Sri Lanka was established as an independent state after colonialism, prior to which the island was governed by a single indigenous kingdom or multiple indigenous kingdoms, with the exception of a 70 year period in which the South Indian
Chola Empire extended its rule to Sri Lanka. The island has been reflected in Indian arts since ancient times; the first texts of Buddhism used the term "Lanka-dipa" for the island, a term which was commonly in use in South Asia at the time, but the island was known in the western world as "Taprobana" - derived from the
Thamirabarani River of Tamil Nadu that feeds into the gulf north of Sri Lanka.
Early history , from the
Anuradhapura period (8th century CE) According to traditional Sri Lankan chronicles (such as the
Dipavamsa)
Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in the 4th century BCE by
Mahinda, the son of Indian Emperor
Ashoka, during the reign of Sri Lanka's King
Devanampiya Tissa. During this time, a sapling of the
Bodhi Tree was brought to Sri Lanka and the first monasteries and Buddhist monuments were established. Among these, the Isurumuni-vihaara and the Vessagiri-vihaara remain important centers of worship. He is also credited with the construction of the Pathamaka-cetiya, the Jambukola-vihaara and the Hatthaalhaka-vihaara, and the refectory. The
Pali Canon, having previously been preserved as an oral tradition, was first committed to writing in Sri Lanka around 30 BCE. Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism of any Buddhist nation, with the
Sangha having existed in a largely unbroken lineage since its introduction in the 4th century. During periods of decline, the Sri Lankan monastic lineage was revived through contact with
Myanmar and
Thailand. Periods of
Mahayana influence, as well as official neglect under colonial rule, created great challenges for Theravada Buddhist institutions in Sri Lanka, but repeated revivals and resurgences – most recently in the 19th century CE – have kept the Theravada tradition alive for over 2,600 years. Tamils in Sri Lanka, had established
Hinduism and
Tamil language links with South India.
Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple considered as one
Shakta pitha.
Koneswaram and
Ketheeswaram are considered as only
Paadal Petra Sthalangal in Sri Lanka.
Indian intervention in the Sri Lankan civil war In the 1970s–1980s, private entities and elements in the
Research and Analysis Wing and the state government of
Tamil Nadu were believed to be encouraging the funding and training for the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a
separatist insurgent force. In 1987, faced with growing anger amongst its own Tamils, and a flood of refugees, India intervened directly in the conflict for the first time after the Sri Lankan government attempted to regain control of the northern
Jaffna region by means of an economic
blockade and military assaults, India supplied food and medicine by air and sea. After subsequent negotiations, India and Sri Lanka entered into an
agreement/13th amendment. The peace accord assigned a certain degree of regional autonomy in the Tamil areas with Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF) controlling the regional council and called for the Tamil militant groups to lay down their arms. Further India was to send a
peacekeeping force, named the
IPKF to Sri Lanka to enforce the disarmament and to watch over the regional council. According to
Rejaul Karim Laskar, a scholar of
Indian foreign policy, Indian intervention in Sri Lankan civil war became inevitable as that civil war threatened India's “unity, national interest and territorial integrity.” According to
Laskar, this threat came in two ways: On the one hand external powers could take advantage of the situation to establish their base in
Sri Lanka thus posing a threat to
India, on the other the
LTTE's dream of a sovereign
Tamil Eelam comprising all the
Tamil inhibited areas (of Sri Lanka and India) posed a threat to
India's territorial integrity. most Tamil militant groups accepted this agreement, the LTTE rejected the accord because they opposed the candidate, who belonged to another militant group named Eelam Peoples Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), for chief administrative officer of the merged Northern and Eastern provinces. The LTTE subsequently refused to hand over their weapons to the IPKF. The government of India then decided that the IPKF should disarm the LTTE by force, The ruthlessness of this campaign, and the Indian army's subsequent anti-LTTE operations made it extremely unpopular amongst many Tamils in Sri Lanka. The conflict between the LTTE and the Indian Army left over 1,115 Indian soldiers dead. The Indo-Sri Lankan Accord, which had been unpopular amongst Sri Lankans for giving India a major influence, now became a source of nationalist anger and resentment as the IPKF was drawn fully into the conflict. Sri Lankans protested the presence of the IPKF, and the newly elected Sri Lankan president
Ranasinghe Premadasa demanded its withdrawal, which was completed by March 1990. India has also been wary of and criticised the extensive military involvement of
Pakistan in the conflict, accusing the latter of supplying lethal weaponry and encouraging Sri Lanka to pursue military action rather than peaceful negotiations to end the civil war.
Support during COVID-19 and Sri Lankan economic crisis In the face of the acute
financial and economic crisis of Sri Lanka, India has extended help worth USD 3.8 billion to help Sri Lanka. In line with India's '
neighbourhood first' policy, this includes an agreement to supply 700 million USD worth of petroleum through a
Line of credit. India's EXIM Bank and
State Bank of India extended export credit facilities of 1.5 billion USD for the import of essential commodities. India also signed a 400 million USD agreement to help present Sri Lanka's
Foreign exchange reserves. India also supplied 500 buses to the Sri Lankan Transport Department. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, India sent 500,000 vaccines to Sri Lanka under grant assistance. India also sent 150 tonnes of oxygen to Sri Lanka to help combat the third wave of the pandemic. In July 2023, Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in India where they outlined vision for an economic partnership to strengthen the
maritime, air, energy, and interpersonal networks between them as well as to accelerate mutual cooperation in the tourism, power, trade, higher education, and skill development sectors. They said they would also work to connect their electricity grids and to examine the feasibility of building a
petroleum pipeline and a land bridge. In addition, they said they would restart negotiations on a more expansive trade deal known as the Economic and Technological Trade Agreement. India has conveyed a resolute endorsement of Sri Lanka's
debt restructuring proposal to the international lending institution, as Sri Lanka's debt to its immediate neighbor amounts to approximately $1 billion. In September 2023, Sri Lanka's foreign minister,
Ali Sabry, backed India in its
diplomatic feud with
Canada, accusing Canada of being a "safe haven for terrorists" and suggesting Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau was prone to making "outrageous and substantiated [sic] allegations". He also advised Trudeau to not interfere in the internal affairs of a sovereign country. == Culture ==