![]() ![]() After his coronation, which was held in the Kingdom of Tambapanni, he left it, building another one, bearing his own name. However, Vijaya had died before the letter had reached its destination, so the elected minister of the people Upatissa, the Chief government minister or prime minister and leading chief among the Sinhalese became regent and acted as regent for a year. Īt the end of his reign, Vijaya, having trouble choosing a successor, sent a letter to the city of his ancestors, Sinhapura, in order to invite his brother Sumitta to take over the throne. According to the Samyutta Commentary, Tambapanni was one hundred leagues in extent. ![]() Tambapanni was originally inhabited and governed by Yakkhas, having their capital at Sirīsavatthu and their queen Kuveni. Vijaya claimed Tambapanni his capital and soon the whole island come under this name. It is recorded the Vijaya made his landing on the day of Buddha's Parinirvana. See also: House of Vijaya and Prince VijayaĪccording to Mahavamsa, Prince Vijaya and his 700 followers left Suppāraka, landed on the island at a site believed by historians to be in the district of Puttalam, south of modern-day Mannar and founded the Kingdom of Thambapanni. The Mahavamsa describes the existence of fields of rice and reservoirs, indicating a well-developed agrarian society. These are ancient sources that cover the histories of the powerful ancient Sinhalese kingdoms of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa which lasted for 1500 years. The early recorded history of the Sinhalese is chronicled in two documents, the Mahavamsa, written in Pāli around the 4th century CE, and the later Culavamsa (the first segment probably penned in the 13th century CE by the Buddhist monk Dhammakitti). Source:Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka Historical population YearĢ001 Census was only carried out in 18 of the 25 districts. The prince ( Prince Vijaya) is seen in both of groups of elephants and riders.Ģ The consecration of King Sinhala ( Prince Vijaya) (Detail from the Ajanta Mural of Cave No 17). The story of the arrival of Prince Vijaya in Sri Lanka and the origin of the Sinhalese people is also depicted in the Ajanta caves, in a mural of cave number 17.ġ A section of the mural at Ajanta in Cave No 17, depicts the 'coming of Sinhala'. King Vijaya, the lineage of Sinhabahu, according to the Mahavamsa and other historical sources, arrived on the island of Tambapanni (Sri Lanka) and gave origin to the lion people, Sinhalese. According to the Mahavamsa, Sinhabahu was the son of princess Suppadevi of Vanga, who copulated with a lion and gave birth to a daughter called Sinhasivali and to a son, Sinhabahu, whose hands and feet were like the paws of a lion and who had the strength of a lion. Some versions suggest Vijaya is the grandson of Sinhabahu. It traces the historical origin of the Sinhalese people back to the first king who mentioned in the documentary history of Sri Lanka, Vijaya, who is the son of Sinhabahu (Sanskrit meaning 'Sinha' (lion) + 'bahu' (hands, feet), the ruler of Sinhapura. The Mahavamsa records the origin of the Sinhalese people and related historical events. Sinhala is derived Sanskrit siṃhá, literally "lion" with the suffix - la, together meaning "abode of lions", referring to the prevalence of lions in earlier Sri Lankan history. Īccording to the Mahavamsa and the Dipavamsa, a 3rd–5th century treatise written in Pali by Buddhist monks of the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya in Sri Lanka, the Sinhalese descend from settlers who came to the island in 543 BCE from Sinhapura led by Prince Vijaya who mixed with the indigenous Yakka and later settlers from the Pandya kingdom. Since 1815, they were broadly divided into two respective groups: The 'Up-country Sinhalese' in the central mountainous regions, and the 'Low-country Sinhalese' in the coastal regions although both groups speak the same language, they are distinguished as they observe different cultural customs. ![]() The Sinhalese people speak Sinhala, an insular Indo-Aryan language, and are predominantly Theravada Buddhists, although a minority of Sinhalese follow branches of Christianity and The Sinhalese identity is based on language, cultural heritage and nationality. They constitute about 75% of the Sri Lankan population and number more than 16.2 million. They were historically known as Hela people ( Sinhala: හෙළ). Sinhalese people ( Sinhala: සිංහල ජනතාව, romanized: Sinhala Janathāva) are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group native to the island of Sri Lanka. A postcard image of a Sinhalese man from 1897ġ09,849 (2016) ![]()
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