History of Sri Lanka and significant World events from 483 BC to 246 BC

World events are in normal letters and Sri Lanka History events are highlighted in BOLD LETTERS

483 Kingdom of Thambapanni is founded by Vijaya as North Indians mix into the Lankan community Vijaya landed in Sri Lanka near Mannar, and met a local girl named Kuveni. She introduced Vijaya to the local chief, Mahakalasena who ruled from the town of Lankapura. He invited Vijaya and the migrant group, to the seven days long wedding feast of his daughter. Noticing the unpreparedness of the local defences during the wedding festival, Vijaya and the followers killed many of the local officials, including Mahakalasena and grabbed the power. Refusing to accept Vijaya's rule, a lot of Sihalese (As Lankans were known at the time) withdrew to the jungles of the hill country. They blamed Kuveni for bringing the strangers into the kingdom. Vijaya realized that he should win the hearts and the minds of the people of Lanka if he was to continue to live in Lanka. Thus, the compromise between Vijaya and the Lankans took place. From here onwards, the north Indians would mix into the Sinhalese community as equals.

First King in history of Sri Lanka

483 First King in the recorded history of Sri Lanka: Vijaya takes the chief queen from North India Vijaya's ministers advised him to select a noble bride from North India as the chief queen. They proposed a princess from Madura Pura, south of Singhapura in Punjab. MaduraPura, inhabited by Ksatriya cast (mix of Sakyas and the Deva casts who refused to marry anyone from outside) was renown for beautiful maidens at the time. Many North Indian princes took brides from there. This beautiful princess from a kshastriya tribe of the Aryans arrived in Mannar with a large band of tradesmen and maidens. Earlier it was argued that this princess came form the Pandyan kingdom, and that she was the daughter of the Pandu King, who was from a kshastriya tribe of the Aryans who migrated from Madhya Pradesh. But it has been rejected. Among the many reasons it has been rejected is that there was no such royalty or advanced kingdom, which is linked, to the North Indians, developed in south India at the time.

483 Fate of Kuveni; Kuveni was very angry for not being selected as the chief queen. She refused all other offers made by the ministers, and left for her people's kingdom named Lankapura in the hill country. Her people who did not trust her killed her. Her children Jivahatta and Disala fled to the jungle near Adams peak to create a new race in the jungle. They are believed to be the Pulinda race of the Veddah community.

Death of Buddha

483 Death of Buddha at the age 80: His rejection of metaphysical speculation and his logical thinking introduced an important analytical habit, which lacked in the Indian tradition until then. These would become Sinhalese traits later on. After 45 years of preaching, he passed away in kusinagara, Nepal, as a result of a food poisoning. He was 80 years old. He was well aware of his death and warned his followers. He stressed that he had already taught them what was necessary for the salvation and the continuance of the future organization and propagation of his creed. He only mentioned that the people in the island of Sri Lanka would safeguard the pure form of Buddhism for another 5000 years. Buddha was one of the greatest human beings, a man of noble character, penetrating vision, warm compassion, and profound thought. Not only did he establish a great new religion that didn't believe in Gods or idols, but his revolt against hedonistic, ascetic, and spiritualistic extremes, and the caste system, deeply influenced Hinduism and the Indians themselves. Subsequent Buddhist art produced magnificent depictions of his deathbed, with animals and people mourning bitterly whilst his enlightened disciples serenely contemplate his final nirvana. His body was cremated and his relics were divided amongst eight Dagabas.

483 First Buddhist council The first council was held at Rajagaha (present-day Rajgir), capital of Magadha kingodm which was one of the two largest kingdoms (along with Kosala kingdom) in North India at this time. It was held immediately after the Buddha's death. Presided over by a monk named Mahakasyapa, it's purpose was to recite and agree on the Buddha's actual teachings and on proper monastic discipline. Such disciplined Buddha Sasanaya became very popular during the next 30 years. But 100 years after Buddha's death, Sasanaya became a job for some corrupt monks which led to the second council in Vaisali in 373 BC.

480 SinhaBahu dies in Sinhapura; Vijaya's brother Summitta becomes king. Vijaya's father, SinghaBahu died in the kingdom of Singhapura. Vijaya's brother, Summitta became the king. He will have 3 sons. The youngest, named Panduvasdeva will arrive in Sri Lanka to become the king of Lanka after Vijaya's death.

480 3rd Persian Invasion of Greek States When the Persian empire made another all-out attempt to capture Greek states, Spartans, who by their unique National Philosophy, had the best army of all Greek states, was the first take the lead in defending. A Persian Army column of 200,000 under Persian emperor Xerxes went to Thermopylae to capture the Athenian Naval fleet, the best Navy in the Greek states. Another Persian Army column went to Athens.

480 One of the Greatest Battles in history : Battle of Thermopylae : Greek traitor betrays the nation for money Leonidas I, king of Sparta (ruled 490-480 BC) himself poised against the 200,000 Persian army at the narrow mountain pass of Thermopylae. But a Greek traitor had shown the Persians a way to bypass the Greek army and envelope them. Having learnt this, brave king Leonidas ordered the bulk of the Greek army to escape before the Persians encircle them. He chose to stay and fight to death. He had only a terribly outnumbered force of 300 Spartans and 700 troops from other Greek states. The ratio was 1 to 200. Only Spartan warriors had been trained to fight 100 men at a stretch. Their plan was to block the large Persian army at this narrow pass which is wide enough for only one cart at a time. They swore to other Greek states that they will fight until death.

480 One of the Greatest Battles in history : Battle of Thermopylae : Greeks face Persians at a ratio of 1 to 200 Brave Spartan king Leonidas withstood the Persian invasion for two days, long enough to allow the Greek Athenian fleet to withdraw from the threatened harbour. (This Athenian Greek fleet will destroy the Persian Navy power for good in a few weeks). Spartan king Leonidas fought until death winning immortal fame for his heroic defence at this pass.

480 One of the Greatest Battles in history : Battle of Thermopylae : "Oh Stranger, Go Tell the Spartans that here we lie, obedient to their laws" A Spartan Warrior who had doubts about how much the Spartans would appreciate and remember their sacrifice and pain commented. After the death of the Spartan king, the survivors were forced to withdraw to a hill top. From there they fought to the death. Persians recorded that only 2 Spartans survived the battle. Only one Spartan warrior managed to return to Sparta, only to be treated as a coward by the rest of the civilian population. Years later, he died performing a lone suicidal charge against the enemy to clear his name. This indicates that the efforts to involve the Spartan civilian population in the war efforts may not have been sufficient. These sentiments were reflected in the statement by a Spartan Warrior which was printed on the war memorial at the pass. "Oh Stranger, Go Tell the Spartans that here we lie, obedient to their laws".

480 Sparta is weakened After the Battle of Thermopylae, the slow decline of the Sparta began. Patriotic Spartans from all social classes, including that of the Royalty had sacrificed themselves and the selfish had taken the positions held by them. Society became selfish. There were fewer and fewer willing and capable civilians who would sacrifice themselves to defend the nation. Quality of the training and the descipline went down. Though Sparta revived to dominate over other states briefly in 80 years in 400BC, in another 300 years, Sparta was a weak state open for invasions.

480 Persians destroy Athens The Persians who won the battle of Thermopylae, then proceeded to Athens, capturing and burning the abandoned city.

480 Battle of Salamis: Persian Navy is wiped out by the Greek Athenian Navy Meanwhile the Persian fleet pursued the Greek fleet to Salamis, an island near Athens. In the naval battle that ensued, 400 Greek vessels of the Athenian Navy, under the Athenian general and statesman Themistocles, defeated 1,200 Persian vessels. Xerxes, Persian emperor, who had watched the battle from a golden throne on a hill overlooking the harbour of Salamis, fled to Persia. In the following year, 479 BC, the remainder of the Persian forces in Greece were defeated and finally driven out by the Greek patriots.

479 Confucius dies in China : He stressed on the importance of classics of Chinese literature and music and the power of good example by everyone including the rulers. Entire teaching of Confucius was practical and ethical, rather than religious. He claimed the humans duty was to practice five virtues of kindness, uprightness, decorum, wisdom, and faithfulness.His teachings continued to be a powerful influence on Chinese philosophy and the history of China. Confucius(551-479 BC), the most famous Chinese philosopher, was born in a noble family only to be poor at 3 when his father who was a commander in the state army, died. Confucius received a very good education thanks to the influence the Zhou dynasty had on his state. Four years after his marriage at 19, with 3 chidren to feed, he became a labourer. Around 525 BC, he started his career as a teacher, travelling and instructing students who gathered around him. Soon he obtained a reputation as a man of learning and character with great respect for traditional ideals and customs. As Zhou dynasty's central government weakened and corruption and vice engulfed China, believed that the only solution is to convert people back to principles necessary. At 50, he became a magistrate and at 51 the minister of crime in his state. His administration was so successful that his reforms almost eliminated crime. In 496 BC, his enemies got him sacked. Having failed to find a ruler who would employ him he retired in 484 BC.

