Travel
to Sri Lanka and make your dream Holiday come true!
Holiday in Sri Lanka is ideal if you're looking
forward to have fun, enjoy the sunshine and frolic
in white sandy beaches. If you want to do bird
watching, see wildlife paying a visit to Ceylon will
be a holiday you'll never forget. If you want to try
out eco tourism, Sri Lanka is a marvelous place to
spend your vacation. Sri Lanka is one place where
you could be in harmony with nature like in no other
place. By spending your holiday in Sri Lanka you'll
get so much of entertainment.
A Holiday in Sri Lanka means that you'll have loads
of fun, experience a unique culture
& heritage at www.lanka-travel.info
Lanka Travel Directory is the web site giving the
most comprehensive information on Ceylon. So if you
are thinking of a Vacation in Sri Lanka you have
come to the right place!
Sri Lanka Culture is fascinating. The Yaksha and
Naga tribes Civilized before 300 B.C. using
agriculture and irrigation, Nourished from the
Buddhism in early 2nd Century B.C. and also
influenced by Indian invasions and going through
Portuguese, Dutch and British rule, Sri Lankan
Culture is diverse like it's Natural Heritage.
Known as the Smiling People though out the world
Sri Lankans enjoy a unique life style that's
humble, artistic, entertaining and touching
someone's heart with Sri Lanka hospitality known
for centuries. The intimate connection between
Society and Buddhism as well as traditional
forms of Art, Dance and Music are the fusion of
the Sri Lanka Culture.
Customs
Customs and rituals have been part and parcel of
the Lankan society from ancient times. They have
been handed down from generation to generation
spaning over the 2,500 year old history of the
country. Most of these customs and rituals are
connected with the day to day lives of the
people in the social and religious spheres. Sri
Lanka's classical architecture, sculpture and
painting is predominantly Buddhist. Stupas
sprinkle the countryside, and there are several
extravagantly large Buddhas sculptures, notably
at Aukana and Buduruvagala. Anuradhapura and
Polonnaruwa have the most impressive
archaelogical legacy.
People
Sri Lanka is the land of multi-ethnic groups
distinctively divided by two main
characteristics: language and religion which
consequently intersect to create four principal
ethnic groups. The first one is the largest
minority group of the country-that is Sinhalese
people, accounting for 74% of its total
population, densely populated in the southwest
of the island.
The second largest group is Tamils which is
subdivided into two groups: the Ceylon Tamils or
Sri Lankan Tamils and the Indian Tamils.
Altogether, these two groups of Tamils account
for 18% of the country's populace. The Ceylon
Tamils concentrate in the northern and eastern
parts of the country while the Indian Tamils
separate to settle in the south central Sri
Lanka. The next group is Moors, the Arab
origins, recognized as the Muslims of 7% of
total population scattering around the Central
Highlands. Actually, among Moors, themselves,
comprises of three subdivisions: the Sri Lankan
Moors, the Indian Moors, and the Malays. The
fourth group is the Burghers who are the
descendants of the Portuguese and the Dutch.
Religions
Sri Lanka is
a country of many religions and the pattern
closely follows the ethnic groupings. Buddhism
is the dominant creed of the largest ethnic, the
sinhales, and is followed by 70% of the
population. It plays an extremely important role
in the country, both spirtually and culturally.
Sri Lanka's literature, art and architecture are
to a large extent a product of its Buddhist
basis. About extent a product of its Bhuddhist
basis. About 15% of population, mainly Tamils,
is Hindu. Muslims account for about 9% and
Christians abtou 7.5%. The Christian include
both Sinhalese and Tamil convert.
Sri Lanka is a land of religious freedom and
tolerance. Wherever you travel you will come
across a Buddhist Temple or Dagaba, a Hindu
Kovil, a Christian Church or a Mosque,each with
its own distinctive architecture.
Languages
Since Sri Lanka endows a diversity of ethnic
groups, language spoken in the country is
various. The two major ones widely used are,
however, Sinhala language spoken by the
Sinhalese majority and Tamil language used by
the Tamils. Although, Sinhala and Tamil are
languages from different source, both share some
common characteristics and obviously have
influence on each other's linguistic evolution
as well. Sinhala and Tamil are official
languages in Sri Lanka. Sinhala, a language of
Indo-Aryan origin is the language of the
majority. English is widely spoken and
understood. Place names and sign-boards on buses
andtrains are usually in all three languages.
