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Sri Lanka's history dates back to around the 5th Century BC when the first Sinhalese peoples came from India to the island. The ancient city of Anuradhapura soon rose to become a vast, flourishing capital which endured for many hundreds of years under the Sinhalese kings despite a number of invasions from India. Over a thousand years later the great city of Polonnaruwa became the capital and here, and latterly in the south west of the island, the kings continued to rule for many years, but again were forced to wage war against a variety of invaders including the Chinese, Indians and finally in the 16th Century, the Europeans in the form of the Portuguese. These European invaders were initially protectors of the various island kingdoms, except Kandy, but this soon led to colonial rule and they used the island for the promotion of the lucrative spice trade. The Dutch soon followed in the 17th Century and then the British arrived in 1815 and were the first to unite the whole island, including Kandy, under their control. The British soon developed the infrastructure of the island to aid the cultivation process of coffee, rubber and then more successfully tea, which is now one of the country's principal exports. In 1948 Ceylon became an independent member of the British Commonwealth and the country prospered in the post war years. There then followed a number of years of political rollercoasting with several Prime Ministers coming and going and sweeping nationalisation along with a deteriorating economy. With times becoming hard, the differences between the Sinhalese and the Tamils started to lead to conflict and the demand for a separate state for the minority Tamils. This demand has continued over recent decades with intermittent conflict and then attempted peace talks. Over the last year a peace initiative has been put in place between the Tamil Tigers and the government and the country has become significantly more peaceful and stable. Sri Lanka now offers a truly fascinating and varied cultural experience along with some of the Indian Ocean's most delightful golden beaches.
