Lesser-Known Languages (LKL): Sinhalese - Part 1
A deep-dive into Sri Lanka's long history and complex culture.
I still remember like it was yesterday my first encounter with Sinhala. I was working as a Project Manager in a localization company in Tokyo and, as I turned to chat with my colleague next to me, I saw mesmerizing shapes all over his screen.
I forgot what I meant to tell him and asked what language it was. He explained a client had decided to translate an internal journal into Sinhalese for their local employees.
I noted the client’s name and dug into the company server to find the source files and the localized versions. I knew I had to dive into this language one day in the future.
I could not let myself forget such a beautiful script.
4 years later, here we are. I’ve spent about 20 hours researching the language and Sri Lanka’s history, culture, and language.
Discovering everything you’re about to read was a journey in and of itself. I was ashamed at times, surprised at others, and plainly in awe at some others.
Sri Lanka in numbers
First, let’s talk numbers.
Sri Lanka has a population of 22 million inhabitants. The two main ethnicities are the Sinhalese (about 75%) and the Tamils (15.3%)
The Sinhalese are originally from North India, are mostly Buddhists and their language is Sinhalese, an Indo-Aryan language. On the other hand, the Tamils originate from South India, their language—of the same name—is a Dravidian language, and they are mostly Hindus.
While the two ethnicities are thought to be polar opposites always in conflict throughout history, this is actually not a fact.
The two coexisted in peace throughout most of Sri Lanka’s history, and both had a strong influence on the other, which also explains the many loanwords in both languages and cultures.
For example, The Sinhalese language is from northern India but the Sinhalese script comes from southern India and has many similarities to the ancient Tamil script.
But enough about generalities.
Sri Lanka has a complicated history so let’s dive right in.
Balangoda Man and the beginning of Sri Lanka
The first remains of humans found in Asia are those of a man now called Balangoda Man, named after the city around which the remains were found. He is believed to have lived 38,000 years ago.
At the time, Sri Lanka was not an island yet, which explains how humans could reach that place.
Skipping to -1,000 BCE, the South Indian Dravidian culture began making contact with Sri Lanka. The pottery, customs, and even the pro-writing system of the time appeared to be similar.
The first time Sri Lanka was ever mentioned, however, is as part of the North Indian story called the Ramayana. In it, a devil king from Sri Lanka called Ravana kidnapped a woman called Sita and fled to the island.
The first non-mythical work of literature from Sri Lanka is the Mahavamsa. It’s a part legend, part real historical record of the Sinhalese people, starting from 600 BCE.
The story begins with Prince Vijaya, son of the King of Sinhapura (thought to be in North India). He was considered unfit to rule and got expelled with 700 of his followers. They left by boat and ended up in Sri Lanka.
The legend says they landed on the island on the same day Buddha died—in 543 BCE according to the Mahavamsa, although other records disqualify this date.
Prince Vijaya called the island Tambapanni1. At the time, it was populated by the Yakkhas, thought to be the ancestors of the current indigenous tribe called Veddars, and the Nagas, thought to be South Indian traders.
The kingdom established by Prince Vijaya expanded at some point and became the kingdom of Anuradhapura, taking the name of its new capital city. By then, King Pandukabhaya was on the throne of this kingdom that controlled the northern half of the island.
This kingdom lasted over 1,000 years.
From legend to history
Legend becomes factual history from King Pandukabhaya’s son, Devanampiya Tissa. At the time, the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka who reigned over most of India sent his firstborn, Mahinda, to Sri Lanka. It’s said Mahinda was the one who introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka.
A branch of the tree under which the Buddha received enlightenment was brought and planted in the capital. The tree that grew from that branch is now the oldest human-planted tree for which we have a known planting date.
It was also around that time that the first Buddhist temple was built.
Around 180 BCE, Dutugamunu The Great2 defeated the Indian invaders that had been attacking the island for over 40 years under the rule of Ellalan.
He also became the first king to rule over the entire island.
The Mahavamsa was written around 275 CE so the rest of Sinhalese history was added later as part of the “Lesser Chronicle” (Chulavamsa චූලවංශය).