476 End of the 70 year War of Liberation: Athens beat Sparta as the most powerful Greek State Within one year, the remaining Persian forces in Greece were finally driven out. As a result of it's brilliant leadership in the Persian wars, Athens became the most influential state in Greece. This war of liberation proved to the world the increasing importance of seapower. The naval battle of Salamis had been the turning point. Sparta, so far the greatest military power in Greece because of its army, lost its prestige to the Athenian fleet. Athens now began to dominate other states.

Birth of Socrates

470 Birth of Socrates ( 470-399 BC) : By his life and his death, he became a model of the rational, questioning and fearless philosopher for future generations. Born in Athens to a sculptor and a midwife, Socrates lived as a sculptor until he was drafted to the Athens army as an infantryman against Sparta from 432Bc to 422Bc. Socrates then devoted his life to address the public, at public-places in Athens with people claiming knowledge. While trying to help them understand their ignorance, he came to understand his own. He said that virtue was knowledge. He said that no one does wrong willingly, but only out of ignorance. He also said that it is better to be wronged than to wrong someone else. This, which prevents retaliation, was quite new to the Athenian public thought. He called those who were willing to teach anything for a fee and argue without sincerity were "the most dangerous opponents". Socrates, pretending to be ignorant, encountered people who claimed to know about topics, and sought enlightenment from them. By questioning their definitions, he exposed that the one reputed to be wise didn't really know what he claimed to know. Socrates emerged as the wiser person because he at least knew what he did not know.

460 Greeks 300 year transformation is completed. Living close to the sea, the ancient Greeks were natural sailors and traders. Between 750 and 450 BC, they founded colonies around the Black Sea and in present-day Italy, Sicily, Spain, Greece, and Libya. By this time, the Greeks lived in several hundred city-states, each independent and consisting of an urban centre and its rural area. These states experimented with various forms of government for 100 years. Their names we still use today. Aristocracy, oligarchy, tyranny, and democracy. (Words “politics”, “police” come from the Greek words). In various cities, codes of laws were written to maintain law and order and to discipline the ruling elite. The best known of the lawgivers was Solon, who lived from 638 BC to 559 BC. His regulations covered matters as diverse as marriage, adoption, clothing, farming, and the calendar.

460 Athens Golden Era: The most beautiful city in the world In its golden era after emerging powerful in Persian wars, city attained its greatest splendour. The constitution, reformed to further internal democracy, contained provisions such as payment for jury service, thereby permitting even the poorest citizens to serve. Pericles was determined to make Athens the most beautiful city in the world.

450 The Statue of Zeus (one of the 7-wonders of the ancient world) The statue of Zeus, the most famous sculpture in ancient Greece, was a 9-m (30-ft) tall portrayal of God Zeus, seated on a throne. The god's robe and ornaments were made of gold and the body was carved from ivory. Phidias, a Greek sculptor, crafted it. The statue was placed in the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Greece. It was destroyed two centuries later by the Roman invaders. Today the statue is known only from the engravings of the period, which shows an imaginary reconstruction of the statue.

447 In Athens, building of the Parthenon in the Acropolis, begins The Parthenon, "the masterpiece of the Greek architecture", is a temple dedicated to goddess Athena. It was built with Ionic columns and a frieze around the top, on the Acropolis (citadel of Athens) above the city of Athens. Built in the Doric style and entirely of white marble, the Parthenon measures 72 m (237 ft) long and 34 m (110 ft) wide. It was built for 15 years from 447 BC to 432 BC. Today, even in a ruined state, the building portrays a feeling of order and monumental symmetry for which Greek architecture is famous.

Sri Lanka's first history King dies

445 King Vijaya dies without an heir: Lankans look for a well-trained, suitable true leader who could lead them to Glory. Vijaya died after ruling for 38 years. Vijaya was not a great ruler. During his rule, Lankans realised the need for true leaders if they were to develop into a glorious civilisation. The ambitious officials, who dreamt of Lanka to be one of the developed nations, unanimously decided that no one without noble Royal blood should become the king. They believed others might have weaknesses of the commoners such as greed, shortsightedness, selfishness, self-indulgence and lack of motivation and lack of discipline, to develop the country. They wanted only great leaders, groomed from the childhood under the pious religious upbringing for great statesmanship. They believed that only they could make Lanka to become a developed peaceful nation. They sent a message to Vijaya's brother Sumitta who ruled Singhapura in Punjab, North India, requesting for such a true noble young man trained in statecraft.

445 Upatissa - The interim ruler Upatissa, the chief minister of Lanka, ruled from his town Upatissagama for one year until a new capable king arrived from North India.

444 Panduvasdeva - arrives to be the second king of Lanka Vijaya's brother who ruled Singhapura asked his 3 sons which one of them would like to migrate to Lanka as the new king and to develop Lanka as a solid civilisation. Third son Panduvasdeva volunteered. He and his 32 best friends of noble birth arrived as Buddhist monks in Trinco. Helped by the Lankan villagers, they reached Upatissagama. He would be the second king of the Lankan civilisation.

444 First example of Bestfriend culture Panduvasdeva's arrival with his 32 best friends in Sri Lanka is one of the earliest examples of the Bestfriend culture of the Sinhalese civilisation. Bestfriends are normally taught, trained and groomed together. Bestfriends would be an important part of the Sinhalese culture. Sinhalese would continue to have bestfriends whom they trust without any doubts or limits. In turn, a best friend is expected to have seven noble qualities. Trustworthiness, ability to advise correctly, ready to sacrifice everything including own life to help the friend are some of these qualities. The Bestfriend culture helped the Sinhalese to develop a trustworthy and a helpful society where no one was insecure or alone. Such a society was not prone to crime, corruption, and ill-discipline, loose morals. Many uncorrupt Sinhalese, who survived 443 years of colonialism, still practice these noble qualities. It is so unfortunate that, even with such a golden philosophy, that the Sinhalese have not learnt what qualities to uphold after the British left. It is high time they rediscover their true values if they want to recover.

444 Panduvasdeva rules from Vijitapura Panduvasdeva ruled Lanka from the town of Vijitha pura, near the northern bank of Kala weva reservoir, near present day Vijitha pura Viharaya. This town made headlines in 240 years time, when, in 160 BC, Dutugemunu defeated the Elara's garrison in the fortress of Vijitapura, in the most decisive battle of his liberation campaign.

444 Beautiful Subadda Kachchana chooses the Lankan king Then, a chief queen had to be found for the new king. Again, Lankans went looking for a suitable bride, this time they wanted a noble princess of Buddha's Sakya clan in North India. They requested beautiful Subadda Kachchana, youngest daughter of a King of Sakya clan. This king, who ruled north of river Ganges, was a cousin of Buddha. His daughter, Subadda Kachchana, was tall, divine, was compared to a goddess. Many kings and princes' were competing to marry her. She was the North Indian princess with the highest demand at the time. Young kings from seven North Indian kingdoms (Maha Janapadas), had already proposed to her. But by destiny, remembering Buddha's words, she chose Lanka without hesitation. She and 32 of her noble friends landed in Trinco. She was wise. In 15 years, as predicted by Buddha, North Indian kingdoms (Maha Janapadas) will begin to disappear due to wars and invasions.

443 "History" ("Inquiry" in Greek) is written by Herodotus, the "Father of History" Herodotus (484-425 BC), was a Greek historian called the "father of history" who was born in Turkey. At 27, he was exiled for conspiring against Persian rule. He travelled extensively the entire ancient Middle East to gain valuable first-hand knowledge. In 447 BC, he settled in Athens, the cultural centre of the Greek world, and won the admiration of the Athenian intellectuals, politicians and scholars for his unmatchable knowledge. He believed that the universe was governed by fate and chance, and the humans had some control through the moral choice they make and gods had power punish the bad. In 443 BC, he settled in southern Italy and devoted the rest of his life to complete his great work, titled History, ( meaning "inquiry" in Greek) using both what he discovered and what others had before him.

443 "History" written by Herodotus is the "Earliest Major Prose Work in history" "History" written by Herodotus, with customs, legends, history, and traditions of the peoples of the ancient world, including the Greeks, Lydians, Scythians, Medes, Persians, Assyrians, and Egyptians, is the earliest major prose work in history. He treated development of civilization as a great confrontation between Persia and Greece, which he regarded as the centres of Eastern and Western culture. Although he was sometimes inaccurate, he had made a careful effort to be accurate. Critics from ancient to modern times have paid tribute to his grandeur of design and the frank, lucid, and delightfully anecdotal style of his History. Later, this presentation of history through moral lessons in history became the basis of Greek and Roman history.

Sri Lanka's infrastructure expands

440 Lanka's infrastructure expands rapidly by the new North Indians With the arrival of Subadda Kachchana, another migration of new engineers, technicians and craftsmen from North India took place. The six of the seven brothers of SubbaddaKachchana, who decided to settle down In Lanka, expanded towns of Anuradagama, Rohana, and Vijitagama as cities. They brought the latest ideas of civilisation from North India, and were a big boost of motivation to the Lankans. With the technical expertise of the new skilled craftsmen, Lankan towns began to expand rapidly.

440 Abhayaweva: First tank built in Lanka and the most ancient monument of A'pura This is the first authentic record of a reservoir built in Lanka. It was built by prince Anuruddha, a brother of Subaddakachchana. The king Pandukabaya who raised the bund to 28 ft high expanded this reservoir later. It held 205 acres of water. It was later came to be named as Basavakkulama.

