Decisive dates in the history of Sri Lanka

Prehistory

Circa 10,000 BC First Stone Age culture emerges in Sri Lanka, and is related to early settlers in Australia, the Nicobar Islands and Malaysia, etc.

Circa 5,000-500 BC Balangoda was the earliest named culture and was widespread across the whole island.

Early Historical Period

543 BC Year 1 of the Buddhist era in Lanka.
The first entries in the Mahavamsa or "Great History" date from now.
Arrival of Sinhalese led by Prince Vijaya.

300 BC The Greek historian Megasthenes describes the pearls of Ceylon.

273-236 BC In India, the reign of Asoka, the "Constantine of Buddhism", sends missions to all parts of Asia including Lanka.
Inscriptions in Brahmi characters on cave shelters show first Buddhist communities.

Early Anuradhapura Period

Circa 250-210 BC Reign of Devanampiya Tissa.
Introduction of Buddhism when Mahinda, Asoka's son, visits Mihintale.
Arrival of the slip of the Bo tree under which the Buddha found enlightenment.

Circa 204-161 BC Reign of Tamil (Indian) general Elara.

161-137 BC Reign of Dutthagamenu.
Defeat of Elara, unification of Sri Lanka under a single monarch for the first time.
Religious foundations at Mihintale and Anuradhapura.

AD 45 Four Lankan envoys visit Rome.
Pliny mentions Sri Lanka in his histories.

274-301 Reign of Mahasena.
Foundation of the Jetavanarama, the largest dagoba or stupa in the world.

301-328 Reign of Sirimeghavana.
Sacred tooth of the Buddha (Tooth relic) taken to Anuradhapura.

427-455 Tamil invasion and domination.
End of the first Anuradhapura period.

Late Anuradhapura Period

455-473 Reign of Dhatusena.
End of Tamil domination.
Dhatusena murdered by his son, Kasyapa.

473-491 Reign of Kasyapa.
Construction of Sigiriya.
Kasyapa killed in battle by brother, Moggallana, in order to avenge father's death.

491-508 Reign of Moggallana I.
Capital returned to Anuradhapura.
Arrival of a sacred lock of hair of the Buddha (Hair relic).

575-608 Reign of Aggabodhi I.
Important irrigation work carried out.

772-777 Reign of Aggabodhi VII, which brought the temporary abandonment of Anuradhapura in favour of Polonnaruwa.

883 Anuradhapura plundered and destroyed.

Circa 947 Chola expedition.
Anuradhapura plundered.

956-972 Reign of Mahinda IV.
Rebuilding takes place at Anuradhapura.

993 Capture and sack of Anuradhapura by Cholas.

1017 Mahinda V captured by Cholas.
Chola viceroy at Polonnaruwa.
Collapse of irrigation system and destruction of many religious foundations at Anuradhapura.

1070 Vijayabahu crowned at Anuradhapura.
Kingdom liberated from Cholas.

Polonnaruwa Period 1073-1215

1073 Capital transferred to Polonnaruwa. Religious foundations and irrigation works started.

After 1110 War of succession after Vijayabahu's death. Three rival princedoms compete; all have separate capitals.

1153-86 Reign of Parakramabahu I (The Great).
Polonnaruwa becomes undisputed capital, beginning a period of political, religious and material reconstruction.
First Gal Vihara sculptures carried out.

Period of Ephemeral Capitals 1214-1597

1215-36 Tyranny of Magha, leader of the "Giants of Kerala".
Fall of kingdom of Polonnaruwa.

1236 Parakramabahu II makes Dambadeniya the capital.

1254-1324 Marco Polo visits Seilan (Ceylon).

1272 Yapahuwa becomes the seat of power.

1344 The Jaffna region emerges as an independent Tamil kingdom.

1415 The Sinhalese capital is established at Kotte, on the outskirts of modern Colombo.

1505 Portuguese arrive in Colombo, marking the beginning of European interest, and soon occupy the coastal areas, converting part of the population to Catholicism.

1554-93 Rajasinha I rules most of the island.
The Jaffna kingdom also holds out against the Portuguese.