The history of Sri Lanka is full of battles for power and fights for survival. I invite you to watch this video with the full history as it’s well explained and goes into the details with a family tree along to help.
It also explains the interesting story of the creation of Sigiriya3 (here’s a link to that part directly). In short the bastard first son of King Dhatusena (455-473 CE) killed his father to take his throne instead of the King’s lawful son who was the heir.
Anyway.
From 1,017 to 1,055 CE, the northern part of Sri Lanka was controlled by the Chola Empire (from India). During that time the capital was moved to Polonnaruwa. When Vijayabahu took control of the city again, in 1,055 CE, he became king and created the second major kingdom in Sri Lanka’s history.
From 1,153 to 1,186, King Parakramabahu The Great4 was the last king to control the entire island of Sri Lanka. He developed the already well-developed irrigation system, of which many vestiges can still be seen today.
Europe’s control and finding independence
In 1505, the Portuguese became the first European power to set foot on the island. They called it Ceylon5. Yes, like the famous tea. More on that later.
At the time, the island was divided into three main kingdoms, one of which was subdivided between three brothers. This allowed the Portuguese to take control of the Island and convert many to Catholicism.
In 1619, they had conquered two of the main kingdoms, leaving only the Kingdom of Kandy, in the center of the island.
Side note: Vimaladharmasuriya who controlled the Kingdom of Kandy from 1590 to 1604 is famous for having brought the Buddha's tooth to Kandy, where it still remains to this day in the Temple of the Tooth.6
Around 1630, the Dutch came to the Kingdom of Kandy to help and push back the Portuguese but they ended up being even worse for the country.
It’s said this is where the Sinhalese saying “It’s like exchanging ginger for chilli” (ඉඟුරු දීලා මිරිස් ගත්තා වගේ inguru deela miris gaththa wage) originated.
In 1796, the British defeated the Dutch and took over most of Ceylon. They finished taking over the entire island in 1815.
During the middle of the 1800s British Ceylon became one of the largest exporters of coffee but a fungus spread in Asia in 1869 and destroyed Sinhalese coffee plants. This is when they were forced to turn to tea.
Sri Lanka finally got its independence in 1948, one year after India but it was still called Ceylon at the time and the British monarch was still its head of state.
It wasn’t until 1972 that the country officially changed its name to Sri Lanka and became a republic for the first time.
A darkening present
When Sri Lanka became a republic, the tension between Tamil and Sinhalese ethnicities was high. This was due to discriminatory laws passed by a mostly-Sinhalese parliament.
Many riots only made the situation worse.
One separatist group emerged above the rest: the Tamil Tigers7.
In 1983, they killed 13 soldiers, sparking in 1983 the largest anti-Tamil riots ever in what is now known as “Black July.” During that month, thousands were killed and tens of thousands of people became homeless.
This was the beginning of a civil war that later 25 years, until May 20098 when the Tamil Tigers' leader conceded defeat.
From 2009 to 2019, the country grew quickly. By 2014, 1.6 million people were lifted out of poverty thanks to investments by the Government led by Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Sri Lanka’s external debt tripled from 2006 to 2012. In 2015, the policies that contributed to this exploding debt were stopped. Yet, as the country’s growth kept going, so did the debt.
By 2019, Sri Lanka ascended to the World Bank’s upper-middle-income countries. This seemed like great news but it all came at a cost.
The same year, Mahinda Rajapaksa’s brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, got elected and promised tax cuts. When they were put in place, the government lost 25% of its revenue.
Covid then shot down tourism in 2020, which used to be a great source of income to reimburse the foreign debt.
In April 2021, the government suddenly banned all imports of fertilizers to reduce the drain on foreign reserves and try to become the first country in the world to adopt organic farming.
Overnight, farmers had to stop producing and the food supply collapsed.
Sri Lanka was forced to import common food items. This raised the price of food. The government reversed the policy in November 2021 but it was too late.
The country’s inflation earlier in March 2022 was estimated at 132%, according to John Hopkins University, although the Sri Lankan government’s official numbers put it at 50%.
