ABSTRACT
Sri Lanka is a pear-shaped island at the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. The total land area consists of 65810 square miles and the population is approximately 17885000. The island is inhabited by the Sinhalese (74 per cent), the Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils (18 per cent), the Sri Lankan Moors (7 per cent) and other smaller groups (Department of Census and Statistics, 1991). Buddhism was introduced in the third century BC and since then it has been the dominant religion. Following several invasions, Sri Lankan society has been greatly influenced by India’s social, political and cultural values. In the sixteenth century, the Portuguese, the Dutch, and then the British came to the island ostensibly in search of trade, and occupied the maritime provinces by force. In 1815, the entire island was brought under British rule until independence was granted in 1948.