Kandyan Period 1597-1815

1597 The Portuguese seize Kotte, then Jaffna.
Sinhalese capital moved to Kandy.

1635-87 Reign of Rajasinha II.

1658 Dutch arrive and oust the Portuguese from the trading post at Colombo and establish control over whole island except central kingdom of Kandy.

1747-80 Reign of Kirti Sri Rajasinha.
Campaigns to restore Buddhist monuments.

1796 Dutch surrender to the British. Britain begins to take over island.

1798-1815 Reign of Sri Wickrama Rajasinha.

British Colonial Period 1802-1948

1802 Ceylon becomes a Crown Colony.

1815 Last Kandyan king deposed and exiled in Madras (Chennai).
Britain starts bringing in Tamil labourers from southern India to work in tea, coffee and coconut plantations.

1817-18 Insurrection against the colonial administration, the so-called Uva Rebellion.

1826 Ola parchments found at Mulgirigala that led to understanding classical Pali scripts, and the translation of the Mahavamsa.

1830-70 Increase in the number of coffee, then tea plantations in the Hill Country.

1833 Whole island united under one British administration.

1870 Coffee plantations blighted and consequently tea planted instead.

1886 Ruins of Polonnaruwa discovered.

1931 Universal franchise granted.
The island becomes constitutionally autonomous on the basis of a representative system.

Independence 1948-Present

1948 Independence declared.
United National Party (UNP) seizes power and D.S. Senanayake becomes Ceylon's first elected prime minister.

1949 Indian Tamil plantation workers disenfranchised and many deprived of citizenship.

1956 The UNP loses elections to Solomon Bandaranaike of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), who is elected on a wave of Sinhalese nationalism. Sinhala made sole official language and other measures introduced to bolster Sinhalese and Buddhist feeling. More than 100 Tamils killed in widespread violence after Tamil parliamentarians protest at new laws.

1958 Anti-Tamil riots leave more than 200 people dead. Thousands of Tamils displaced.

1959 Solomon Bandaranaike assassinated by a Buddhist monk.

1960 Sirimavo Bandaranaike, widow of Solomon, becomes world's first woman prime minister and continues nationalisation programme.

1965 UNP wins elections and attempts to reverse nationalisation measures.

1970 Srimavo Bandaranaike returns to power and extends nationalisation programme.
Tamils start armed separatist movement.

1971 Sinhalese Marxist uprising led by students and activists.

1972 Ceylon becomes Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Buddhism given primary place as country's religion, further antagonising Tamil minority.

1972-75 Nationalisation of the tea plantations.

1976 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, Tamil Tigers) formed to fight for an independent Tamil state (Eelam means precious land) as tensions increase in Tamil-dominated areas of north and east.

1977 Collapse of the left.
J.R. Jayewardene (UNP) begins liberalisation of trade.
Separatist Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) party wins all seats in Tamil areas. Anti-Tamil riots leave more than 100 Tamils dead.

1978 New constitution introduced, based on the French model.

1981 Sinhala policemen accused of burning the Jaffna Public Library, causing further resentment in Tamil community.

1983 13 soldiers killed in LTTE ambush, sparking anti-Tamil riots leading to the deaths of an estimated several hundred Tamils - "Black July". Start of what LTTE call "First Eelam War".

1985 First attempt at peace talks between government and LTTE fails.

1987 Government forces push LTTE back into northern city of Jaffna. Government signs accords creating new councils for Tamil areas in north and east and reaches agreement with India on deployment of Indian peace-keeping force. Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP, People's Liberation Army) supporters riot across the island.

1988 Ruthless suppression of fledgling youth movement into the following year.
Left-wing and nationalist Sinhalese JVP begins campaign against Indo-Sri Lankan agreement.

1989 Ranasinghe Premadasa becomes president.

1990 Withdrawal of Indian troops and resumption of fighting between the Sri Lankan army and the LTTE. "Second Eelam War" begins.

1991 LTTE implicated in assassination of Indian premier Rajiv Gandhi in southern India.

1993 President Premadasa assassinated in LTTE bomb attack.

1994 Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, daughter of Sirimavo Bandaranaike, becomes president, pledging to end the war. Peace talks opened with LTTE.

