History
  Sri Lanka is one of the few countries that have a written record of its history dating over 1500 years. Legends and myths of course date back far beyond this time. Lord Buddha, founder of Buddhism, is said to have visited the country during his lifetime- even leaving an imprint of his foot on Adam's Peak, a 7300-foot mountain in the central highlands.  
Legend has that the beautiful garden of Eden still exists on earth, in the form of our own resplendent land, Sri Lanka. It is also beleived that the shape of the foot print atop the mountain , is that of Adam, the first man and there fore appropriately called Adam's Peak.
Another interesting legend, shrouded in mists of time, is ensconced in the great Indian Epic Ramayana. Rama, an incarnation of Hinduism's great god Vishnu, went to war with the demon king of Lanka Ravana to claim back his wife Sita, who was abducted by the evil Ravana and imprisoned is a grove of rhodenderon in the island Lanka.
Sri Lankan kings protected and nurtured Buddhism in the great citadels of yore. Ruins of what used to be the world's biggest stupa can still be seen in Anuradhapura, in the north central region. Great irrigation works, complete with reservoirs, canals and sluices serviced extensive cultivation of the staple food- rice. So much so that the little island was once known as the 'granary of the east'. Kings of mighty dynasties even waged war over neighbouring countries, attempting to expand the boundaries of their kingdoms across Burma.

While the first great cities were located in the rice-growing north- central region of the country, by the 18th century, the principal king held court in Kandy, a picturesque hill-bound valley, which fell to conquering British forces in 1815. By that time however, two other European nations had left their imprint- in culture, language and religion on the northern and western regions of Sri Lanka. The Portuguese came first, bringing with them the legacy of the Roman Catholic religion and its own culture, which was quickly adopted by the western coastal belt of the country.

The Dutch followed, persecuting Catholics and building fortress bound centers on the coastal belt. Many Dutch period buildings still remain along the southwest coast.

Taking over the entire country in 1815, the British changed the course of history of Sri Lanka. The ambitious colonists set up large plantations, first coffee, then when it failed, tea, rubber and coconut. They built roads, railway, schools, hospitals and cities. By 1948, when the British finally granted Independence to Sri Lanka the country had a fully fledged import/ export economy and was tipped to be the fastest developing country in Asia.