TIMELINE OF SRILANKA

Prehistoric (Mesolithic culture)

1,000 BC - 400 BC

Early Iron Age I (Megalithic-BRW culture)

400 BC - 200 BC

Early Iron Age II

250 BC - 100 AD

Early Historic (Anuradhapura)

100 AD - 500 AD

Middle Historic I (Sigiriya)

500 - 1000 AD

Middle Historic II

1000 - 1300 AD

Late Historic I (Polonnaruwa)

1300 - 1500 AD

Late Historic II

1500 - 1800 AD

Colonial Period (Portuguese, Dutch; coast) and Kandyan Kingdom (interior)

1800 - 1948 AD

British Colonial Period

Prehistory. Austronesian migration. Microliths from heat-shattered quartz. Urn burials.

543 BC

Year One in the Mahavamsa. Sinhalese settlers, led by Prince Vijaya, arrive from India.

300 BC

Megasthenes, a Greek historian, mentions Sri Lanka in his writings.

250 BC - 459 AD

Early Anuradhapura Period

c. 250 BC - 210 BC

King Devanampiya Tissa

c. 250 BC - 200 BC

Mahinda introduces Buddhism from India to Sri Lanka.

161 BC - 137 BC

King Dutugemunu unifies Sri Lanka.

35 BC - 32 BC

Pali Canon (Buddhist scriptures) committed to writing.

45 AD

Envoys from Sri Lanka visit Rome.

303 - 331

Tooth Relic arrives.

412 - 413

Fa Xian visits Anuradhapura.

432 - 459

Tamil invasion.

459 - 1017

Late Anuradhapura Period

459 - 477

King Dhatusena repels Tamils but is killed by his son Kasyapa.

477 - 495

King Kasyapa builds Sigiriya but is defeated by his brother and commits suicide on the battlefield.

7th - 10th centuries

A complicated time of alliances and conflicts between Lanka and several South Indian states, as: the Pandya, Pallava, Chola, etc.

993

Cholas sack Anuradhapura.

Polonnaruwa Period

1073

Native Sinhalese defeat the Cholas; new capital established at Polonnaruwa. Sculptures at Gal Vihara.

1110 - 1153

Rival capitals.

1153 - 1186

Reign of Parakrama I (The Great). Political reunification and building program at Polonnaruwa.

1187 - 1196

Reign of Nissanka Malla. Building program continues at Polonnaruwa.

1214 - 1597

Period of Disunity

1214 - 1236

Kalingan invaders destroy Polonnaruwa; ephemeral capitals thereafter.

1254 - 1324

Marco Polo visits the island.

1505

Portuguese arrive.

Portuguese occupy the coastal areas.

16th century (2d half)

Native Singhalese kings (Rajasinha I, others) and Portuguese puppet king (Dom Jao Dharmapala) vie for dominance.

1597 - 1815

Kandyan Period

1597

Native capital moves to Kandy, holds out against European invaders for next 200 years.

1656 - 1796

Dutch Colonial Period

1656

Dutch oust the Portuguese.

1796 - 1948

British Colonial Period

1796

Dutch surrender to British.

1802

Ceylon (the British name for the island) becomes a Crown Colony. British establish coffee plantations.

1815

Last king of Kandy is deposed and exiled to India.

1870

Coffee blight forces changeover of plantation system from growing coffee to growing tea.

1948 - present

Independence

1948

Ceylon declares independence.

1972

Ceylon changes name to Republic of Sri Lanka.

1985

Tamil Tigers (LTTE) emerge from Jaffna secessionist movement.

1985 - present

National development continues, amidst ongoing LTTE Revolutionary.