432 Parthenon, most famous Greek monument, is completed The Parthenon, "the masterpiece of the Greek architecture", is a temple dedicated to goddess Athena. It was built in the Doric style, on the Acropolis (citadel of Athens) above the city of Athens. Built in the Doric style and entirely of white marble, the Parthenon measures 72 m (237 ft) long and 34 m (110 ft) wide. It was built for 15 years from 447 BC to 432 BC. Today, even in a ruined state, the building portrays a feeling of order and monumental symmetry for which Greek architecture is famous.

431 27 year war between Athens & Sparta, begins Despite the excellent internal condition of the city, the foreign policy of Athens threatened other states. The Greek states coming under increasing dominance under Athens, were unhappy. In 431 BC, the inevitable war between Athens and Sparta, the next powerful state, began. This 27-year war would end in 404 BC as Sparta gained the supremacy in Greece.

431 Socrates serves in Athens Army against Sparta : Were they influenced by Buddhism ? Given that a new unprecedant wave of now great Greek and Chinese philosophers such as Confucius, and Socrates started preaching sections of principles found in Buddhism only after the Buddha started preaching Buddhism, it is quite possible that the message of Buddhism reached these lands through the Silk route inspiring them. Even the 2 year head-start Pythagorus has might be due to the inability to determine the exact dates of Buddha's birth and death which varies in a 60 year gap. Everyone agrees on 80 year lifespan of Buddha. Sinhaleses cronicles (named Long Chronology) give that as 571-491. Many Western and Indian scholars are 8 years behind that with 563-483 BC which we follow in this compilation. Modern Theravada countries believe 623 -543 BC which is 52 years before Sinhalese cronicles. Born in Athens to a sculptor and a midwife, Socrates lived as a sculptor until he was drafted to the Athens army as an infantryman against Sparta from 432Bc to 422Bc. Socrates then devoted his life to address the public, at public-places in Athens with people claiming knowledge. While trying to help them understand their ignorance, he came to understand his own. He said that virtue was knowledge. He said that no one does wrong willingly, but only out of ignorance. He also said that it is better to be wronged than to wrong someone else. This, which prevents retaliation, was quite new to the Athenian public thought. He called those who were willing to teach anything for a fee and argue without sincerity were "the most dangerous opponents". Socrates, pretending to be ignorant, encountered people who claimed to know about topics, and sought enlightenment from them. By questioning their definitions, he exposed that the one reputed to be wise didn't really know what he claimed to know. Socrates emerged as the wiser person because he at least knew what he did not know.

430 North Indian Mahajanapadas reduce from 16 to 4. By the 5th century BC, the number of Mahajanapadas, or great realms, in North India had been reduced from 16 to 4. After 100 more years of warfare, only the Magadha kingdom with its capital at Pataliputra on the Ganges would remain.

430 Secret of Magadha Survival The secret of the survival of Magadha was the strong administration network set up by King Bimbisara in 550BC and the deposits of iron and copper needed to make weapons and tools.

Plato is born

428 Plato is born : Were they influenced by Buddhism ? Given that a new unprecedant wave of now great Greek and Chinese philosophers such as Confucius, and Socrates started preaching sections of principles found in Buddhism only after the Buddha started preaching Buddhism, it is quite possible that the message of Buddhism reached these lands through the Silk route inspiring them. Even the 2 year head-start Pythagorus has might be due to the inability to determine the exact dates of Buddha's birth and death which varies in a 60 year gap. Everyone agrees on 80 year lifespan of Buddha. Sinhaleses cronicles (named Long Chronology) give that as 571-491. Many Western and Indian scholars are 8 years behind that with 563-483 BC which we follow in this compilation. Modern Theravada countries believe 623 -543 BC which is 52 years before Sinhalese cronicles. Plato( 428-347 BC) was born in an aristocratic family in Athens. His father was related ancient kings in Athens. His mother was distantly related to the 6th-century BC lawmaker Solon. When Plato was a child, his father died, and his mother married a senior administrator. Young Plato lost his political ambitions when he lost faith in the political leadership in Athens. He became a student of Socrates, who had pioneered the search for ethical truth through questions and answers with anyone claiming to have knowledge. In 399Bc, as Socrates was executed, he fled to Italy, Sicily, and Egypt. Advancing theories of Socrates, Plato believed in a society ruled by trained philosophical leaders handpicked from any social class, and who must not have material worries. They must keep searching for the ultimate truth avoiding the misleading forms of appearances and teach that truely real knowledge to their citizens. He also believed that artists should be ordered to stay within the framework of state justice, national philosophy, and state religion.

415 King's daughter is locked up in a tower King Panduvasdeva had 10 sons and one daughter. Astrologers predicted that the son born to this daughter, would one day fight the uncles for the throne. Brothers wanted her killed. Eldest brother Abhaya advised them not to. Instead, the king locked her up in a tower.

414 Eskimos Eskimo culture is developed in Alaska.

413 Affair between the locked-up princess & an uncle's son Unmada Chitra, Locked up daughter of the king, somehow started an affair with DighaGamini, her uncle Dighayu's son. She ended up becoming pregnant. The brothers decided to kill the baby if it was a son.

412 Yaksas refuse to betray the master Two yaksa servants of DighaGamini, named Kalaweva and Cittaraja, refused bribes offered by the uncles, to kill the baby when the baby was born. As they were threatened with death, they escaped to hiding to avoid punishment. This is a classic example to show that the typical true Lankans didn't approve selfish conspiracies for power.

404 Sparta wins the Greek States War against Athens Sparta finally won the war against Athens. They appointed Thirty Tyrants to rule Athens. As they appointed similar ruling bodies in other Greek states, many realised that the Spartan rule was even harsher and more oppressive than that of Athens.

403 Athens free themselves from Sparta As the public became unhappy under Spartan rule, Athenians staged a liberation struggle. They destroyed the Spartan garrison and restored the democracy and independence. Other Greek cities also regularly revolted against the rule of Sparta.

400 Chinese society become Feudal ( 850 years before Europe) After many provincial civil wars, the Chinese Zhou dynasty weakened and disappeared. The warlords began to rule local areas. Through corruption ( avoiding tax and false land titles), they built up their wealth. The central government was too weak to question them. In turn, the Central Government had some control in the area through these lords. The lords had private armies and lived in fortified fortresses. Slowly some of them expanded as local kingdoms. Villagers bargained their freedom in return for the protection and stability. These dependent Chinese became the basic economic unit in China. The ruling elite controlled them. In villages, crops were harvested. In cities, merchants traded and intellectuals exchanged philosophies. This life style would be repeated, in another 850 years, in Europe.

400 Stage set for "The Period of the Warring Chinese States" Some local warlords were driven by a passion to expand further. They implemented large scale irrigation projects in order to increase income from agriculture and farming. A scholarly class developed as these warlords needed an educated bureaucracy to manage the complex activities. At the same time, the wars between these states increased as each state became suspicious of their neighbours.

400 Golden Age of Philosophy in China : Were they influenced by Buddhism ? Given that a new unprecedant wave of now great Greek and Chinese philosophers such as Confucius, and Socrates started preaching sections of principles found in Buddhism only after the Buddha started preaching Buddhism, it is quite possible that the message of Buddhism reached these lands through the Silk route inspiring them. Even the 2 year head-start Pythagorus has might be due to the inability to determine the exact dates of Buddha's birth and death which varies in a 60 year gap. Everyone agrees on 80 year lifespan of Buddha. Sinhaleses cronicles (named Long Chronology) give that as 571-491. Many Western and Indian scholars are 8 years behind that with 563-483 BC which we follow in this compilation. Modern Theravada countries believe 623 -543 BC which is 52 years before Sinhalese cronicles. This was the China's Golden Age in philosophy. Scholars like Confucius, Laozi, and Mencius advised their rulers. These scholars organised national discussions on topics such as the nature of humanity and the ideal society. Confucianism emphasized tradition, and was used as a tool of the ruling class. The oppressed villagers didn't like Confucianism at this stage. Instead they liked Daoism, which emphasized personal salvation, and Buddhism, which showed the impermanence of life.

403 Period of Warring states (403 BC-221 BC) begins in China making new weapons Limiting of the weakened Zhou dynasty rule in the eastern China in 770 BC, made way for the emergence of seven powerful states in the Northern China. In 403 BC, their greed and fear of eachother started an unending list of wars during which new forms of warfare were developed. That included mounted cavalry (learnt from tribes to the north), the crossbow, sieges, and defences against them. King of one of these 7 kingdoms, introduced administrative, economic, and military reforms suggested by a Legalist theoretician. As Zhou dynasty collapsed forever in 256 BC, this Qin province took over whole of China in 221 BC, introduing the First Emperor, one common culture, and one nation of China.

400 3rd Escape by Pandukabaya at the age 12 Uncles heard that 12-year-old Pandukabaya was alive and was working as a herdsman. They killed all herdsmen in the village. Pandukabaya escaped death as he had decided not to work that day due to sore feet.

