Featured Stories
The Arrival of Buddhism: Mahinda's Mission
The miraculous journey of Arahat Mahinda from India to Sri Lanka, and how a chance encounter on a mountain changed the spiritual destiny of an entire nation.
The Epic Duel: Dutugamunu vs Elara
The legendary battle between two warrior kings that unified Sri Lanka, culminating in one of history's most honorable single combats.
The Arrival of Vijaya: Founding of the Sinhala Nation
The legendary story of Prince Vijaya's arrival in Sri Lanka and the founding of the Sinhala nation, marking the beginning of recorded Sri Lankan history.
The Fall of Anuradhapura: End of an Ancient Capital
The dramatic fall of Anuradhapura to Chola invasion in 1017 CE, ending 1,400 years of continuous rule from Sri Lanka's ancient capital.
The Last King of Kandy: Fall of an Ancient Throne
The tragic story of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last king of Sri Lanka, and the end of 2,300 years of continuous monarchy in 1815.
The Sky Fortress: The Mystery of Sigiriya
The dramatic story of King Kasyapa, who built a magnificent palace atop a 200-meter rock fortress, creating one of the world's most extraordinary architectural achievements.
Browse by Category
politics
3 Stories
The 1915 Riots: When Colonial Overreach Sparked a Nation's Awakening
How a disputed religious procession ignited communal violence, brutal martial law, and ultimately transformed scattered grievances into Ceylon's organized independence movement.
The Donoughmore Constitution: A Revolutionary Leap Toward Democracy
How Ceylon became the first Asian country to achieve universal suffrage in 1931, charting an unprecedented path to self-governance and independence.
The Kandyan Convention: The Document That Ended 2,300 Years of Independence
On March 2, 1815, a treaty signed in the Royal Audience Hall of Kandy marked the end of Sri Lankan sovereignty and the beginning of complete British colonial rule.
education
1 Story
economy
7 Stories
The Ancient Coin Systems of Sri Lanka: Tracing the Island's Monetary Legacy
From punch-marked silver to divine copper plaques, discover how ancient Sri Lanka developed sophisticated monetary systems that connected it to vast trade networks across the Indian Ocean.
Ratna-Dweepa: The Ancient Gem Trade of the Island of Jewels
For over three millennia, Sri Lanka has been celebrated as the world's treasure island, where kings controlled the gem trade and precious stones journeyed along the Silk Road to distant empires.
The Ancient Seaports and Maritime Trade of Sri Lanka: Crossroads of the Indian Ocean
How Sri Lanka's strategic ports connected Rome, China, Arabia and India in a vast network of maritime trade spanning two millennia.
The Golden Bark: How Cinnamon Drew Three Empires to Ceylon's Shores
For three centuries, Ceylon's aromatic cinnamon sparked fierce colonial rivalry, transforming a fragrant spice into the prize that redrew the map of Asian trade.
Gateway to the Indian Ocean: The Epic Transformation of Colombo Port
From ancient spice traders to modern container giants, the story of how Colombo Port evolved from a humble harbor into one of the world's busiest maritime hubs.
The Lustrous Legacy: Pearl Fisheries of the Gulf of Mannar
For over three millennia, the pearl banks of Mannar yielded treasures that captivated emperors and fueled colonial ambitions, until greed and nature conspired to silence the ocean's bounty.
From Ruin to Resilience: How a Devastating Blight Transformed Ceylon into the Tea Capital of the World
When a deadly fungus destroyed Ceylon's coffee empire in 1869, a Scottish planter's experimental tea garden would spark one of history's most remarkable agricultural transformations.
Cultural Heritage
8 Stories
Reading the Heavens: Ancient Astronomy and Astrology in Sri Lanka
How ancient Sri Lankans mapped the stars, built monuments aligned with constellations, and organized their lives by the movements of celestial bodies.
The Ancient Hospitals of Sri Lanka: Pioneering Healthcare in the Medieval World
Discover how Sri Lanka built one of the world's first organized healthcare systems, with sophisticated hospitals dating back to the 4th century BCE, featuring advanced surgery, immersion therapy, and state-funded medical care.
The Sacred Drums Beat On: Kandyan Dance Through Colonial Conquest
How Sri Lanka's most sacred dance form survived British colonialism, transforming from royal ritual to national symbol while preserving centuries of cultural heritage.
The Mahavamsa: How Ancient Sri Lanka Wrote History for Eternity
The remarkable story of how Buddhist monks created one of the world's longest unbroken historical records, preserving 2,500 years of Sri Lankan history on fragile palm leaves.
The Mihintale Hospital: Ancient Medicine's Crown Jewel
Discover the 9th-century Mihintale Hospital, possibly the world's oldest archaeological evidence of a medical institution, where Buddhist monks pioneered surgical techniques and herbal treatments centuries ahead of their time.
