Map of Sri Lanka

With members throughout the country, with the Centre for Society and Religion in Colombo, the Devasarana Development Centre, and the Woodlands Community in Bandarawela. There is a long-standing focus on creative travelling and community development. There are regular visits. There is also a link with the World Solidarity Forum, working for a just and peaceful future for all the people of the country. CA raises money for village wells.

A Brief History and Description of Sri Lanka by Yohan and Malini Devananda taken from "Out of the Depths - Struggle and Hope in Sri Lanka" a CA Publication.

Ancient Civilisation

The historian Arnold Toynbee put forward the theory that great civilisations arose out of response to the challenge of circumstances and he demonstrated that in the case of Sri Lanka her civilisation arose out of faceing ', the challenge of a dry and arid land, to @which her people responded by building the network of irrigation reservoirs, called tanks, which together with the land and the temples built became the foundation of the civilisation that has been preserved to this day. The remains of the ancient cities of Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa, resurrected by modern archaeologists, are well known the world over for temples, statues and palaces that are architectural and artistic gems. But not only in the more famous cities of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Dambulla, Sigiriya and Kandy but in a great many places in many different parts of the country there have been found the remains of tanks, temples, monasteries and other treasures. Most striking of all, perhaps, is the widespread net-work of tanks and irrigation canals. When the restoration of these, still far from completed, was undertaken, early in this century, modern engineers marvelled at the skills and achievements of their ancient counterparts.

Present composition

Sri Lanka is today a multi-religious, multi-racial and multi-lingual country. It is an island in the Indian Ocean about 400 miles north of the Equator and about twenty-five miles south of India. It is 25,000 square miles (65,610 square kilometres) in extent - about half the size of England (without Scotland and Wales) and slightly larger than the size of Holland and Belgium put together. The population is sixteen million. The Sinhala people are the majority race and form seventy-four per cent of the population, Tamils eighteen per cent, Moors and,Malays seven per cent, Burghers and others one per cent. By religion the proportions are Buddhists sixty-nine per cent, Hindus fifteen per cent, Moslems about seven and a half per cent, Christians about seven and a half per cent and others about one per cent.

Historical background

According to tradition recorded in the ancient chronicle, the Mahavansa, Prince Vijaya came from north-east India in the region of Bengal with 500 of his followers to Sri Lanka about 500 B.C. This is the origin of the Sinhala race, which is believed to be of Aryan stock. This was, evidently, a time of migration from India to Sri Lanka and both Sinhala and Tamil people migrated. The Tamils, who are believed to be of Dravidian stock, came from South India. They are likely to have started migrating about the same time as the Sinhala people. In fact, the Mahavansa records that Vij aya, who became the first king of Sri Lanka, chose a princess from Madurai in South India as his queen and wives for all his followers were also brought over from Madurai. There is a certain amount of controversy about origins but what is certain is that, though the Sinhala people and the Buddhist religion performed major roles in the building up of the Sri Lankan nation and civilisation, the Tamil people and the Hindu religion also performed notable roles in the building of Sri Lanka. In fact, there has been a great deal of inter-marriage and cross fertilisation between the Sinhala and Tamil peoples and their religions and cultures. There is much that they hold in common. The Moors and Malays came much later as traders but they too are an important part of Sri Lanka and some of them have settled in villages and engaged in agriculture. Last of all came those, also from South India, who were brought over to work for the tea estates in the 19th century. They too are an important part of Sri Lanka because of their work in the building of the tea plantations, which have been a major source of income for Sri Lanka.

Imperialist Era

The Portuguese came to Sri Lanka in the early 16th century and stayed till the middle of the 17th century. They brought Roman Catholicism. The Dutch followed and stayed till the end of the 18th century. They brought the Reformed Church (Presbyterian). The British followed and stayed till Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948. They brought Anglicanism. Methodism followed and, in fact, many of the various Christian denominations and sects have found their way to Sri Lanka.

With the dominance of the European Imperialist powers there was a major change in the economy of Sri Lanka, namely, from a predominantly peasant economy to a predominantly plantation economy. The Waste Land Ordinances/Crown Lands Acts of the 1840's were a major instrument in this transformation and gave rise, in 1948, to a famous peasant rebellion which was ruthlessly crushed. Earlier, in 1818, there had been another such rebellion which was also defeated. The tea, rubber and coconut plantations brought much wealth and modern development but many problems too. Sri Lanka had always fed and clothed her people. But all this was changed. She became dependent for her income on tea, rubber and coconut and began to import food and other basic essentials of every day living.