World's Longest Canal network in China

399 World's Longest Canal network in China The work on the World's longest canal system, over 1,600 km long, began in China. Also named as "Transport River" it was a network of waterways connecting both the major cities, Hangzhou in the south with Beijing in the north. It expanded until the 13th century when it was further developed into areas north of Beijing. Though by 1850 the neglected Grand Canal became mostly unusable, it was restored from 1958 to 1964 under Mao Tse Tung. Today it is an important trade route in China.

399 4th Persian invasion of Greek states: Sparta leads the Greek resistance. The Spartan army in Turkey blocked invading Persian armies. Greek states demanded independence from Sparta, in return for willing participation in the war against the invaders. Sparta refused and tried to use them by force. When that couldn't bring victory, the political leaders of Sparta took a treacherous decision. After 12 years, in 387 BC, Sparta decided to side with Persia to remain powerful over the rest of the Greek states.

399 Socrates is charged in Greece : Was he influenced by Buddhism ? Given that a new unprecedant wave of now great Greek and Chinese philosophers such as Confucius, and Socrates started preaching sections of principles found in Buddhism only after the Buddha started preaching Buddhism, it is quite possible that the message of Buddhism reached these lands through the Silk route inspiring them. Even the 2 year head-start Pythagorus has might be due to the inability to determine the exact dates of Buddha's birth and death which varies in a 60 year gap. Everyone agrees on 80 year lifespan of Buddha. Sinhaleses cronicles (named Long Chronology) give that as 571-491. Many Western and Indian scholars are 8 years behind that with 563-483 BC which we follow in this compilation. Modern Theravada countries believe 623 -543 BC which is 52 years before Sinhalese cronicles. Born in Athens to a sculptor and a midwife, Socrates lived as a sculptor until he was drafted to the Athens army as an infantryman against Sparta from 432Bc to 422Bc. Socrates then devoted his life to address the public, at public-places in Athens with people claiming knowledge. While trying to help them understand their ignorance, he came to understand his own. He said that virtue was knowledge. He said that no one does wrong willingly, but only out of ignorance. He also said that it is better to be wronged than to wrong someone else. This, which prevents retaliation, was quite new to the public thought of Athens at the time. He called those who were willing to teach anything for a fee and argue without sincerity were "the most dangerous opponents". In 399BC, these enemies conspired to get him charged with neglecting the established gods and introducing new concepts and corrupting the morals of the young.

399 Socrates receives the Death Penalty : By his life and his death, he became a model of the rational, questioning and fearless philosopher for future generations. The Greek philosopher Socrates challenged the traditional ideas formed by the ruling elite. Socrates was a speaker rather than a writer, and his philosophy has survived mainly through the works of Plato, his greatest pupil. His views threatened the rulers of Athens, who charged him of corrupting the youngmen and of neglecting the gods of the state. Socrates made statements such as "I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world", and "Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live". He was found guilty by only a small majority. Athenian law gave him the chance to propose his own penalty to the death sentence demanded by his prosecutors. He proposed that he simply be fined, in view of his value to the city as a philosopher. This made the jury so angry that they voted by an increased majority for the death penalty. In 399 BC, he was sentenced to death by the Athens rulers who ordered him to drink a cup of deadly poison.

399 Plato continues the work of Socrates Plato( 428-347 BC) was born in an aristocratic family in Athens. His father was related ancient kings in Athens. His mother was distantly related to the 6th-century BC lawmaker Solon. When Plato was a child, his father died, and his mother married a senior administrator. Young Plato lost his political ambitions when he lost faith in the political leadership in Athens. He became a student of Socrates, who had pioneered the search for ethical truth through questions and answers with anyone claiming to have knowledge. In 399Bc, as Socrates was executed, he fled to Italy, Sicily, and Egypt.

399 Plato's theory: Were they influenced by Buddhism ? Given that a new unprecedant wave of now great Greek and Chinese philosophers such as Confucius, and Socrates started preaching sections of principles found in Buddhism only after the Buddha started preaching Buddhism, it is quite possible that the message of Buddhism reached these lands through the Silk route inspiring them. Even the 2 year head-start Pythagorus has might be due to the inability to determine the exact dates of Buddha's birth and death which varies in a 60 year gap. Everyone agrees on 80 year lifespan of Buddha. Sinhaleses cronicles (named Long Chronology) give that as 571-491. Many Western and Indian scholars are 8 years behind that with 563-483 BC which we follow in this compilation. Modern Theravada countries believe 623 -543 BC which is 52 years before Sinhalese cronicles. Advancing the theories of Socrates, Plato searched for the ultimate nature, or form of things which is permanent and unchanging and immune to revision or correction. He insisted that misleading forms of appearances must be avoided and only such truely real knowledge must be teachable. He beleived the leaders of a society should be trained philosophers who enjoy the highest class. But everyone should get access to the education that selects the best from any social class as future leaders. This education begin with Music and Gymnastics ( which develops passion) and end with maths and sciences ( which develops knowledge) that creates philosophical leaders. Such leaders must not have private property or responsibilities of families so that they can concentrate on civic affairs. He also believed that artists should be ordered to stay within the framework of state justice, national philosophy, and state religion.

396 Pandukabaya starts training under Bandula Unmada Chitra learnt of a fourth attempt by her brothers to kill Pandukabaya. She secretly sent some money to the foster father asking him to move Pandukabaya to a safer place. Using this money, he was trained in the art of statesmanship by a Brahmin named Bandula. Bandula's son Canda became Pandukabaya's best friend. The Brahmin found him 500 trusted and trained warriors, and the money to enlist and to train more men.

396 Romance between cousins: Pandukabaya & Swarnapali Pandukabaya fell in love with Swarnapali, his uncle Girikandaseeva's daughter. She decided to run away with Pandukabaya, leaving her parents who wouldn't approve the relationship. She moved to Pandukabaya's jungle hide out.

Rise of Pandukabaya

396 First Battle: against the Father-in-law At Kalahagola, few miles south of Minneriya, Pandukabaya's army defeated GirikandaSiva’s (Suvannapali's father) army.

396 2nd Battle - "Field of Blood" Swarnapali's 5 brothers led their army against Pandukabaya. All five were slain by Canda in face-to-face combat. Pandukabaya won again. The field was so red in the blood, shed in the battle that the area was named the field of blood.

396 2 years of regrouping During these two years of regrouping, Pandukabaya conquered the Yaksa kingdom in Dimbulagala, to be used as the headquarters for future battles.

394 7 years of camping at Ritigala Ritigala became the base camp of the Pandukabaya's army for seven years.

392 3rd Battle - Pandukabaya beats the uncles After 4 years, the army led by the nine uncles met Pandukabaya's army at Dimbulagala. They fled after losing the battle.

392 20 years after, Abhaya is abdicated by the brothers Power-hungry nine brothers noted the feelings King Abhaya had for Pandukabaya. They also discovered a secret pact he was about to make with Pandukabaya. The Uncles forced him to resign. One of the uncle's named Tissa becomes the new ruler.

390 Celts ( French) challenge the Etruscan civilisation ( Romans) The Etruscans had migrated to Italy from Asia Minor (Turkey), around 1100 BC. They had their own unique language. Etruscans were the first civilization in Italy before the rise of one of their small city state called Rome as an empire. This Etruscan colony in Italy was named Etruria. It consisted of a confederation of city-states. One of them was the town of Rome. They were known for their metalworking and their fine pottery. The Etruscans reached the height of their power during the 6th century BC. By 500 BC their civilization was in decline due to Celtic invasions from France. About that time the Romans who had studied the Celts and were ready to face them successfully, rose up and claimed power in their city, establishing a republic on their own.

390 Roman Legions called to defend the Etruscan civilisation, flee at the sight of the Celtic invaders By this time the Celts, the Gallic nomads from France and Germany, had begun to cross the Alps to settle down in Northern Italy creating villages like Milan, threatening the Etruscans. After a series of battles, the weakened Etruscans called for the army of one of their smaller city states named Rome whose Roman Legions had a reputation in battle. Celtic invaders used psychological tactics to scare the enemy by wearing extraordinary jewellery and figures and statues on their helmets. They also made scary noises and had scary hair styles which made them look like demons. Roman Army that met the Celtic invaders were so horrified at the sight of the invaders, that they fled without fighting. All Roman Soldiers who died that day were cut down by the chasing Celts who used long swords. It has been recorded that no Roman died of fighting that day. It was such a wierd victory that after the battle even the Celts stood in disbelief of what happened.

390 Rome, is sacked by Gauls After the humiliation of the Roman Legions at the hands of the Celtic invaders, City of Rome was exposed. Celts were surprised to see the cities. Unfamiliar with the way of life in cities, they were happy to accept a huge ransom paid by the Rome citizens and left. (That was a mistake that they would regret in 165 years when Roman military power, who had learnt both from Alexander and the Celts, would annihilate them). But at this time in 390 BC, when Greece and Persia were great powers in the world, Rome was still a weak city state under a fallen Etruscan civilisation.

