colonial history of sri lanka

Story Of the Sri Lanka

Hansini Sampath - Umisarc

Sri Lanka has been inhabited for at least 30,000 years.Chronicles including

the Mahawansa,the Dipavamsa,the Chulavamsa and

the Rajaveliya

record events from the beginnings of

the Sinhalese monarchy in the 6th century BC through to

the arrival of European Colonialists in the 16th century

and the disestablishment of the monarchy in 1815.


From the 16th century some coastal areas of the country were ruled by

the Portuguese, Dutch and British.

After 1815 the entire nation was ruled by the British colonialists until political independence was granted in 1948.

Armed uprisings against British colonial rule took place in 1818 (Uva Rebellion) and in 1848 (Matale Rebellion).


After an armed youth uprising in 1971 known as the 1971 April Rebellion,

Sri Lanka became a sovereign state in 1972.

A constitution was introduced in 1978, making the Executive President head of state.

The Sri Lankan Civil War began in 1983 and again an armed youth uprising occurred in 1987-1989.

The 26-year civil war ended in 2009.Hansini Sampath - Umisarc


1. Importance of Sri Lanka (motives)

2. Colonial periods

3. Struggles

4. impacts

5. National Movement


Geographical Location

Link in the trade routes between East and West world

Traditional ports North, North-West of Island and East Coast, West coast become important for Trade.

Numerous Bays

Anchorages and Roadsteads offered adequate shelter for the sailing ships.



Economical motives

Colonial Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon. It became very important to the Europe because the soil and climate were well suited for cultivating coffee, tea and rubber..

•Elephants ,Gems and Perl

spice and cinnamon trade



Purpose- Economic,Expansion Religion


In 1505 the Portuguese, under Lorennco de Almeida established friendly relations with the king of Kotte and gained, for Portugal

At this time Sri Lanka had three main kingdoms

the Kingdom of Jaffna in the north, the Kingdom of Kandy in the central highlands Kotte, the most powerful, in the south-west.

In 1592 the Sinhalese moved their capital to the inland city of Kanndy, a location more secure against attack from invaders. Intermittent warfare continued through the 16th century.



Many lowland Sinhalese were forced to convert to Christianity while the coastal Moors were religiously persecuted and forced to retreat to the Central highlands

The Buddhist majority disliked the Portuguese occupation and its influences,

welcoming any power whomight rescue them.

When the Dutch captainJoris van Spilbergen landed in 1602 the king of Kandy appealed to him for help.

a monopoly in the spice and cinnamon trade, which soon became of enormous importance in Europe

.Hansini Sampath - Umisarc

Purpose- Monopoly in Trade

Roman Dutch Law, Religion


Attempts by Kandy to enlist Dutch help in expelling the Portuguese only resulted in the substitution of one European power for another.

Rajasinghe II, the king of Kandy, made a treaty with the Dutch in 1638 to get rid of the Portuguese

The main conditions of the treaty were that the Dutch should handover the coastal areas they capture to the Kandyan king and the king should grant the Dutch a monopoly over trade on the entire island. The agreement was breached by both parties.

By 1658, 153 years after the first Portuguese contact, the Dutch took control over the costal areas of the Island.


During their 140-year-rule the Dutch, like Portuguese, were involved in repeated unsuccessful attempts to bring Kandy under their control.

The Dutch were much more interested in trade and profits than the Portuguese,

who spent a lot of efforts spreading their religion and extending their physical control.


The Dutch started ruling and expanding their areas. the King of Kandy searched for another powerful party to help in the war.

Then Dutch possessions were occupied by the British


Purpose- Economic, Political


The French revolution resulted in a major shake-up among the European powers and in 1796 the Dutch were easily supplanted by the British,

in 1815 British won the control of the kingdom of Kandy, becoming the first European power to rule the whole island.

But in 1802, Sri Lanka became a Crown Colony and in 1818 a unified administration for the island was set up.

.Hansini Sampath - Umisarc

Soon the country was change with coffee, cinnamon and

coconut plantations and a network of roads and Railways

were built to handle this new economic activity. English

became the official language, and is still widely spoken



In 1803 the British invaded the Kingdom of Kandy in the first Kandyan War, but were repulsed.

