From time immemorial Sri Lanka has been a popular place to visit for various purposes; finding new settlements, colonization, trade, and proselytism. Hence its culture is highly diverse with a multitude of contradictory beliefs, practices, and traditions.
The majority of the population is Sinhala Buddhist which is why Sri Lanka is packed with temples and statues of Lord Buddha. Many ancient temples were destroyed during South Indian invasions and colonization. Some of these places are reconstructed and preserved to be displayed to visitors. The best places to learn about the history and evolution of Buddhism are in the cultural triangle that covers Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya, Dambulla and Kandy.
The Tamil population is said to be descendants from South Indian invaders, traders and other immigrants. Hinduism is a highly vibrant culture which has meticulously carved Kovils painted in dark red, green, blue and yellow shades.
Catholicism has started rooting in the island with the British Colonizations. Several cities like Negombo, Chilaw and Galle have beautiful old churches which are constantly visited by people of all ethnicities. Not only British descendants, there are people with Portuguese and Dutch blood as well. Most surprisingly, there are small communities in coastal areas with African blood, known as Sri Lankan Kaffirs. Their great grandparents were brought to the Island by Portuguese as slaves, mercenaries, musicians and laborers.
Muslim population mostly comes from Traders from the Middle East who fell in love with the country and chose to settle down permanently. Up to date, the majority of the Muslims in Sri Lanka are traders. There is a great quantity of Mosques in the Island, of which the Red Mosque in Colombo Pettah is the most popular among tourists. Their own schools and court systems too are established in various locations in the Island although they represent a minority ethnic group.
Sri Lanka still boasts of their indigenous people known as ‘Veddas’, who have lived in the country before foreign interventions and invasions and chose to practice the old ways of living up to today. There are only a handful of Vedda populations remaining on the Island and their original language is on the brink of extinction. There are sub-communities such as Bintenne Veddas, Coast Veddas, and Anuradhapura Veddas. These tribes live in mud houses close to forest areas around Hunnasgiriya Hills in the central province, spreading up to the Eastern Coast. They adopt a different way of clothing, food habits, music, rituals, and other practices which paints a perfect image of the Sri Lankan culture and tradition before being affected by foreign invasions.
As a whole, the small island of Sri Lanka is packed with diverse cultures of different ethnicities which are quite contradictory from one another but intermingle in harmony and peace. This diversity makes traveling in Sri Lanka more fascinating and wholesome.
