Stilt fishermen near Galle

Community

The people whomake the island.

Many languages, faiths and ways of life — sharing one island, shaping one another.

Many peoples,one island.

Sri Lanka is home to diverse communities with different languages, cultural practices and traditions. These short introductions are a starting point — each community is itself richly varied.

01

Sinhalese

The largest community, speaking Sinhala; predominantly Theravada Buddhist with a significant Christian minority. Heirs to the traditions of the ancient kingdoms.

02

Sri Lankan Tamils

Tamil-speaking communities with deep roots in the north and east, notably Jaffna and Batticaloa; largely Hindu, with Christian communities, and a rich literary and temple culture.

03

Indian Tamils

Also known as Malaiyaha Tamils, descendants of workers brought from South India in the 19th century, central to the culture of the tea-growing hills.

04

Sri Lankan Moors

A Muslim community with roots in centuries of Arab and South Indian trade; mostly Tamil-speaking, with distinctive food, dress and mercantile traditions.

05

Malays

Descendants of people from the Indonesian archipelago and Malay peninsula who arrived largely in the Dutch and British periods; historically spoke Sri Lankan Malay.

06

Burghers

Communities of mixed European — Portuguese, Dutch and British — and Sri Lankan descent, who have contributed music, food and professional life.

07

Vedda (Wanniyala-Aetto)

Indigenous people of the island, traditionally forest dwellers, with communities such as Dambana preserving ancestral customs.

“Diversity is not the exception here — it is everyday life.”

Sources: Department of Census and Statistics, Sri Lanka (Census of Population and Housing).

A · Languages

Three voicesof the island

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සිංහල

Sinhala

Official & national language

தமிழ்

Tamil

Official & national language

English

English

Link language

B · Everyday life

Faith, foodand family

Rice and curry — the heart of the family table.
Rice and curry — the heart of the family table.
Temple of the Tooth, Kandy — a centre of Buddhist devotion.
Temple of the Tooth, Kandy — a centre of Buddhist devotion.
Hindu kovils bring colour and ritual to daily life.
Hindu kovils bring colour and ritual to daily life.
Mosques, churches, temples and kovils often share the same streets.
Mosques, churches, temples and kovils often share the same streets.
Paddy fields in Ampara

C · Village life

Wewa, dagoba, yaya.

The tank, the temple and the paddy field — the old pillars of village life. Add the weekly pola market and the fishing beach, and you have rural Sri Lanka.

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Vegetable stall
A roadside vegetable stall.
Vedda village, Dambana
The Vedda village of Dambana.
Colombo skyline

D · The modern Sri Lanka

Colombo —where the islandmeets the world.

Photo: XKillSwitchXxx / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Galle Face Green

Galle Face Green

Kites, families and sunsets on the seafront.

Pettah

Pettah

Markets and street culture.

Old & new

Old & new

The Dutch Hospital beside modern towers.

Many faiths

Many faiths

Cultures, languages and traditions side by side.

Cafés, galleries and creative studios sit beside colonial façades and bazaars — Colombo is where tradition is constantly reinterpreted.

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