When the Gods Walk Among Us: The Sacred Pageantry of Royal Processions
From ancient rain-invoking rituals to the magnificent Esala Perahera, discover how Sri Lanka's royal processions transformed into one of Asia's oldest living traditions.
The Revolutionary Sinhalese Press: How Print Technology Transformed a Nation
From the first Sinhalese type cast in 1737 to the Buddhist revival it sparked, discover how the printing press revolutionized communication, education, and cultural identity in colonial Ceylon.
The Literary Heritage of Jaffna: From Sangam Poets to Tamil Renaissance
Explore the rich Tamil literary tradition of Jaffna, from ancient Sangam age poets to the medieval kingdom's royal patronage and the modern revival of classical literature.
engineering
2 Stories
The Masters of Water: Ancient Anuradhapura's Hydraulic Civilization
How ancient Sri Lankan engineers created one of the world's most sophisticated irrigation systems over 2,000 years ago, transforming a dry landscape into a thriving civilization.
Taming the Giant: The Ancient Mahaweli Irrigation Scheme
How ancient Sri Lankan engineers transformed their greatest river into a hydraulic civilization that sustained kingdoms for over a millennium.
Religious History
6 Stories
The Arrival of Buddhism: Mahinda's Mission
The miraculous journey of Arahat Mahinda from India to Sri Lanka, and how a chance encounter on a mountain changed the spiritual destiny of an entire nation.
The Sacred Caves of Dambulla: Where Rock Becomes Prayer
For twenty-two centuries, devotion has transformed five natural caves into Sri Lanka's largest temple complex, adorned with over 2,100 square meters of ancient paintings and 157 sacred statues.
The Nallur Kandaswamy Temple: A Sacred Phoenix Rising Through Centuries
The story of Sri Lanka's most revered Hindu temple—destroyed, rebuilt, and reborn as the spiritual heart of Tamil identity in Jaffna.
The Silver Temple: How a Merchant's Discovery Built a Sacred Legacy
The legendary tale of how a chance discovery of silver ore in a remote cave helped King Dutugemunu complete his grand vision and gave birth to one of Sri Lanka's most enduring monasteries.
The Forest Sanctuary of the Rag-Robed Monks: Ritigala's Ancient Ascetic Order
Hidden in Sri Lanka's misty mountains, the Ritigala monastery became home to an enigmatic order of Buddhist ascetics who rejected worldly comfort—only to mysteriously vanish from history.
The Sacred Tooth Relic: A 1,700-Year Journey of Faith and Power
The extraordinary story of how Buddha's tooth traveled from ancient India to Sri Lanka, becoming the island's most powerful symbol of sovereignty and spiritual devotion.
Epic Battles
1 Story
Legends & Myths
4 Stories
The Arrival of Vijaya: Founding of the Sinhala Nation
The legendary story of Prince Vijaya's arrival in Sri Lanka and the founding of the Sinhala nation, marking the beginning of recorded Sri Lankan history.
Dambadiva Debate: Ancient Geography or Modern Controversy?
Exploring the controversial theory that challenges where the Buddha actually lived - was Jambudvipa ancient India or ancient Sri Lanka?
Ravana: Between Legend and History - The Complex Legacy of Lanka's Ancient King
Exploring the legendary ten-headed king of Lanka through mythology, archaeological investigations, and the enduring cultural debate between demon and hero.
The Sky Fortress: The Mystery of Sigiriya
The dramatic story of King Kasyapa, who built a magnificent palace atop a 200-meter rock fortress, creating one of the world's most extraordinary architectural achievements.
royalty
8 Stories
The Dambadeniya Kingdom: A Phoenix Rising from Ashes
How a fortress kingdom preserved Sri Lankan civilization during its darkest hour and sparked a golden age of literature in the 13th century.
The Gampola Kingdom: Bridge Between Medieval Empires
A transitional kingdom that preserved Sri Lankan sovereignty during turbulent times and created some of the island's most exquisite temple architecture in the 14th century.
The Jaffna Kingdom: Four Centuries of Tamil Rule in Northern Sri Lanka
From its founding in the 13th century to its tragic fall to Portuguese forces in 1619, the story of the Aryacakravarti dynasty and their prosperous maritime kingdom.
The Kotte Kingdom: Sri Lanka's Last Great Sinhalese Empire
The rise and fall of Kotte, from its golden age as a unified Buddhist kingdom to its tragic dissolution under Portuguese colonial pressure in the 16th century.
The Architect of Glory: King Parakramabahu I and the Golden Age of Polonnaruwa
The remarkable story of King Parakramabahu the Great, who unified medieval Sri Lanka and transformed Polonnaruwa into a magnificent center of Buddhist civilization, engineering marvels, and cultural achievement.
