{"id":10,"date":"2024-01-25T13:58:14","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T13:58:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/?page_id=10"},"modified":"2025-10-26T04:24:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T04:24:07","slug":"history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/history\/","title":{"rendered":"History and Historical Landmarks in Sri Lanka"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Sri Lanka has a long and rich history that dates back over 2,500 years, and there are hundreds of historical landmarks spread across the country. These ancient sites, such as temples, palaces, and forts, reflect the island\u2019s royal heritage and cultural traditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ancient Civilization<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Before 2,500 years ago, Sri Lanka\u2019s history is linked to early human settlements and legends. Archaeological findings show that prehistoric people lived on the island thousands of years before recorded history, such as the Balangoda Man, who hunted, gathered food, and used simple tools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to ancient stories, Prince Vijaya from India arrived around 543 BC and started the first kingdom in Anuradhapura. This marked the beginning of written history and the foundation of Sri Lankan civilization, which developed advanced agriculture, irrigation systems, and a rich Buddhist culture that shaped the island\u2019s identity for centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Period of Royal Rule<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The island\u2019s ancient civilization began with the arrival of Prince Vijaya from India around 543 BC, which led to the establishment of the first kingdom in Anuradhapura. During the period of kings, Sri Lanka saw great rulers such as King Dutugemunu and King Parakramabahu, who built stupas, tanks, and cities that still stand today. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After more than two thousand years of royal rule, foreign powers began to arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/history-and-historical-places-of-sri-lankan-kingdoms\/\">Learn more about Sri Lankan Kingdoms<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Arrival of Foreign Power<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Sri Lanka was fully and partially controlled by Portugeese, Dutch and British from 1505 to 1948. This time period has severly impacted some of cultural and social changes of the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\">Learn more about Foreign Power Since 1505<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>After Gaining the Independence (Since 1948)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948. Today, the country proudly preserves its royal heritage, colonial architecture, and cultural traditions that reflect its long and diverse history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sri Lanka has a long and rich history that dates back over 2,500 years, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":312,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-10","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":804,"href":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10\/revisions\/804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/312"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ceylonmajesty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}