develop agriculture. The system was not banished from the island until
1832, when the British passed laws banning slavery.The Buddha’s Teaching Arrives
Buddhism arrived from India in the 3rd century BC, transforming
Anuradhapura and possibly creating what is now known as Sinhalese
culture. Today the mountain at Mihintale marks the spot where King
Devanampiya Tissa is said to have first received the Buddha’s teaching.
The earliest Buddhist emissaries also brought to Sri Lanka a cutting of the
bodhi tree under which the Buddha attained enlightenment. It survives
in Anuradhapura, now garlanded with prayer flags and lights. Strong ties
gradually evolved between Sri Lankan royalty and Buddhist religious or-
ders. Kings, grateful for monastic support, provided living quarters, tanks
(reservoirs) and produce to the monasteries, and a symbiotic political
economy between religion and state was established – a powerful contract
that is still vital in modern times.
Buddhism underwent a further major development on the island when
the original oral teachings were documented in writing in the 1st century
BC. The early Sri Lankan monks went on to write a vast body of commen-
taries on the teachings, textbooks, Pali grammars and other instructive
articles, developing a classical literature for the Theravada (doctrine of the
elders) school of Buddhism that continues to be referenced by Theravada
Buddhists around the world. The arrival of the Buddha’s tooth relic at
Anuradhapura in AD 371 reinforced the position of Buddhism in Sinhalese
society, giving a sense of national purpose and identity and inspiring the
development of Sinhalese culture and literature.TANK-BUILDING
The science of building tanks, studying gradients and constructing channels is the key
to early Sri Lankan civilisation. The tanks, which dot the plains of the ancient dominions
of Rajarata (in the north-central part of the country) and Ruhuna (in the southeast),
probably started as modest structures. But by the 5th century BC they reached such
dimensions that local legends say they were built with supernatural help. It is claimed
that Giant’s Tank near Mannar Island was built by giants, while other tanks were said to
have been constructed by a mixed workforce of humans and demons.
The irrigation system, developed on ever-greater scales during the millennium before
the Common Era, ranks with the ancient qanats (underground channels) of Iran and the
canals of Pharaonic Egypt in sophistication. These dry-zone reservoirs sustained and
shaped Sri Lanka’s civilisation for more than 2500 years, until war and discord overtook
the island in the 12th to 14th centuries AD.The bodhi tree
in Anuradhapura
has a 2000-year
history of human
care and custody,
making it the
world’s oldest
tree of this kind.BODHI
4th century
AD
Buddhism is further
popularised with the
arrival in Anuradhapura
of the sacred tooth
relic of the Buddha.
It becomes a symbol
of both religion and
sovereignty over the
island.5th century
After engineering his
father’s death and
expelling his older
brother Mugalan, King
Kassapa constructs
the rock fortress at
Sigiriya. With the help
of Indian mercenaries,
Mugalan finally retakes
the throne.5th century
The Mahavamsa (Great
Chronicle) epic poem
is written by Buddhist
monks. It recounts the
Buddhist and royal
history of the island,
interwoven with super-
natural tales.5th century
Indian scholar-monk
Buddhaghosa arrives
in Sri Lanka and writes
the Visuddhimagga, a
manual for the
Buddha’s teachings.
His explications
become part of the
Theravada canon and
are still studied today.History
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