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The Orient's Realm of...
Lanka
 Lanka “the resplendent land” is a large island lying in the Indian Ocean near the southern tip of India. It has a tropical climate with a regular monsoon and scattered throughout the centre of the island are steep mountain ranges where the climate is mild and temperatures can drop. Famous for its quality Ceylon tea, these mountainous areas serve as the ideal locations where it is grown and produced. The island itself has been known by many names throughout its distinguished history, and not only by its own people, but by others as well. Originally, in ancient India people referred to it as Lanka, Lanka-dweepa and Ilubharata and mention of these names is made not only in Valmiki’s Ramayana where it plays a major role, but also in the Mahabharata and other sources. The Greeks and Romans called it Taprobana (Taprobane) after the later Indian name Tamba-panni “Land of the copper-coloured sands” and depicted the island on maps as being larger than it actually was. After the time of Ptolemy it was known as Salike. Diplomatic relations with Rome occured in both the reigns of Emperors Claudius - 40 AD and Julian - 4th century AD with delegations of emmisaries sent to Rome on behalf of their king with an actual exchange of ambassadors taking place during the time of Julian. The island was seen to be a rich source of exotic commodities for peacocks, spices, gems and other goods, and for a time some interest was generated in Rome. The Arab traders called it Serendib, and in maps of the 17th century it was named Selen-diva meaning the “Island of Selen or Seren (dipity)”. Over time the name transformed into to Seylan then Ceilao, named by the Portuguese who arrived in 1505 AD, and also Zeilan, then finally into the more modern English name, Ceylon. The current name of Sri Lanka in sanskrit translates as “venerable resplendent land”.  Early History The island has a richly recorded history that extends back to around 543 BCE being contempory with ancient Greece though archaeological excavation at Anuradhapura has revealed a large iron age city settlement of 15 ha existing there sometime before 900 BCE which by 700 BCE had expanded to encompass an area of around 50 ha. Another site was also found near Aligala in Sigiriya from around the same time. It is also of interest to note that cinnamon found in ancient Egypt as early as 1500 BCE was most likely acquired from the island where it is native and this suggests early forms of contact or trade. Even references have been made that it may have been the biblical Tarshish. For over 2000 years the island was mainly ruled by the kings of the Sinhala dynasty though other kingdoms from India also held power and occasionally ruled over areas of the island. These invading kingdoms involved the Indian Pandya, Chola, Chera, and Pallava dynasties as well as the Orissan kingdom of Kalinga and others from the Malay Peninsula. But prior to its recorded history and the important introduction of Buddhism to the culture, archaeological and paleontological evidence indicates homo sapien habitation on the island may extend possibly as far back as 300,000 years. [1] Archaeological research at Balangoda has uncovered the stone age habitation of the Balangoda People, from around 32,000 to 3000 BCE who are thought to have arrived sometime around 34,000 years ago, probably from India. Human skeletal remains dated at 16,000 years indicate that Balangoda man was tall, healthy and robust and had a well balanced diet of plants, game and seafood. These Mesolithic hunter gatherers lived in caves and remains of their habitation at the Batadombalena and Fa-Hien Rock caves have yielded a number of artifacts including flints, functional geometric microlith tools fashioned into various shapes along with other materials made of bone, clay and deer antler. Another area of habitation between 17,000 – 10,000 years ago on the Horton Plains of the cental mountains is attributed to the Sandakelum people. What is interesting about these people is that there is clear evidence of one of the first upgrades of humans from hunter gatherers to an agrarian society with organized farming of barley and oats and some scholars have even suggested the plain itself may have been purposely created by originally burning the trees to flush out game. Interestingly enough, Aboriginals of Australia have used these same techniques for thousands of years and recent dental morphological analysis of the jaw bones of Balangoda man show a close affinity with the Austro-Asiatic people of eastern and north eastern India, implying a common origin. There are a number of places where evidence of man’s early habitation can be found including sites near Kitugala, Kuruwita, Kalatuwawa and Kegalle. Moving on to about the 6th century BC onwards, civilisation and Sinhalese culture took off in earnest. There followed a time of Indo-Aryan migration from northern India with the first kings and a spurt of population growth, which saw the building of city structures along with the construction of massive artificial Tanks - great reservoirs of water, and huge Dagoba’s (stupas), which for the most part, were profoundly influenced by the introduction of Buddhism and Vedic thought from India. Sinhalese culture thus became firmly established on the principles of Buddhism and has continued with this process up to the present day. 
The buddhist monk Nagasena in writing the Mahavamsa (circa 400AD), chronicled well the early history of buddhism and the island, also using other sources as references including the Dipavamsa and the Attakatha. This epic poem written in Pali verse and suitable for memorization and recitation, covers the first coming of King Vijaya of Kalinga (circa 543 BC) and through the royal dynasties up to the reign of King Mahasena (circa 334–361 BC). It mentions a number of interesting things including the reign of Emperor Asoka in India, the historical buddha, court intrigues, stories of battles and invasions, the building of stupas and tanks as well as mentioning that the land was inhabited by Yakkhas, Nagas and Devas prior to the arrival of Vijaya. Comprised of three parts written at different times by buddhist monks, it reveals a fairly concise history of the island and although the historical accuracy of the document corelates astonishingly well with factual events and various archaeological inscriptions, it does contain some elements of what may be considered myth or legend.
The architectural jewels of the Sinhala kingdom can be seen in the beautiful layout of their great cities, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa and the ancient rock fortress of Sigiriya. Anuradhapura was the capital of the Sinhala kingdom from the 4th century BC to the 11th century AD where after that the capital was moved to Polonnaruwa and it flourished. They are exceptional examples of city building at its best and in their heyday must have looked really splendid. Parks, tanks or groves were interwoven into their matrix as were temples, statues, stupas, palaces and public buildings. The city of Polonnaruwa contains an exceptionally beautifully made lotus pond known as the Nelum Pokuna bath and is built in tiers of eight petalled lotuses decreasing in descending form. Architecturally it is considered perfect and was constructed from blocks of finely cut granite. This and other imposing and beautiful structures scattered throughout the Island’s settlements and cities makes it a truly wonderful place to visit and a culture worth delving into.  Nalanda Gedige a hybrid Hindu-Buddhist Temple built sometime between the 8th-11th century AD There are many things to explore and other aspects of the country’s history, such as the northern Tamil culture and the later kingdoms of Kandy and Kotte, as well as the Portugeuse influence of the middle ages right up through to the arrival of the Dutch in the 17th century. Then there's the superb canals of Negombo, the wonderful caves of Dambulla overflowing with intricate statues and frescos and the British East India company which established control over the island in 1796, declaring it a crown colony in 1802. To a history buff its like running your fingers through a pot of gold. There’s a little bit of something here for everyone… 
Monarchs of Lanka Visit
The Bodhi Tree to learn more about Buddhism Learn about Lanka's ancient
Hydraulic Civilization
Royal Decrees for Animals
The Tamils of Lanka Read the
Mahavamsa
Lankapedia A mini AW Encyclopedia for this hood
 Sources: [1] Research and findings of eminent archaeologist Dr.Siran Deraniyagala News article Balangoda Research - Prof.Anton Jayasuriya History of Sri Lanka Dr. Brendon Gooneratne MBBS DAPE PhD Mahavamsa Nelum Pokuna Memoirs - Sun Wukong Tang Images: Wikipedia Commons 
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