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| The '''Sinhalese''' are the majority ('''14''' million) ] of ], who probably came from Northern India. They speak ], an Indo-Aryan language. The history of |
The '''Sinhalese''' are the majority ('''14''' million) ] of ], who probably came from Northern India. They speak ], an Indo-Aryan language. The history of the Sinhalese is over 2500 years old. According to legend, they may have descended from King Vijaya and his party of several hundred that set foot on the island around ]. | ||
| They are generally considered to be a ] ], but display some traits of their ] neighbours (Australoid with strong Caucasoid traits), possibly due to assimilation of Tamils | They are generally considered to be a ] ], but display some traits of their ] neighbours (Australoid with strong Caucasoid traits), possibly due to assimilation of Tamils | ||
| Most of the Sinhalese are Buddhists (85%) |
Most of the Sinhalese are Buddhists (85%), and are considered the last nation and race of people who overwhelmingly follow the ] sect of Buddhism. | ||
| They've been having conflicts with the ]s in recent years, who mainly Hindus (see ]). | |||
| {{ethno-stub}} | {{ethno-stub}} | ||
Revision as of 16:38, 8 March 2005
The Sinhalese are the majority (14 million) ethnic group of Sri Lanka, who probably came from Northern India. They speak Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language. The history of the Sinhalese is over 2500 years old. According to legend, they may have descended from King Vijaya and his party of several hundred that set foot on the island around 500 BC.
They are generally considered to be a Caucasoid race, but display some traits of their Dravidian neighbours (Australoid with strong Caucasoid traits), possibly due to assimilation of Tamils
Most of the Sinhalese are Buddhists (85%), and are considered the last nation and race of people who overwhelmingly follow the Theravada sect of Buddhism.
They've been having conflicts with the Tamils in recent years, who mainly Hindus (see Ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka).
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