390 Persia weakened by colonial uprisings Though Persians tolerated local religions at the beginning, the local religious leaders generally inspired the liberation struggles. They became a serious threat by 400BC. Persians lost Egypt, but retook it after a costly war. Palestine, Babylon and Greek states revolted. All these weakened the Persian empire. In 60 years, Alexander from Macedonia will finish them off.

387 Sparta "Joins" invader Persia to rule Greek States Increasing pressure from Greek states that asked for freedom, forced Sparta to join the invading enemy to rule over the rest of the Greek states.

387 Plato Academy in Athens : Were they influenced by Buddhism ? Given that a new unprecedant wave of now great Greek and Chinese philosophers such as Confucius, and Socrates started preaching sections of principles found in Buddhism only after the Buddha started preaching Buddhism, it is quite possible that the message of Buddhism reached these lands through the Silk route inspiring them. Even the 2 year head-start Pythagorus has might be due to the inability to determine the exact dates of Buddha's birth and death which varies in a 60 year gap. Everyone agrees on 80 year lifespan of Buddha. Sinhaleses cronicles (named Long Chronology) give that as 571-491. Many Western and Indian scholars are 8 years behind that with 563-483 BC which we follow in this compilation. Modern Theravada countries believe 623 -543 BC which is 52 years before Sinhalese cronicles. In 387 BC, Plato, surviving student of Socrates, founded the Academy in Athens, which the western historians later claimed as the first European university. This institution provided a comprehensive curriculum, including such subjects as astronomy, biology, mathematics, political theory, and philosophy. A student named Aristotle became the most prominent student at this academy. Plato's academy continued with different teachings until 529 AD, until the Byzantine Roman emperor Justinian I ordered that closed for conflicting with Christianity.

383 Second Buddhist council to save pure Buddhism against new corrupt forms of Buddhism Buddhism which was a popular religion which promoted innocence and harmlessness, made many corrupt monks and the corrupt civilians to put up temples as wealthy spiritual centres. Buddhism was dangerously becoming a profession, and a way to cover up their malpractices for the corrupt elements. The good rulers of Vrjji Republic who had modelled state rule on Buddhsit principles were worried about this corruption. 100 years after the death of Buddha, a second Great Council met at Vaisali, capital of Vrjji Republic. Their purpose was to deal with ten questionable monastic practices. Among them were the use of money, the drinking of alcohol like palm wine, and other irregular sects of Buddhism. After much discussion, the council declared these practices unlawful.

383 First major split in Buddhism As the second council declared these new practices unlawful, the corrupt monks and the corrupt ruling elite and the merchants who sponsored them rose up in protest. This was the first major split in Buddhism. The split and the schism between the Mahasanghikas (Great Assembly), and the stricter Sthaviras (Elders) became normal later on as the battle between the good and the corrupt monks over disciplinary issues, the role of the laity, and the nature of the arhat, became common.

Pandukabaya become the 4th King in Sri Lanka

375 Pandukabaya the 4th King: Birth of the Sinhala Qualities He became the king in a big ceremony, held in the new capital city of Anuradapura. After establishing the infrastructure needed for a grand civilisation, his court would see many a festivals full of pleasure, fun, dances, music, and food. At every sitting, he had Yaksa Cittaraja seated on equal height with him to show equality. This was the beginning of the Lankan culture of equality and tolerance.

Birth of the Sinhalese Equality, Multi-culturism & Religious Tolerance

375 Birth of the Sinhalese Equality, Multi-culturism & Religious Tolerance Two yaksa servants, who refused to murder Pandukabaya when he was a baby, were given the honours of protecting the east and the south west of the city. They had the honour of sitting at equal height as the kings, at every festival. This proved Pandukabaya finally ended any existing frictions between Lankans as he brought them together as one civilisation, one people. Yaksa queen, who helped him win the last battle, was honoured with a palace in the city. Canda become the chief minister. A slave woman, who helped him, was given the palace of the Southgate. He built shrines for Yaksas to worship their ancestors. He also built shrines for other religious believers like Nigantayas and Brahmans. This was surely the birth of the classic multi-culturism, tolerance, equality, and patience, which were the hallmarks of the Sinhalese civilisation.

375 Yavana Quarters in Anuradapura Pandukabaya set up a separate area near the west gate of the Anuradapura city for Greek, and Iranian Merchants and Mercenaries, and named it as Yavana quarters. At this time many foreigners like Greeks, Persians, Phoenicians, South Indians were living in Lanka for business reasons.

375 City of Anuradapura: 1st Capital city Pandukabaya developed the town in a well-organised city plan, to be one of the best cities in the world by the 1AD. An ornamental rampart connected four giant gates. Starting from each gate were pretty suburbs with parks, houses, and buildings. He introduced Municipal Administration, public works and hospitals. Irrigation work began. City grew into 40 sqKms. Royal palace was in the middle, Inner city housed the Governing bodies, and outer city was available to the merchants. A separate cleaning work force that worked on a roster, kept the city clean very well. 500 cleaned the city. 200 as sewage-cleaners worked every night. 150 corpse removalists worked everyday. He established at least four suburbs around A'pura. He established Lying-in-homes for the pregnant mothers (Maternity homes), hospitals, public quarters, and cemeteries. He appointed guardians of the city as Knights to protect it and maintain law and order during the night.

375 Abhaya Weva is expanded: Largest reservoir in Lanka Abhaya Weva is the most ancient monument in Anuradapura and also the first recorded reservoir of Sri Lanka. It was built by prince Anuruddha, a brother of Subaddakachchana, in 440 BC. It held 205 acres of water. It later came to be named as Basavakkulama. The king Pandukabaya who raised the bund to 28 ft high expanded this reservoir later. Pandukabaya expanded the Abhaya Weva in order to ensure the supply of water to the city of Anuradapura. The dam was over 1 km long. It covered 330 acres of water. It would supply water for over 2000 continuous years.

375 2400 years later, British will marvel at the archy findings of A'pura "What it must have been at the zenith of beauty one can only guess, But I do not believe that any other city could have been more beautiful than Anuradapura when at the height of its prosperity."- Said British Archaeologists in 1850AD

371 End of Spartan Army Power and Rise of Thebes Genral Epaminondas, educated at the Philosopher school established by Greek mathematician Pythagoras, became the commander of the army of the Greek state Thebes. He developed new tactics and boldly defied the dominance of Sparta over Thebes. In 371 BC, he represented Thebes at the peace talks with Sparta, where he refused to accede to the Spartan proposal. In the ensuing battle of Leuctra, he used his new tactics and new methods to inflict a crushing defeat on the Spartans, ending the invinciblity of the Spartan army. That led to a temporary rise up of the Thebes state among the city-states of Greece.

369 Athens & Sparta join to attack a new Greek state named Thebes The rise of a third powerful Greek state named Thebes alarmed both Sparta and Athens. This was the beginning of an ugly war fought under economic misery. Athens refused to submit to Theban supremacy and in 369 BC joined Sparta to attack the state of Thebes. The beneficiary of all these internal conflicts was the adjoining state of Macedonia who would develop their military power while Greeks were weakening themselves.

367 17 year old Aristotle moves from Macedonia to Athens to study at Plato's Academy Born in Macedonia as the son of a Royal physician, Aristotle moved to Athens at the age of 17, to study at Plato's Academy. He remained there for about 20 years, first as a student and then as a teacher. When Plato died in 347 BC, Aristotle moved to a city in Asia Minor. In 345 BC, when Persians invaded, Aristotle moved to Pella, the Macedonian capital. He became tutor to the king's young son Alexander. In 335 BC, as Alexander became Macedonian king, Aristotle returned to Athens and established his own school which, because much of the discussion took place while teachers and students were walking about the grounds, came to be known as the Peripatetic ("walking" or "strolling") school. After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, strong anti-Macedonian feeling in Athens forced him to retire. He died there the following year. He is regarded as the greatest thinker in the western history. He had the single greatest influence on the western intellectual development. Charles Darwin commented that "the intellectual heroes of his own time were mere schoolboys compared to old Aristotle".

Theory of Aristotle

367 Theory of Aristotle ; The greatest thinker in the western history. The West relied on his views until the 19th century He believed that the world itself has been structured to make understanding of all the unknown possible. He also said that human beings have both the capacity and the desire to understand the world though they are not born with that awareness. Therefore through rational inquiry and understanding, humans can find the ultimate truth and knowledge. He believed what is needed first to understand, can only be found at the end of the inquiry. He said that inquiries should begin from what other philosophers have already discovered. He said that though they may not agree with eachother, every reputable view might have some truth in it. He denied both the creation of the world and the evolutionary process. He said nature has fixed natural kinds or status into which everything changes into at the necessary times. The west relied on his views on Biology, Psychology, Physics, Logic, Zoology until the late 19th century when people like British scientist Charles Darwin introduced the changelessness of species.

362 Thebes lose with the death of their leader in battle Theban power relied on the brilliant leadership of Epaminondas. He was killed in the Battle of Mantinea in 362 BC. Thebes was reduced to the state of just another Greek state.