The Great Rebellion of 1817-1818 (Uva-Wellassa Uprising)

It took place in Uva

against the British colonial government under Governor Robert Brownring.

Back ground- The Sinhalese were greatly affected by the administrative policies of the British and were not used to being ruled by a king who lived far away in another continent. This created unrest among the local people and the aristocratic Chiefs in the Kandiyan Kingdom.

Leaders- Keppetipola Disawe

II Pilima Talauve Adikaram

Kohu Kumbure Rate Rala

Dimbulana Disave

Kivulegedara Mohottala, MadugalleDisave



Killed all cattle and other animals

Burnt homes

Paddy fields in the area of Wellassa were all destroyed

The irrigation systems destroyed by systematically

Massacred the male population above the age of 18 years

Failed-

It was not well planned by the leaders. The areas controlled by some Chiefs who helped the British provided easy transport routes for British supplies.


The Matale Rebellion-1848

Against the British colonial government under Governor Lord Torrington.

It marked a transition from the classic feudal form of anti-colonial revolt to modern independence struggles.

It was fundamentally a peasant revolt.

Reason- Imposed license fees on guns, dogs, carts, shops,

labour was made compulsory on plantation roads, unless a special tax.

Leaders- Gongalegoda Banda, Puran Appu, DingRala



The Kandyan Convention was an agreement signed on the 10th

of March 1815 between the British and the Chiefs of the Kandyan

Kingdom, in Sri Lanka for the deposition of rule King Sri Vikrama

Rajasinha. The king who was of South Indian ancestry faced

powerful opposition from the Sinhalese chieftains who sought to

reduce his power

A successful coup was organized by the Sinhala chieftains in which

they accepted the British crown as their new king


Before the signing of the convention, a British soldier took down the Kandyan flag and hoisted the Union Jack in its place. A Buddhist monk, Ven. Wariyapola Sri Sumangala Therosaw what had happened and quickly replaced the English flag with the Kandyan one


P o l i t i c a l

E c o n o m i c

S o c i a l

C u l t u r a l

R e l i g i o u sHansini Sampath - Umisarc

Constitutional Reforms

1832 Colebrook-Cameron

First Manning Reforms

- Increase members of non official agents.

Crew Maclum Amendments

Second Manning Reforms

Donoughmore Commission 1927-1931

Soulbery Constitution



Coffee The British

did not seriously compete in

the coffee race until 1796,

when they took control of

Sri Lanka from the Dutch.

. Rubber•Ceylon was the leading rubber producer fir, tires, gloves, sandals and range of dipped products using rubber the allied during the Second World War.


TeaCash crop

experimental tea plants were brought from Assam and Calcutta in India to Peradeniya in 1839 .

In 1867 James Taylor marked the birth of the tea industry in Ceylon by starting a tea plantation in Loolecondera estate in Kandy in 1867.

Indian Tamils were brought to Sri Lanka at the beginning of the tea plantations


Emergence of new class of capitalist entrepreneurs. and middle class

Professional proficient in English.

Changes of Traditionally Caste system.

Emergence of New identities and consciousness – Sinhala, Muslims, Tamil

Food habits

Dress code

New Religions

Infrastruction- Roads, Railways, Communication and etc

Still sri lanka is a developing country because of the colonization


Religious revivalRejection of the people converting to Christianity.Panadura Debate in 1873Establishment of Buddhist schools

Formation of Political AssociationCeylon National CongressYoung Lanka League

Initial Trade Union Activity


Independence 1948 February 4th


Conclusion

Sri lanka was colonized for 400 years .

Still it is a developing country because of the colonization


Reference

De silva,K.M. A History of Sri Lanka, oxford university press,Delhi,1981.

Wickramasingha,Nira Sri Lanka in the Modern Age: A history of Contested Identities, University of Hawaii Press,2006

Bandarage, Ashoka Colonialism in South Asia,

Lake House Investment LTD,Colombo,1950.


Thank You


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colonial history of sri lanka