The Rise of Polonnaruwa: A Medieval Phoenix from the Ashes
From the ruins of Anuradhapura emerged a new capital that would witness one of Sri Lanka's most glorious eras, only to fall to a devastating invasion that ended 1,500 years of northern civilization.
Queen Anula: Asia's First Female Monarch and the Power of Historical Narrative
The controversial reign of Sri Lanka's first queen regnant, whose story reveals as much about ancient power struggles as it does about how history remembers powerful women.
The Eagle's Nest: Yapahuwa's Brief Reign as Guardian of the Sacred Tooth
The dramatic story of Sri Lanka's 13th-century rock fortress capital, where ornate staircases climbed to heaven and kings guarded the Buddha's sacred relic against foreign invaders.
war
7 Stories
The Warrior King: Dutugemunu and the Unification of Sri Lanka
The epic tale of how a defiant prince from the south became the warrior king who united ancient Sri Lanka, defeating a Tamil ruler in legendary single combat to forge a nation that would endure for centuries.
The Great Rebellion of 1818: Uva-Wellassa's Stand Against Colonial Rule
The heroic but tragic uprising of Kandyan nobles and peasants against British colonial rule, led by Keppetipola Disawe, that ended in one of the most brutal suppressions in Sri Lankan history.
The Kalinga Magha Invasion: The Storm That Shattered Rajarata
In 1215 AD, a foreign invader with 24,000 soldiers landed on Sri Lankan shores, unleashing a reign of terror that would permanently transform the island's political and cultural landscape.
The Unconquered Kingdom: 225 Years of Kandyan Resistance Against Colonial Powers
For over two centuries, the Kingdom of Kandy defied three European empires through guerrilla warfare, mountain fortresses, and unwavering determination before finally falling in 1815.
The Matale Rebellion of 1848: When Peasants Defied an Empire
The story of Ceylon's extraordinary 1848 uprising against British colonial rule, when ordinary people rose against land seizures and unjust taxes, marking a turning point in the island's independence struggle.
The Portuguese Conquest of Coastal Sri Lanka: 153 Years of Colonial Rule
From an accidental landing in 1505 to the dramatic fall of Colombo in 1656, the Portuguese transformed Sri Lanka's coast through conquest, conversion, and the ruthless pursuit of cinnamon.
The Uva Rebellion: When a British Officer Became a Rebel Leader
The story of Keppetipola Disawe, who defied the British Empire in 1817-1818, leading one of Sri Lanka's most heroic struggles for freedom.
colonial
1 Story
monarchy
4 Stories
The Fall of Anuradhapura: End of an Ancient Capital
The dramatic fall of Anuradhapura to Chola invasion in 1017 CE, ending 1,400 years of continuous rule from Sri Lanka's ancient capital.
The Kurunegala Kingdom: Medieval Capital of Power
The story of Kurunegala as a medieval capital of Sri Lanka, a strategic center that bridged the transition from Yapahuwa to Gampola during turbulent times.
The Last King of Kandy: Fall of an Ancient Throne
The tragic story of Sri Vikrama Rajasinha, the last king of Sri Lanka, and the end of 2,300 years of continuous monarchy in 1815.
The Nayakkar Dynasty: Last Rulers of Kandy
The story of the Nayakkar Dynasty, South Indian rulers who became the last royal family of the Kandyan Kingdom and patrons of Sinhala Buddhism.
art
2 Stories
The Gal Vihara: Masterpieces Carved in Stone
Four magnificent Buddha statues carved from a single granite cliff in 12th century Polonnaruwa stand as the pinnacle of ancient Sinhalese sculptural art.
The Sacred Threshold: Moonstones and the Path to Enlightenment
How ancient Sri Lankan artisans carved the Buddhist journey from samsara to nirvana into semicircular granite masterpieces that guarded temple entrances for over a millennium.
architecture
3 Stories
The Sentinel of the South: Galle Fort's 400-Year Journey from Colonial Stronghold to Living Heritage
From Portuguese outpost to Dutch masterpiece, explore how Galle Fort became the finest example of European fortification in South Asia and transformed into a vibrant UNESCO World Heritage community.
The Jetavanaramaya: Ancient Engineering Marvel That Pierced the Heavens
Once the world's tallest stupa, this 3rd-century engineering masterpiece required 93 million bricks and housed 10,000 monks in the heart of ancient Anuradhapura.
The Great Stupa: Building Ruwanwelisaya, Dutugemunu's Eternal Monument
The epic construction of ancient Sri Lanka's most sacred Buddhist monument, where faith, engineering genius, and royal devotion created one of the world's tallest ancient structures.
Tragedies
1 Story
literature
1 Story
