Is an island in the Indian Ocean

Sweets[edit]

Kevum oil cake is made with rice flour and treacle and deep-fried to a golden brown. Moong Kevum is a variant where mung beanflour is made into a paste and shaped like diamonds before frying. Other types of Kevum are Athiraha, Konda Kevum, Athirasa & Handi Kevum. Many sweets are served with kiribath milk rice during the Sinhala and Tamil New Year.
The history of Sri Lanka begins around 30,000 years ago when the island was first inhabited. Chronicles, including theMahawansa, the Dipavamsa, the Culavamsa and the Rajaveliya, record events^[1][2] from the beginnings of the Sinhalese monarchyin the 6th century BC, the Tamil Elara (monarch) in the 2nd century BC;^[3] through the arrival of European Colonialists in the 16th century; and to the disestablishment of the monarchy in 1815. Some mentions of the country are found in the Ramayana, theMahabharata and the Lankavatara Sutra Mahayana Buddhism texts of Gautama Buddha's teachings. Buddhism was introduced in the 3rd century BC by Arhath Mahinda (son of the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great).

From the 16th century, some coastal areas of the country were ruled by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Sri Lanka was ruled by 181 Kings and Queens from the Anuradhapura to Kandy periods. ^[4] After 1815 the entire nation was under British colonial rule and armed uprisings against the British took place in the 1818 Uva Rebellion and the 1848 Matale Rebellion. Independence was finally granted in 1948 but the country remained a Dominion of the British Empire.

In 1972 Sri Lanka assumed the status of a Republic. A constitution was introduced in 1978 which made the Executive President the head of state. The Sri Lankan Civil War began in 1983, including an armed youth uprising in 1987–1989, with the 25 year-long civil war ending in 2009.