Who Are the Sinhalese?
The Sinhalese are the majority ethnic group of Sri Lanka, comprising approximately 75% of the island's 22 million population (16.5 million people). They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language with no close relatives, written in a distinctive rounded script. The Sinhalese trace origins to North Indian settlers arriving around 500 BCE, led by Prince Vijaya according to tradition. Sri Lanka became one of Buddhism's earliest strongholds outside India; Theravada Buddhism remains central to Sinhalese identity. The island's history of sophisticated irrigation systems, magnificent stupas, and Buddhist scholarship shaped a distinctive civilization.
Buddhism in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka received Buddhism in the 3rd century BCE when Emperor Ashoka's son Mahinda converted King Devanampiyatissa. The island became a center of Theravada Buddhism, preserving texts and traditions that influenced the entire Buddhist world. The Temple of the Tooth in Kandy houses Buddha's tooth relicâSri Lanka's most sacred object. Monasteries shaped education, art, and governance. Buddhism intertwines with Sinhalese national identity; the connection between ethnicity, religion, and nation has been both source of cultural pride and contributor to ethnic conflict with Hindu and Christian Tamils.
Ancient Hydraulic Civilization
Ancient Sinhalese kingdoms developed extraordinary water management systemsâmassive reservoirs (tanks), canals, and irrigation networks that supported dense populations in the dry zone. Parakrama Samudra, built in the 12th century, remains one of the largest ancient reservoirs. These systems enabled sophisticated rice cultivation and urban centers like Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. The civilization's engineering achievements rival those of ancient Rome. Decline came with South Indian invasions and colonial disruption, but tanks still function and the heritage shapes Sri Lankan identity and water management philosophy.
Colonial Impacts
Portuguese (1505), Dutch (1658), and British (1796) colonization transformed Sri Lanka. The British unified the island, developed plantation agriculture (tea, rubber, coffee), and imported Tamil laborers from India. Colonial education created English-speaking elites while disrupting traditional systems. Independence in 1948 came with unresolved ethnic tensions. Post-independence policies favoring Sinhala language and Buddhist religion marginalized Tamils, contributing to civil war. Colonial legacies thus shaped both modern Sri Lankan state and its ethnic conflicts.
Contemporary Challenges
The civil war's end (2009) brought peace but not reconciliation. Sinhalese Buddhist nationalism remains politically powerful; relations with Tamil and Muslim minorities stay tense. Economic crisis in 2022 caused political upheaval, highlighting governance failures. The Sinhalese must navigate between cultural preservation, Buddhist identity, and building an inclusive multi-ethnic state. Tourism to Buddhist sites provides income; diaspora populations in Western countries maintain connections. How Sinhalese identity evolves in relation to minorities and global integration shapes Sri Lanka's future.
References
- Geiger, W. (1912). The Mahavamsa or the Great Chronicle of Ceylon
- De Silva, K. M. (2005). A History of Sri Lanka
- Spencer, J. (1990). A Sinhala Village in a Time of Trouble: Politics and Change in Rural Sri Lanka