By July 2022, there was only 50 million USD in the foreign currency reserve. This is not enough to import even basics such as fuel.
This made it the first country to stop selling fuel since the 1970s.
Protests started arising in April 2021 and the government repressed them. This didn’t stop the population’s action. On the contrary, protests only got stronger until, in May 2022, Mahinda Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country.
On June 10th, tens of thousands of citizens broke into Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s residence. The President, who was in hiding, fled the country on July 13th.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned the next day, on July 14th.
The Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinghe, was elected president by the Parliament a few days later, despite his unpopularity in Sri Lanka.
On September 3rd, Gotabaya Rajapaksa returned to Sri Lanka. Since then, calls for his arrest are being made.
The country has a tough future ahead of itself to recover from the past decade.
Sri Lankan Culture
Alright, let’s turn to a topic a tad more positive. Sri Lankan Culture!
I chose not to separate Sinhalese culture to Sri Lankan culture as Sinhalese represent the vast majority of the country but, of course, some parts of the country’s culture may differ based on ethnicity.
Overall Points
The culture found in Sri Lanka is largely based on Buddhist beliefs.
As such, gender separation is strong in Sri Lankan society. Men should avoid touching women. Women cannot sit or touch Buddhist monks. If they want to give something to a monk, they are expected to give it to another man first or hold the object with a tissue.
Giving things is usually done with either the right hand or two hands, but not just the left as it is considered to be for cleaning.
The top of the head is the most important part of the body so it is considered impolite to touch one’s head. This is especially true for touching babies’ heads.
The concept of “Face” (one’s reputation, dignity, and honor) transpires throughout everyday actions. Furthermore, as the country is a collectivist country, the actions don’t just reflect on one person but also on the group they associated with.
The Sri Lankan literacy rate is among the highest of any country in southern Asia at about 90%. Education is free from kindergarten until University but there aren’t many university applicants yet.
Festivals
There are many different festivals in Sri Lanka but let’s start by mentioning one we’ll see again in the next section: the Kohomba Kankariya festival.
The Kohomba Kankariya is a ceremony to express gratitude to the gods for giving a bountiful harvest. It is done by offering the first part of the harvest and it combines many dances and rituals that used to take seven days (although it now takes place for one day).
The Sinhalese and Tamil New Year also happens around the same time (mid-April). This is one of the largest festivals in the country, the during which locals burst firecrackers and hold competitions. Children also take the opportunity to apply herbal oils to remove negative spirits.
The Poson festival is the second most important festival for Sri Lankan Buddhists as it commemorates the religion entering the country in the 3rd century.
During this festival, lanterns, stalls, and pandals are set around the island to promote the Buddhist spirit.
The Vesak Poya festival is the most important Buddhist celebration as it commemorates the three crucial milestones in Buddha’s life: birth, enlightenment, and nirvana. It is celebrated in the first week of May and lasts a full week, with decorations similar to the Poson festival.
Another noteworthy Buddhist festival is the Kandy Esala Perahera which is also called the Tooth festival because, you guessed it, it has a procession of the Tooth Relic. It lasts 10 days and is celebrated around the country!
The Vel festival, on the other hand, is the most important Hindu yearly event. Happening through July or August in Colombo, it celebrates the war-god Skandha and his trident (Vel). The Vel is paraded in a golden chariot pulled by people in white with holy ash on their faces. It is a parade full of music with bells and drums ringing throughout the streets.
If you ever travel to Sri Lanka, check the festivals happening then. There are so many happening throughout the year that I’m sure there’ll be one when you’re there.
Dances
Sinhala dances are an integral part of the culture.
The legend says it all started with Prince Vijaya hearing a wedding ceremony music when he first arrived on the island.
The most famous dance type is called the Kandyan dance (උඩරට නැටුම්), coming from the Kandy kingdom (1469-1815).
There are 5 types of Kandyan dances:
Ves dance: It’s the most popular and was originally done as a purification ritual, the Kohomba Kankariya. It was only done by males inside a temple. Its elaborate ves costume is the main distinction.