361 Rise of Quin Dynasty in China as Shous'a declines: "Authoritarian rule instead of Confucian teachings" In 361 BC a man named Shang Yang came to power in China. He believed in the "legalist way of thought" in Chinese philosophy. Legalists rejected the Confucian philosophy of personal freedom and believed that the only way to build and maintain a good society was through an authoritarian state of rules and punishment. Shang Yang applied these principles. He forced all persons into productive occupations. Local aristocrats were unhappy as they lost many privileges. To monitor them, a system of domestic spies was established by the central government. (This is a good example for the critics of the current rule in China. The enemies of China advertise the lack of human rights in China worldwide. With so much powerful sinister foreign conspiracies in place, Chinese do seem in need of a legalist rule these days).

359 Phillip-2, new king develops Macedonian military power Phillip II was a Macedonain POW captured and taken to serve in the army of the Greek state Thebes which was at the time the best army of the Greek states. While serving and fighting against the Greek armies of Athens and Sparta and the Persians, he had learnt what military tactics could destroy the Greeks and Persians. At the same time he became a great admirer of the Greek civilization. He became the King of Macedonia in 359 BC. Then he united all pony-riding Macedonian lords who controlled the land and the peasants. Then he restructured, and retrained the army with new tactics.

358 Importance of the 28 year Macedonian Empire This Macedonian army under two consecutive kings, would march farther than anyone else so far in history. Within 30 years, they reached the peak of their empire. They were stopped by the North Indian army led by Chandragupta, grandfather of king Asoka. They were weakened against the new tactics of the North Indians and the empire crumbled within one year by 325 BC. Yet they would be among the greatest world powers in ancient history for the great distances they travelled with their new tactics. They would be the largest empire and the largest army so far in history.

358 First scientifically organized army in history Phillip II made his army the most powerful in the region. Though Macedonians were only using ponies, Phillip-2 raised a cavalry with horsemen who rode in a wedge formation. They became excellent riders. This well-trained and well-directed cavalry could hit weak pionts of the enemy formations opening gaps for the infantry to outflank the enemy. In a new world tactic, his army wouldn't use Wagons which slowed down the movement. Instead each soldier was trained to carry what he needs and to live off the land. They generally robbed from the civilians. In another world new tactic, he trained his soldiers to fight in the winter as well as in summer. Both these tow tactics gave them the advantage over the Greeks and Persians.

358 Sarissa : The Unique Macedonian Spear His infantry used pikes, which were weapons, formed from long wooden shafts with pointed steel heads of various sizes. The longest such weapon, named "the deadly sarissa", was three times the height of the man holding it. This 20 feet long weapon with a one foot long blade, held underarm, enabled the Macedonians to face their enemies with a frightening array of points from three lines of soldiers. Each Macedonian soldier had the protection of 5 such pikes in front of him. Therfore in a platoon of Sarissa carriers, only the first and the last rows of soldiers wore heavy armour. The rest wore light armour which reduced the cost of raising large armies. This was the secret in the success of the Macedonian army. They were stopped only in India. The Macedonian army with depleted numbers of Sarissa carriers, was crushed by the Indian Eelphant brigade.

Great King Alexander is born

356 Alexander is born Alexander, son of Philip II, king of Macedonia, was born in the Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia. At 11, he started learning from Aristotle, a Greek philosopher living in Macedonian capital. Under him, Alexander received a thorough training in rhetoric and literature and developed his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy.

356 The Temple of Artemis - One of the "Seven Wonders of the ancient World" Croesus, king of Lydia, first built this large and beautifully ornamented temple at Ephesus in Greece around 550 BC. It was rebuilt in 356 BC and became famed for the art works that embellished it.

353 The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus - One of the "Seven Wonders of the ancient World" The Mausoleum was a huge marble tomb built for King Mausolus of Caria in Asia Minor.

351 Athenian Patriot warns about Macedonian invasion Demosthenes, a well-known Greek patriot in Athens, started warning the Greek public and the leaders about the possible Macedonian invasion. He started conducting a series of speeches, named Philippics, warning Athens about the Macedonian threat to Greek liberty. Macedonian king was annexing one smaller Greek state after another. Athens army went to defend the Chalcidian city Olynthus against the Macedonian invasion. Two years later, Macedonia made peace with Athens as a tactic. Thebes state even requested the Macedonian help in a war against a smaller Greek state. With all these Phillip-2 established his influence over small Greek states. Philip, both legally and indirectly, was in a powerful position, then participating in Greek political affairs. The leaders of Athens finally listened to Demosthenes, and united with the Thebans against Macedonia.

345 Aristotle flee from Persians to Macedonia Born in Macedonia as the son of a Royal physician, Aristotle moved to Athens at the age of 17, to study at Plato's Academy. He remained there for about 20 years, first as a student and then as a teacher. When Plato died in 347 BC, Aristotle moved to a city in Asia Minor. In 345 BC, when Persians invaded, Aristotle moved to Pella, the Macedonian capital. He became tutor to the king's young son Alexander. In 335 BC, as Alexander became Macedonian king, Aristotle returned to Athens and established his own school which, because much of the discussion took place while teachers and students were walking about the grounds, came to be known as the Peripatetic ("walking" or "strolling") school. After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, strong anti-Macedonian feeling in Athens forced him to retire. He died there the following year. He is regarded as the greatest thinker in the western history. He had the single greatest influence on the western intellectual development. Charles Darwin commented that "the intellectual heroes of his own time were mere schoolboys compared to old Aristotle".

345 Arsitotle becomes the tutor to 11 year old Alexander Alexander, son of Philip II, king of Macedonia, was born in the Pella, the ancient capital of Macedonia in 356BC. At 11, he started learning from Aristotle, a Greek philosopher living in Macedonian capital. Under him, Alexander received a thorough training in rhetoric and literature and developed his interest in science, medicine, and philosophy.

339 Phillip-2 invades Greek states Phillip-2 discovered the greatest weakness of the Greeks, the lack of political unity. He led his 2000 cavalry ( commanded by his 18 year old son Alexander) and 30,000 infantry southwards towards Greece at a lightening speed. Using his new army, Phillip soon annexed the Greek states, using both political, marriage, diplomacy, bribary tactics and military tactics, despite the resistance offered by many Greek states like Athens and Thebes and Greek leaders like Demosthenes.

339 Secret of the Macedonian success against Greeks Macedonian army, whenever they can, was lightly equipped and didn't use wagons which slowed down advances. Troops were trained to carry all provisions or to rob from civilians.

338 Battle of Chaeronea 30,000 Greek soldiers of the Coalition of Greek states, including the elite army of the Thebes Greek state, met the invading Macedonian army of 2000 cavalry and 30,000 infantry. ( Unfortunately for the Greeks, the glory days of the mighty Sparta army was over by this time). Greeks simply couldn't penetrate the sea of Macedonian pikes. When the Greek frustrations were at a peak, cunning Phillip-2, in a well-rehearsed tactic, got his right flank to withdraw. Despearate Greeks broke their lines to go forward. Then the Macedonian cavalry commanded by Phillip-2's son Alexander, only 18 at the time, rushed in between the forward and the stationary elements of the Greek army. The efforts made by the confused Greeks to link their army broken in two, made them more disorganised. At the end, they, including the army of the Thebes state which was the best Greek army at the time, were all wiped out by the better trained Macedonians.

338 Macedonian Phillip-2 becomes the Commander of all Greek Armies The cunning political deals made him to be sufficiently powerful enough to call a congress of the Greek states. This congress acknowledged Macedonian supremacy in the peninsula and appointed Phillip as the commander-in-chief of the Greek forces. That meant he could use all Greek armies in his campaigns to conquer more territory.

338 Macedonia declares war on Persia Macedonia then declared war on Persia, the traditional enemy and the superpower of the region.

336 Assassination of Macedonian Phillip-2 Phillip then prepared plans for a campaign to penetrate deep into Asia. But it was paused as he was assassinated in 336 BC. Then his son, Alexander the Great, who was then 20 years old, succeeded him.

336 Alexander: Greatest military leader of the ancient world Alexander, aged 20, became the King of Macedonia after his father was assassinated. A student of Aristotle, he built an empire within 10 years. Under him 3 ancient superpower civilisations, Phoenicians, Babylonians, and Persians vanished in history. With his power, Greek culture spread further in the region as far back as northern India.

335 20 year old Alexander suppresses Greek Freedom Struggles When Alexander came to the throne, the Greek states Thebes and Athens rose up against Macedonian rule. King Darius III of Persia helped them with gold and promises of military help. They all underestimated the 20-year-old new boy king. Being a student of Aristotle, Alexander was not easily fooled. He marched quickly against Thebes, surprising them. The battle saw Thebes razed to the ground. The cruel fate fell on Thebes terrified Athens. As they surrendered without a fight, Alexander rewarded them with leniency. The rest of the Greek states got the message and submitted themselves.

334 Alexander starts the 4 year Persian campaign After winning Greece, he set his eyes on the great Persian empire. His army marched at night avoiding the desert heat. He crossed the rivers in specially-built leather boats. As cities fell one by one, he got the conquered armies joining him to attack Persians. In 4 years, Alexander would make the Great Persian empire disappear in history.

333 Alexander takes Asia Minor Macedonian army occupies the birthplace of many civilisations that advanced the human kind to new heights several times.

