History of Sri Lanka

In the Beginning (5th or 6th century BC - 4th century BC)

The beginning of Sri Lanka dates back to about five centuries before the birth of Christ when the first people who were believed to come from the northern of India and entered the island through Adams Bridge -- a land bridge connecting Indian subcontinent to Sri Lanka -- , Sinhalese, settled in the island. These people gradually replaced the prior inhabitants, the Wanniyala-aetto or Veddahs. On account of the habitation of the newcomers, the island was then called 'Ceylon', referred to in ancient Sanskrit literature, means the island of Sinhalas.

Among the new arrival was the prince Vijayamarks who had been expelled from India by his father and, after his arrival on the island, conquered all three tribes of former inhabitants on the island. This explains the ties of the Sinhalese people to India in which their language has common roots with that of the Northern tribes of India. And, Tamils, the second largest ethnic group of the country, also have a language that shares a great deal with the Dravidian tribes of the southern India.