Naiyandi dance: Happening during the Kohomba Kankariya preparations, the dancers wear mostly white clothes. It can also be performed in Maha Visnu and Kataragama Devales temples during ceremonies.
Uddekki dance: It takes the name of the uddekki instrument, a small and drum in the shape of an hourglass. The dancer sings as he plays and obtains different pitches by tightening the strings in different ways.
Pantheru dance: Similarly to the Uddekki, this one also takes the name of the instrument played. It looks like a tambourine (without the skin) with small cymbals on its side. The dance itself looks like the Uddekki dance but no beaded jacket like the one worn by Uddekki dancer is needed.
Vannams: These dances based on “descriptive praise” (varnana වර්ණනා) used to be only sung. With time, they became soo dances. There are 18 classical vannams.
Other languages of Sri Lanka
While this LKL piece focuses on Sinhalese, this isn’t the only language spoken in Sri Lanka.
As mentioned earlier, Tamil people constitute over 15% of the population and their language, Tamil, is also recognized as an official language of Sri Lanka.
Many people also still speak English following the British rule. This is especially true for middle and upper classes, and in large cities like the capital, Colombo. Today, about a quarter of the population uses English to communicate on a daily basis.
Sri Lankan Creole Malay is also the native language of about 46,000 people. It is a mixture of Sinhalese, Tamil, and—you guessed it—Malay. It originated with the arrival of Malays in the 1200s who were fleeing from British and Dutch colonizers. It used the Gundul Alphabet, an Arabic-based script. Nowadays, it is disappearing as young people prefer to rely on Sinhalese, Tamil, and English.
Then, there’s the Vedda Language, spoken by the indigenous people of Sri Lanka called the Veddas. There are only about 300 speakers left and the language is considered endangered.
Finally, there’s the disappearing Sri Lankan Portuguese Creole, spoken by a few dozens speakers of Portuguese descent, the “Burghers.” It used to be the lingua franca during the Portuguese occupation.
A Country to discover
I started researching Sri Lanka’s history and culture not because I was particularly interested in them but because it’s part of the structure I’ve set for these LKL deep-dives.
But I am happy I dove into this country so much.
It was an interesting journey into a history longer than I ever expected, with lots of interesting titbits and a population that has gone through so much it inspired me to complain less9.
There are tons of other parts I didn’t get to cover so I invite you to dig deeper too, if this piece didn’t satisfy your curiosity appetite.
Here are just a few topics to start you off:
The Tovil dances
Sri Lanka’s tea history and how it grew so big (here’s a short video about it), and its current fall
The history of one of the most complex irrigation systems of the ancient world
Sri Lanka is where cinnamon comes from. 90% of the world’s demand comes from the island.
The word “Serendipity,” coined in 1754, finds its origin in Sri Lanka as it comes from “Serendip,” an archaic name for the country used by Arabs and Persians.
The Sri Lankan flag is one of the oldest in the world (from 162 BC). Its current version is the only one in the world to recognize various religious beliefs (Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam).
Have a look and you’ll probably be as amazed as I was!
And just wait for Part 2 about Sinhalese grammar to discover how incredible its language is. 🥰
I fell in love with its script but its structure is just as captivating!
This is supported by the fact the Greeks called the island Taprobane.
Only two kings ever received this title. The next one won’t appear for another thousand years or so.
The image at the top of this piece is Sigiriya, if you don’t know what it is.
Here’s the second! 😉
I looked for the origin of the word and only got more confused as time passed. Some say it comes from the Arab word “saheelan”, some from Sinhaladvipa which is also used in the Culavamsa as a name for the island, and some from yet other origins.
I have to admit the idea of having a temple with this name made me laugh.
They were also called the LTTE: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Eelam was the name of the country they wanted to create for themselves in the northeast.
During that time, the Tamil Tigers notably assassinated Indian president Rajiv Gandhi and Sri Lankan president Ranasinghe Premadasa, and used suicide bombers regularly.
I won’t stop though. I’m French after all 😁