Welfare state

By the 1950's Sri Lanka had developed into a considerably advanced welfare state, within the limitations of a country that was still in the clutches of a neo-colonialist economy. There was a fairly efficient public administration, road and rail transport and postal services. Education and health services were of a high standard. The literacy rate was high and the death rate low. Democratic institutions were working fairly satisfactorily though, again, limited in certain respects.

Crisis

But by the 1960's a crisis situation was developing. The prices of imports - food and other essential items -were constantly escalating whereas the prices of exports of tea, rubber and coconut were decreasing in real terms. By the end of the 1960's Sri Lanka was approaching bankruptcy. From then on she would increasingly get into debt and thus have to follow the dictates of the World Bank and the International A4onetary Fund. Conditions were further complicated by the introduction of the open-market economy in the seventies and the coming of the multi-nationals. This meant more "development" or, rather, "developmentism", but it was accompanied by serious consequences of unemployment, pauperisation, etc., in certain sectors and areas.

Insurrection

With the development of this crisis situation unrest and conflict began to increase steadily. in 1971 there was an insurrection in the south of Sri Lanka led by the Janatha Vimukti Peramuna UVP). The Government had to ask for foreign help to bring it under control. Within a month it was suppressed with the help of several foreign countries. About 5,000 to 10,000 were killed and 18,000 were arrested or surrendered - almost entirely youth.

Ethnic conflict

Ever since the obtaining of Independence in 1948 the Tamil minority had been subjected to various acts of discrimination and attacks. The attempts of the Tamils to obtain justice met with violent repression. So, in 1976, the demand for a separate state - a desperate demand of a desperate people - was put forward by the major Tamil party. Then the Tamil militant movement emerged and after the tragic all-island communal violence of 1977 and 1983, gathered increased momentum. The Peace Accord and the coming of the Indian Peace Keeping Force in 1987 were an attempted solution but it failed. After a lull, the violence was revived.

Violence and counter-violence

The coming of the Indians was an opportunity for the revival of the JVP in the South. Since then, violence and counter-violence steadily escalated throughout the country. This has been accompanied by demonstrations, marches, strikes and work-stoppages (hartals, satyagraha) etc.

The Government's response to the rising tide of insurgent activities over the last twenty years has resulted in what is known in several other countries too as the "National Security State", with all its attendant apparatus of special repressive legislation, increasing militarisation, and the serious breakdown of the democratic process. Various economic relief measures and political expedients have been introduced from time to time in the name of development and democracy. But, always, it tends to be a case of too little, too late. So unrest and conflict continue. In fact, violence and counter-violence have escalated to fearsome proportions. The economy has been seriously affected and development seriously impeded. The Government has on a number of occasions summoned consultations or conferences of various parties and groups to bring about peace but, so far, they have always broken down and failed to produce tangible results.

Renewal of the Church

The Church in Sri Lanka (of the various denominations and sects) has had, through the centuries, many great achievements in the fields of missionary endeavour, education, health and social services. There have also been failures, weaknesses and shortcomings, mainly arising from the colonial connections. Now the Church is called to understand the changed and changing conditions of today and, through a movement of action-reflection, to discover the true meaning of development, justice and liberation and so re-think and renew her mission and ministry in response to the challenges of new responsibilities and new tasks, especially among the poor and marginalised. Increasingly, the Church in Sri Lanka is realising that being truly catholic and universal involves being truly indigenous and Asian in character and being truly Asian also involves being truly involved in the struggle of the poor for justice and peace.

In recent times, the ancient religions of the East have been revived. There are also secular and political ideologies that have come in the modern period. Sri Lanka is unique in Asia in that four major religions -Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and Christianity - as well as modern philosophies and political movements are represented in considerable strength. So creative living in Sri Lanka today involves a living dialogue between these religions and ideologies.

A number of church-related organisations such as the Christian Workers Fellowship, Satyodaya, Centre for Society and Religion and Devasarana have made special explorations of such activities, where people of different church denominations as well as people of different religions and ideologies work together in common responsibilities and tasks.

