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Sri Lanka’s 70th Independence Day parades-

10 Most Famous Historical events that happened in Sri Lanka

Lying off the southern tip of India, the tropical island of Sri Lanka is blessed with natural beauty that draws in many visitors.

In its very core sits centuries of ancient history that date back to prehistoric humans and the foundation of the country was built of bricks of events that have shaped the fate of the country

Here are the top 10 Most Famous Historical events that happened in Sri Lanka.

1. There was the kingdom of Kandy

the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic photo by Krishantha Piyanandana-

There was history before colonization and it will not be fair to tell the founding history of a country without a glimpse of its glorious past before being shaped by foreign influence.

The kingdom of Kandy was the last independent Monarch of Sri Lanka The kingdom was established in 1595 when Vimaladharmasurya brought a sacred Tooth relic, a symbol of royal and religious authority among the Sinhalese, and built a temple of the tooth.

The kingdom progressed and survived despite intermittent warfare with Europeans.

Unfortunately, the Kingdom fell into the hands of British rule by 1815 during the second Kandyan War and the last native monarch of Sri Lanka was exiled to India.

2. It was colonized by three powers

Sri Lanka has been an island that attracts people of all kinds and had many lucrative resources that invited people driven by greed and power, even earning the name “the pearl in the Indian Ocean”.

This attracted European traders to the island and they started a plot to take over the island.

The Portuguese landed in Sri Lanka by accident but when forceful trade negation on their part didn鈥檛 go how they expected they planned an invasion in 1549 famously remembered in history as 鈥淭he battle of Danthure鈥�.

Their mission was futile as the Sinhalese guerilla tactics proved effective but they gained some ports along the coast.

The glory of the Portuguese was cut short by the arrival of the Dutch and a war endured between the two, and the Dutch ended up gaining victory and taking control of Sri Lanka.

3. There were the anti-Tamil riots

Black July, Sri Lanka photo by Vikalpa | Groundviews

The Anti _Tamil riots that transpired in 1983, commonly remembered as Black July, were a malicious state-sponsored genocide that lasted from July 23^rd to July 30^th.

The horrors that can be unleashed by a group of humans bound by toxic ideologies have no room for sympathy, and this can be seen when Sinhalese marked with voter registration took at least 3000 Tamil lives, destroyed 5,000 shops, and displaced over 150,000 Tamils with no regards for human right.

It鈥檚 believed at least 500 Tamil women were raped and many families were burnt alive.

The black July will be remembered in Sri Lanka as a genocide in which no amount of judgment or trial can appease the mass victims whose lives were taken in a theatre of tragic comedy by their perpetrators.

Even the Tamil prisoners were not spared and under the supervision of Sinhala Prison guards, they also faced the rods of Massacre.

4. The assassination of Prime minister Bandaranaike

Bandaranaike was the fourth Prime minister of Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. He met his demise when he was assassinated by the Buddhist priest Talduwe Somarama Thero on September 25^th, 1959. He was shot in the abdomen, chest, and hand at his private residence.

He succumbed to his wounds at Colombo General hospital. He was the first Sri Lanka national leader to fall to an assassination.

5. There was the Independence of Sri Lanka

Sri_lankan_flag_with_the_mist photo by Kusal97-

Sri Lanka gained independence from the British colony on February 4^th,1948. Long wars were fought and many laid their lives for the country of Sri Lanka in its journey of attaining freedom.

The armed uprising against the British took place in the 1818 UVA Rebellion and the 1848 Metale rebellion. Independence was finally granted in 1948 but the country remained a dominion of the British empire until 1972.

In 1972, it assumed the status of a Republic, and a constitution was introduced in 1978, making the president the head of state.

6. The Civil war of Sri Lanka was the worst genocide

After gaining independence from British rule, the Sinhalese majority soon passed laws that discriminate against Tamils.

They made Sinhalese the official language and induced the Ceylon Citizenship Act of 1948, which barred Indian Tamils from holding citizenship.

Such acts fueled ethnic bloody riots to break out in Colombo and other cities. Soon the Tamil declared the first Elam wars鈥�, to create a separate Tamil state.

7. There was assassination of the prime minister of India

Rajiv Gandhi was a prime minister of India who was killed by an ethnic Tamil suicide bomber while conducting campaigns and elections in southern India in May 1991.

His murder was viewed as an act of retaliation after he sent Indian peacekeepers to Sri Lanka.

8. There was the devastating Tsunami

Tsunami photo by Bechir Kaddech-

One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded in history rippled through an undersea fault in the Indian Ocean, propelling a massive column of water toward a calm shore.

Sri Lanka was one of the countries hit by the massive tsunami on December 26^th,2004, the Sri Lanka authorities reported 30,000 plus confirmed deaths.

9. There was the assassination of the foreign affairs minister

The foreign minister of Sri Lanka, Kadirgamar was shot on 12^th August 2005 while getting ready to swim at his private residence.

Though many believe the Tamil Tigers, the rebel group to be responsible they denied responsibility.

10. There was the capture of Tamil Rebel leader

Selvarasa Pathmanathan is a former prominent member of the liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam and Interpol’s most wanted list for various criminal conspiracies.

He was left as the most senior LTTE member following the death of the LLTEs leadership during the final stages of the civil war. Mr. Pathmanathan was termed the rebels’ leader after the death of Prabhakaran.

He became the subject of a worldwide manhunt, being hunted by the world鈥檚 foremost intelligence agencies.

Conflict reports from Thailand indicated his arrest on 11 September 2007 and it wasn鈥檛 till 2009 when he was officially arrested by Sri Lanka Intelligence Service Agents.