විජයධරණී

  FOOTPRINTS ON WATER Experiences of a British Civil Servant in Colonial Sri Lanka Nimesha Thiwankara Senevipala (SLAS)   Over the past two centuries, Sri Lanka has endured a deeply troubling history of racism. Prior to the 19th century, the concept of ‘racism’ was largely foreign to the nation. However, the British colonial ambitions, particularly their efforts to subdue the Kandyan Kingdom, planted the seeds of racial division. The British deliberately sought to turn Sinhalese chiefs and Buddhist monks against the Nayakkar dynasty, which had ruled peacefully for centuries with the support of the Sinhalese-Buddhist community. To achieve this, the British manipulated local chiefs like Pilimathalawa and Ahelepola, fostering opposition against the Dravidian (Nayakkar) rulers in the upland provinces. Their conspiracy to incite ethnic discord succeeded, leading to the eventual subjugation of the entire island under British rule, and marking the end of over two thousand years of ...