332 Alexander arrives at the City of Tyre : The Pride of the Phoenicians Fortress City of Tyre in today's Lebonon, was the centre of the Phoenicians civilisation. It was built on the sea, half a mile from the coast with 150 feet tall walls. Though Alexander overran Tyre in seven months, Phoenicians pushed Alexander to his limits. Alexander took revenge for that by murdering over 10,000 patriotic citizens and sold over 30,000 for slavery.

332 Alexanders plan to capture Tyre He started building a 220 feet wide causeway towards the walls of Tyre from the coast using rocks and tree trunks. His troops worked under a constant barrage of arrows, spears, rocks and hot sand catapulted from the fortress. Heavy armour worn by his troops gave protection from all except from the hot sand. Alexander built two towers on bothsides of the causeway and stationed his artillery there. Unable to withstand the relentless barrage of rocks, Tyrians made an all-out fireship assault on the towers. They managed to destroy the two towers killing over 100 Macedonian elite troops.

332 Phoenicians vanish as Alexander took their city of Tyre By making all-out assaults, Tyrians had exhausted their military resources. Tyre finally fell to Alexander after a seven-month siege. Alexander murdered 10,000 citizens and sold 30,000 more for slavery.

332 Alexander takes Egypt from Persians & rename the city of Alexandria Alexandria was a city of enormous buildings, built by the Pharoes. It had the famous lighthouse standing more than 134 m (440 ft) tall and was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. Alexandria also boasted a library housing nearly 500,000 literary works. While fighting the Persians in Egypt, he captured and renamed this city in his name. Alexandria became the capital city of Ptolemaic Egypt under Alexander. It also developed into a centre of Greek learning matched only by, and several times surpassing, Athens.

332 Syria becomes the most important kingdom established by Alexander Of all the kingdoms established by the Generals of Alexander, the most important were Syria under the Seleucid dynasty, and Egypt under the rule of the Ptolemies. Both of them would survive as major powers after the Alexander's death.

331 Alexander takes Babylon Under him, the Babylonians would disappear from history. It is not impossible to figure out what happened to the Babylonians under Alexander.

330 End of Persian empire as Alexander takes their capital city 'Persepolis' The Persians had been a weakened super power after crushing costly liberation struggles in Egypt, Palestine, Babylon and Greek states. Alexander burnt their capital city of Persepolis, in revenge for the damage the Persians did to the Acropolis 150 years ago in 480BC.

330 Persian Soldiers kill own king Dariius to escape from Alexander King Darius fled the capital city before Alexander came. Alexander went searching for the fleeing king with only 500 of his best soldiers. After 11 days, he and 60 men reached the last of the Persian army. The Persian soldiers were so demoralized that they didn't want to fight the small band of the enemy. They promptly murdered own king Darius and ran away hoping Alexander would stop chasing them.

330 Survival of Magadha Kingdom :The number of Mahajanapadas had been reduced from 16 to 1. Out of all 16 great Aryan kingdoms in North India, only the Magadha kingdom remained by this time. The secret of the survival of Magadha was the strong administration network set up by King Bimbisara in 550BC and the deposits of iron and copper needed to make weapons and tools. It's capital has been moved from Rajagaha to a fortress city named Pataliputra on the river Ganges. Now Alexander's unstoppable military machine was heading that way.

326 Alexander head to India Alexander continued from Persia, across valleys and mountains, to northern India. Though Greeks considered Alexander a barbarian, Greek culture arrived in remote places like India, Persia, and Mesopotamia through the Greek army units commanded by Alexander.

326 A young Chandragupta meets Alexander in Punjab A young Indian adventurer named Chandragupta met Alexander in Punjab. Chandragupta

326 A young Chandragupta meets Alexander in Punjab A young Indian adventurer named Chandragupta met Alexander in Punjab. Chandragupta must have studied Alexander in great details. He started uniting the Indian regional armies. ( Later, Alexander couldn't break through the army commanded by General Chandragupta. Then he created a new North Indian empire after Alexander left. In 80 years, his Maurya people will migrate to Sri Lanka as Sri Lanka embraced Buddhism as a National philosophy).

325 Battle of Hydaspes : Alexander's turning point in Magadha kingdom Alexander had won several victories during his entry into India. After crossing the Indus valley, he was surprised by a strong Indian force that used 100 elephants at Hydaspes. But in the Battle of Hydaspes ended in the defeat of Indian King Poros near the River Hydaspes (now the Jhelum). Though Alexander defeated the Indians, he had used up many of his resources which, due to years of fighting, he couldn't replace.

325 Alexander enters Punjab Alexander was running out of resources needed to conquer India. Yet he ordered his army to invade Punjab.

325 "Sir, if there's one thing that a successful man should know, is when to stop…" a senior Macedonian officer told the emperor as his men cheered him. India's elephant brigades and the united Indian forces under General Chandragupta were too strong for the Macedonian coalition with limited resources. Monsoon rain and epidemics his men were not immuned to, fatigue, affected the morale of his army. By this time, Alexander had obviously reached his limits. Fighting large armies in Mesopotamia and India exhausted his Army. Many of his original combat units had suffered casualties. Many of his own troops, in addition to the Greek units, refused to fight any further. This saved the Magadha Kingdom, the last remaining Maha Janapadaya in North India. If he had a way to obtain more fresh military resources, Alexander might have continued through India.

325 Disappointed Alexander begins his return westwards Unable to motivate his exhausted and homesick troops, Alexander turned back. He reached Baghdad and stopped there as he fell ill, probably with malaria.

324 Chandragupta frees India from Macedonian Army He moved the Indian army he had raised westwards, to free the Punjab region from the occupying Macedonian forces. As he did, he was ready to establish his own empire, The Gupta dynasty in India, from the Magadha kingdom.

324 Kautilya writes Artha Sashtraya A brahmin minister who worked as an advisor to Chandragupta wrote Artha Sashtraya ( Science of material gain) which remains the most powerful text written in India on politics, national defence and economics. He is regarded as the secret behind the success of Chandragupta.

323 Alexander dies in march westwards in Babylon Suffering from Malaria, he arrived in Babylon. Aged 33, he died of fever in Babylon. He had been wounded several times in combat and survived. He was perhaps the finest General the world has ever seen so far in history. His empire was fragmented very quickly after his death, as regional leaders set up independent kingdoms.

323 Aristotle leaves Athens due to Anti-Macedonian uprisings Born in Macedonia as the son of a Royal physician, Aristotle moved to Athens at the age of 17, to study at Plato's Academy. He remained there for about 20 years, first as a student and then as a teacher. When Plato died in 347 BC, Aristotle moved to a city in Asia Minor. In 345 BC, when Persians invaded, Aristotle moved to Pella, the Macedonian capital. He became tutor to the king's young son Alexander. In 335 BC, as Alexander became Macedonian king, Aristotle returned to Athens and established his own school which, because much of the discussion took place while teachers and students were walking about the grounds, came to be known as the Peripatetic ("walking" or "strolling") school. After the death of Alexander in 323 BC, strong anti-Macedonian feeling in Athens forced him to retire. He died there the following year. He is regarded as the greatest thinker in the western history. He had the single greatest influence on the western intellectual development. Charles Darwin commented that "the intellectual heroes of his own time were mere schoolboys compared to old Aristotle".

322 Greeks Cultural influence spread by Alexander After Alexander's death, his whole empire was engulfed in civil wars. His Macedonian Generals tried to rule his vast empire. Greek political power declined as Greek states battled eachother. The Hellenistic period began now with the death of Alexander and lasted until the Roman capture of Greece in 146 BC. During this period, Greek city-states who lost their political independence, would continue to design the culture and the way of life which had, as a result of Alexander's conquests, spread throughout most of the ancient world.

321 Chandragupta become Emperor of North India from Magadha Kingdom, India. After Alexander withdrew from Magadha kingdom, Chandragupta took over Magadha kingdom, the last MahaJanapadaya in North India, defeating the Nandas. He ruled from their capital city Pataliputra (present day city of Patna). He would be the first king of the Maurya dynasty of Magadha (now Bihar State), India. Within 10 more years he took over most of the subcontinent. His advisor was a Brahmin chief minister named Kautilya (or Chanakya), who is said to have written the Arthashastra, a textbook on politics and national defence. By further attempts, he extended Magadha kingdom until it comprised all northern India between the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. The Kingdom was well organized, with a good road network and an efficient system of tax collection. ( In 52 years, the Maurya empire will peak under the rule of the emperor Asoka, and skilled and motivated Maurya people will migrate to Sri Lanka and mixed into the Sinhalese community. The highly motivated North Indians like them who mixed into the Singhalese, were a big force behind Lanka's advance to the developed world).

321 Rise of Taxila where East meet West Taxila was on the major trade ruote between Middle east and China. A major road built by Mauryan Emperor linking Taxila with their capital in Pataliputra, made Taxila an important cultural, educational and trade centre. Silks from China, diverted from the Silk Route, cotton, sandalwood, and precious stones all changed hands in Taxila. It was a meeting point of eastern and western cultures and exposed Indians to Greeks and Persians. This led to Taxila to become a great centre for learning, where many gathered to study of the Vedas, Buddhism, and the sciences. It remained so until Huns destroyed it.