The churches themselves are making a variety of responses - attempting to base themselves on true tradition while being free for new and creative responses. It must be emphasised that there is a wide range of responses from those who stress the ,,evangelical" approach to those who stress the "social action approach, as well as those who try to combine both.

Partnership and sharing of resources

Then, today, more than ever before, no country can stand alone. So Sri Lanka is related to other countries through various international organisations such as the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations. The Church in Sri Lanka is related to such organisations as the Christian Conference of Asia and the World Council of Churches. Through all this, increasingly, people are realising the need for partnership and sharing of resources. And in this sharing, it must be born in mind that material resources - funds and technology - are important but more important are human and spiritual resources -religion and culture, experience, understanding and vision, experience of oppression and suffering, preservation of the will to resist, understanding of the need for change and of the processes of change, the spirit of fellowship and solidarity. Also, most important, there has to be true partnership. Whether between cast and west, north and south, black and white, rich and poor, man and woman, there has to be giving and receiving, learning and teaching on both sides.

Situation today (1984)

The situation today is that there is still unresolved ethnic conflict as well as a basic social conflict and democratic institutions are being undermined. It is a tragically violent situation. But there is also the challenge to work for reconciliation, justice and peace and to build a multi-religious, multi-ethnic, pluralist society. There are national and regional as well as international dimensions to the conflict, with spiritual, cultural, political and economic factors involved. in fact, it may be said that it is the world situation in miniature. Yet, in the midst of the tragic failure and loss there have been those, both in the north and south of Sri Lanka, who have shown great resilience of spirit and persistence in the search for a just and humane way of life for all the people of Sri Lanka. Many sacrifices have been made and there is a long road ahead. But we have seen and know that God's Spirit in Jesus is ever active in history to redeem, reconcile and liberate. So we may hope and pray and work that justice and peace may prevail

Basic Facts on Sri Lanka

Population - 15.6 million, 73 % rural, 27 % urban Area - 25,000 square miles, 65,610 square kilometres GNP per capita - US$320 (UNICEF 1986) Main exports - Tea, rubber, coconuts, textiles, gems Other main sources of income - Tourism (till recent more serious disturbances) Remittances of Expatriates earning in Middle East and other countries.

Sinhala-74%; Buddhists-69%

Tamils (Sri Lanka/Indian) - 18%; Hindus - 15Yo

Moors and Malays - 7 9o; Muslims - 7.5 %

Burghers and others - 1 %; Christians - 7.5%

(Roman Catholic c. 4.5 %, Anglican c. 1 Others c. 1.5%)

c.500 BC - Coming of Prince Vijaya and his followers (Sinhala) from Bengal area in N. E. India. 3rd Century BC - Buddhism brought by Mahinda Thera and Mahinda Theri - son and daughter of Emperor Asoka of the Mauryan dynasty in India.

No specified date for the first coming of Tamils. But likely to have come about the same time as the Sinhala people or from the next few centuries.

The earliest inhabitants, the Veddhas, have been generally absorbed by the Sinhala and Tamils. However, they still survive as a very small proportion of the population.

The Muslims (Moors and Malays) started coming for the purposes of trade much later.

A Persian Cross (seen on the Kurunagala diocesan crest), carved in stone and c. 6th century date, was found at Anuradhapura during excavations, which shows an early Christian link. But there is no evidence of continuous Christian activity. The cross is now to be found in the Anuradhapura Museum.

1505 Coming of the Portuguese (Roman Catholic).
1658 Coming of the Dutch (Presbyterian).
1798 Coming of the British (Anglican).
1948 Gaining of Independence of Sri Lanka.
1948 and Citizenship and Election Amendment Acts.
1949 (Adversely affecting Indian Tamils.)
1956 Official Language Act (Sinhala only). From
                 this time ethnic conflict begins to intensify.
1971 Insurrection in the South UVP).
                Late 1970'sTamil militant movement begins.
1983 Ethnic violence further intensifies.
1987 Peace Accord and coming of Indian Peace
                Keeping Force (IPKF). (Setting up of Provincial
                Councils for devolution of power). JVP insurgent
                movement comes up again and escalates.
1991 JVP crushed.

Sri Lanka is the ancient, traditional name. Ceylon is an anglicised form.