1995 "Third Eelam War" begins when rebels sink government naval craft.
Sri Lankan army controls the Jaffna peninsula.

1998 LTTE bomb the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy, Sri Lanka's holiest Buddhist site.

1999 Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga re-elected, although she is wounded in a bomb attack at an election rally.

2000 Death of Sirimavo Bandaranaike.
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga is re-elected and forms a coalition government.

2001 Suicide attack on the international airport destroys half the SriLankan Airlines fleet.
Ranil Wickremesinghe, leader of the opposition UNP, becomes prime minister and vows to begin peace talks with the LTTE.

2002 Ceasefire and Norwegian-brokered peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE.
De-commissioning of weapons begins; the road linking the Jaffna peninsula with the rest of Sri Lanka reopens after 12 years; passenger flights to Jaffna resume. Government lifts ban on LTTE. Rebels drop demand for separate state.

2003 LTTE pulls out of peace talks but ceasefire holds.

2004 Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga dissolves parliament, ousting Ranil Wickremesinghe from office. The President's party wins the subsequent elections and Mahinda Rajapaksa becomes the new prime minister.
Renegade LTTE commander of the east, known as "Karuna", leads split in rebel movement and goes underground with his supporters. LTTE offensive regains control of the east.
Suicide bomb blast in Colombo - the first such incident since 2001.
More than 30,000 people are killed when massive waves (tsunamis), generated by a powerful undersea earthquake off the coast of Indonesia, devastate coastal communities.

2005 Row over deal reached with LTTE rebels to share nearly US$3billion in tsunami aid among Sinhalas, Tamils and Muslims.
State of emergency after foreign minister is killed by a suspected LTTE assassin.
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga unsuccessfully bids for an unprecedented and unconstitutional third term and steps down. SLFP chooses Mahinda Rajapaksa as their presidential candidate and he is sworn in as the fifth president of Sri Lanka following a closely contested election, although most Tamils in areas controlled by the LTTE do not vote.

2006 Attacks by LTTE begin to escalate again.
A suicide bomber attacks the main military compound in Colombo, killing at least eight people. The military launch air strikes on LTTE targets. LTTE rebels attack a naval convoy near Jaffna.
LTTE rebels and government forces resume fighting in the northeast in the worst clashes since the 2002 ceasefire. Government steadily drives LTTE out of eastern strongholds over following year.
Peace talks fail in Geneva.

2007 Police force hundreds of Tamils out of the capital, citing security concerns. A court orders an end to the expulsions.

2008 Government pulls out of 2002 ceasefire agreement.
International panel, invited by the government to monitor investigations into alleged human rights abuses, announces that it is leaving the country. Panel member Sir Nigel Rodley says the authorities were hindering its work. Government rejects the criticism.
Sri Lankan military says it has captured the important LTTE naval base of Vidattaltivu in the north.
Suicide bombing blamed by government on LTTE kills 27 people, including a former general, in the town of Anuradhapura.
Sri Lankan troops and LTTE rebels claim to have inflicted heavy casualties on each other in fierce fighting in the north.

2009 Government troops capture the northern town of Kilinochchi, held for ten years by the LTTE as their administrative headquarters. President Mahinda Rajapaksa calls it an unparalleled victory and urges the rebels to surrender.
International concern over the humanitarian situation of thousands of civilians trapped in the battle zone prompts calls for a temporary ceasefire. This is rejected by the government, which says it is on the verge of destroying the LTTE, but it offers an amnesty to rebels if they surrender.
LTTE planes conduct suicide raids against Colombo.
Former rebel leader Karuna is sworn in as minister of national integration and reconciliation.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, accuses both sides of war crimes.
The government rejects conditions attached to an IMF emergency loan worth US$1.9billion, denies US pressure causing delay to agreement.
Government declares LTTE are defeated after army forces overrun last patch of rebel-held territory in the northeast. Military says LTTE rebel leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, was killed in the fighting. LTTE statement says the group will lay down its arms.