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| Tourism in Srilanka » Tourism in Sri Lanka » Tourist Information for Sri Lanka » Religion in Sri Lanka |
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Religion in Sri Lankaa |
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Sri Lanka is a lovely island also known as the “Island of Dhamma”. Sri Lanka was the center of Buddhism and Budhhist art and culture flourished in ancient Sri Lanka. Today Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic nation where different people practice different religion. The world of religion in Sri Lanka is rich and varied like the cultural diversity of the country.
Buddhism is the dominant religion in Sri Lanka with almost 77% followers. Theravada Buddhism is the chief religion in Sri Lanka. In 246 BC Mahinda, Ashoka’s son led a mission to Sri Lanka and converted the Sri Lankan king to Buddhism. After that Buddhism spread with patronage from the royal families. Buddhism was designated as the official religion of Sri Lanka around 200 BC.
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Princess Hemamala and Prince Danta around 4th century AD brought the Relic of the tooth of Buddha to Sri Lanka.
Later with European colonization and Hindu influences Buddhism started declining in Sri Lanka. A movement for revival of Buddhism started in Sri Lanka around 19th century pioneered by Buddhist monk Gunananda. This movement made Buddhism the dominant religion in Sri Lanka again.
Islam arrived in Sri Lanka with the Arab traders during 15th century. Some traders settled down in the country and thus Islam was spread in Sri Lanka. A small percentage of the Sri Lankan population, around 7% follows Islam. The Malay and the Moor ethnic communities follow Islam.
Christianity in Sri Lanka spread when Portuguese missionaries arrived in Sri Lanka around 15th century. After that Dutch missionaries spread Christianity. With British colonization Protestant and Anglican missionaries arrived in the country. After the end of colonial rule Christianity faced a decline in Sri Lanka.
Hinduism is a predominant religion among the Tamils in Sri Lanka. The earliest Hindus who arrived at Sri Lanka were Indian immigrants who spoke Prakrit. Hinduism survived in Sri Lanka with the aids from the rulers of South India and Orissa. It is a flourishing religion in the diaspora of the Tamil populace in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is a country of rich multi-ethnic diversity regarding cultural life and the Sri religious constituents and way of life in Sri Lanka reflect this.
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