (85%), and are considered the only ethnic group in South Asia who overwhelmingly adhere to the Theravada sect of Buddhism, though it should be noted that many Sinhalese Buddhists also venerate Hindu deities as well as indigenous gods. The remainder mostly belong to the Roman Catholic church, but there are Muslim and Hindu communities as well. Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... Theravada (Pali; Sanskrit: Sthaviravada) is one of the eighteen (or twenty) Nikāya schools that formed early in the history of Buddhism. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of Islam. ...

Contemporary Sinhalese Problems

The past thirty or so years of Sinhalese history has been marred by ongoing ethnic strife with Tamils. (see Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka). The Ethnic Conflict in Sri Lanka describes the ongoing conflict between the majority Sinhala-speaking Buddhists and minority Tamils (mostly Hindu) on the island-nation of Sri Lanka. ...