page_title: History of Sri Lanka
section_title: Transitional period (1232–1505)
hierarchical_section_title: History of Sri Lanka / Transitional period (1232–1505)
caption_attribution_description: English: Geographia by Francesco Berlinghieri (Crusca)
context_page_description: The history of Sri Lanka is intertwined with the history of the broader Indian subcontinent and the surrounding regions, comprising the areas of South Asia, Southeast Asia and Indian Ocean.
  The earliest human remains found on the island of Sri Lanka date to about 125,000 years ago.
  The historical period begins roughly in the 3rd century, based on Pali chronicles like the Mahavamsa, Dipavamsa, and the Culavamsa. They describe the history since the arrival of Sinhalese from Northern India The earliest documents of settlement in the Island are found in these chronicles. These chronicles cover the period since the establishment of the Kingdom of Tambapanni in the 6th century BCE by the earliest ancestors of the Sinhalese. The first Sri Lankan ruler of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, Pandukabhaya, is recorded for the 4th century BCE. Buddhism was introduced in the 3rd century BCE by Arhath Mahinda. The first Tamil ruler of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, Ellalan, an invader, is recorded for the 2nd century BCE.
  The island was divided into numerous kingdoms over the following centuries, intermittently united under Chola rule.
caption: Ptolemic map of Ceylon (1482)
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