Have you ever heard your grandparents talking about Ceylon? Ceylon is the old name of Sri Lanka: the name was given by the British when they colonized it. Lanka is known to all of us from the story of Ramayana.
The Sinhalese from India conquered the island and named it Sinhala. Later, Tamils also from India invaded Sinhala pushing the Sinhalese southwards. This has been a source of conflict since then. The country was later invaded by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. After World War II, the island gained independence from the British. This happened in 1948 and after two decades, the country adopted its new name – Sri Lanka.
The old tensions between the Tamils and Sinhalese erupted again in the 1980s leading to a bitter civil war. The war killed thousands and many fled from their motherland.
The conflict ended in 2009 with the victory over Tamil Tigers.
Picture Credit : Google