321 Taxila : 1St Great Buddhist University First great Buddhsit university developed in Taxila around this time. It became the base for thousands of Buddhist monks who headed into the vast central asian plains.

316 Earliest record of Suttee Pooja in India Suttee (in Sanskrit it means "virtuous woman"), is the practice in India of a widow burning herself on the funeral pyre, either with the body of her husband or, if he had died at a distance, separately. It is mentioned as early as 316 BC.

310 Lankans acquire Luxuries of Life as First National Parks are established Mutasiva, only son of Pandukabaya, ruled a peaceful country of happy people. He started establishing National parks. Lankan cities began to have the luxurious infrastructure available in other most-developed cities of the world.

310 Mahamevuna Uyana: The Royal National Park of Lanka - shows the skill of the engineers The greatest of these, Mahamevuna Uyana ( the Royal park) will be donated to the monks in 70 years when the Buddhism arrives. The way the water flowed from TissaWeva to the Royal and public baths in Mahamevuna Uyana, was amazing. The water first went to other important places before coming to the Park. The used water then finally flowed to rice fields through filters and tubes thousands of meters long. It showed the skill of Lankan irrigation engineers.

310 Lankans have Spas, Air-conditioning, and Swimming Pools They had shower baths where a human sits while water jets sprayed (Modern day's Spas). Even after so much of destruction, the water lines have been traced to distances of over 1260 yards today by the archaeologists. They had Summer Houses or Summer Rooms (Air-conditioned enclosed rooms to escape the heat), Public baths (Swimming Pools), Pavilions (Stadiums).

305 Syrian invasion of India thwarted by Chandraputa Seleucus I, was one of Alexander's generals who remained in Syria. He had by this time become the founder of the Seleucid Empire as King Seleucus I of Syria. He suffered a crushing defeat in his invasion of India around this time by ChandraGupta's Army. Chandragupta even took the territory north to the Hindu Kush mountains, including Baluchistan and Afghanistan after this war.

303 Chasing the Syrians, Chandragupta takes Afganithan After defeating the Syrian invaders in 303 BC, Chandragupta pressed forward and captured much of Afghanistan.

303 Chandragupta marries a daughter of Syrian King The Indian military power forced the Syrian king to sign a treaty. It included a marriage arrangement between Chandragupta and a daughter of the Seleucid ruler.

300 Megasthenes (a Greek traveller used by Syrian King): First European to report on Indian subcontinent, including Lanka As an envoy of the emperor Seleucus I in Syria, he visited the northeastern India and met Chandragupta in his palace. Just 9 years ago, Chandragupta had driven Seleucus out of western India. Megasthenes's mission led to parts of Afghanistan to be given to Chandragupta by the Syrians. He also visited Pakistan and the valley of the Indus, Afghanistan. He was the first European to see the river Ganges. His written account, gave the Mediterranean world with the earliest recorded details of India. He mentioned for the first time in history, the existence of Tibet. He also mentioned the island of Sri Lanka, which he called "Taprobrane". He recorded the impressive magnificence of Mauryan court life and the details of how Chandragupta had an extensive bureaucracy to govern his empire, which had absolute control over the entire economic life of northern India. He spent ten years in Pataliputra, recording about Hindu religious practices, the caste system, the first descriptions of the plant and animal life found in the lands between the Indus and the Ganges rivers.

300 Greek temple of Apollo, built in Turkey The Greek temple of Apollo at Didyma, Turkey, was built with a chamber enclosed by two sets of Ionic columns 64 feet tall. These columns enclosed a chamber that housed the statue of Apollo. Even the 64 ft high ruins today indicate the former grandeur of the ancient temple.

300 American Olmec civilization disappears - is the oldest known in America The oldest known civilisation in the America, which flourished in the coastal lowlands of Mexico, disappeared by this time.

300 "There is no Royal road to geometry" - Greek Mathematician Euclid Greek mathematician Euclid published one of the most frequently translated and studied books in the world, Elements, which laid down the principles of Euclidean geometry. His geometry includes postulates, which was learnt by students for more than 2,000 years. Euclid further said that all right angles are equal to one another and that it is possible to draw a straight line from any point to any other point. Euclid once told Egyptian ruler Ptolemy

300 "There is no Royal road to geometry" - Greek Mathematician Euclid Greek mathematician Euclid published one of the most frequently translated and studied books in the world, Elements, which laid down the principles of Euclidean geometry. His geometry includes postulates, which was learnt by students for more than 2,000 years. Euclid further said that all right angles are equal to one another and that it is possible to draw a straight line from any point to any other point. Euclid once told Egyptian ruler Ptolemy I: "There is no royal road to geometry", meaning, "There is no royal road to learning".

300 Guatemala- Emergence of Mayan civilisation: Concept of Zero, a Calendar used by the world for 1850 years In Guatemala, the natives constructed temple platforms around 300 BC. The platforms were built of a rubble core, bonded with cement and faced with decorative plaster. Thatch-roofed temples stood at the top. These temples were similar to Egyptian pyramids and were the most distinctive hallmarks of Mayan culture. Using these temples as observatories, they developed a calendar that was the most accurate the world had known until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582. They also developed the concept of zero, unknown in Roman numerology. Maya developed an original system of writing, with which they recorded astronomy, religion, and history. There was no single ruler over the Maya as a whole, but the various Mayan communities shared a common language and culture.

298 Death of Chandragupta as a monk He was the founder of the Maurya dynasty and the man who freed India from the Macedonian invaders. Chandragupta abdicated to become a monk, and, while looking for inner peace in the south of India, committed suicide by fasting to death. His grandson, Ashoka, would further extend the Maurya Empire.

290 Babylon ceased to be a big city Babylon continued as a new capital, but it was much smaller in grandeur. Yet it attracted a lot of population.

280 "Seven Wonders of the World," -The Colossus of Rhodes The Colossus was a 30-m (100-ft) statue of the Greek sun god Helios. It was built of bronze, & was reinforced by iron. It stood at the entrance to the harbour at Rhodes. The Colossus of Rhodes fell down in an earthquake after just 50 years. Arabs sold the remains for scrap in 653 AD.

280 Seven wonders of the world- Pharoes Lighthouse of Alexandria The Pharoes was a lighthouse, 134 m (440 ft) tall that was built on an island at the entrance to the harbour at Alexandria, Egypt. A fire burned at the top signalling to ships on the Mediterranean. This is regarded as the archetype of every modern lighthouse. It survived until about the 14th century AD.

269 General Asoka goes on war mongering General Asoka, one of the sons of the Mauryan emperor based in Pataliputra, began to lead the powerful and experienced Mauryan army to conquer more territory. With his victories through out northern India, he became more popular than other heirs to the throne.

269 Asoka becomes 3rd king of the Maurya dynasty Ashoka (269-232 BC), third king of the Maurya dynasty, ruled, except for the southern tip (which survived as Asoka gave up warmongering after the Battle for Kalinga), the whole Indian subcontinent from the capital city of the Mauryan empire in Pataliputra. After his father's death, with the help of some ministers, he fought his elder brothers for the throne. After 4 years he became the Emperor. Before the Battle for the state of Kalinga ( today's Orissa state), only the state of Kalinga and the southern tip remained free of Asoka's rule. Ashoka ruled a vast empire stretching from northeastern India to the southern border of modern Karnataka, eastward to the Ganges delta, and to the northwest, including southern and eastern Afghanistan.

269 Importance of Asoka In the History of mankind He was unique among all emperors in world history, as he renounced war after a successful military campaign, after realising the suffering that war had caused, and ordered everyone in his vast empire on a non-violent peaceful path.

261 One of the Most Unique Armies in History : Mauryan Army under Asoka Asoka inherited one of the most organised and experienced armies in history. He advanced that powerful army into a more powerful army unbeatable by anyone. Even today his army is among the ten most organised and unique armies that appeared in history. A platoon had 5 horsemen around one elephant. There were 6 infantrymen around each horseman. There were 4 troops( one guide and 3 archers) on each elephant. The guide sat faced forward to command the elephant. The three archers faced left, right and the back, carrying bows as tall as a human. It was a dreadful sight to see hundreds of such platoons charging as one. Asoka had 8000 such platoons. They even had separate manuals written for warfare so that centuries of experience was not lost after the fall of the veterans.

261 Elephants Division : The Elite force of the Mauryan Army Mauryan Army under Asoka was developed around the elephants. Their Elephant Division had 8000 elephants each taller than 10 feet, handpicked and trained in intelligence, discipline, strength and loyalty. Eelphants division needed 500 pounds of food everyday. Killing an elephant attracted instant death penalty. Elephant hunters went looking for strong and intelligent elephants who were taller than 10 feet, through out northern india. It was a time-consuming task to capture each elephant. They were trapped into pits dug ten feet deep. After capture, they were trained in discipline, strength, loyalty and intelligence.

261 Advance formation of the Mauryan Army When Asokas Army moved, the Cavalry, commanded by the fearless Generals, was the first to advance. Then the Emperor moved surrounded by his bodyguard brigade. Then the Elephants Division and the Infantry, his main body of the army, followed. Behind them the other professionals of the army ( such as doctors, surgeons, engineers, carpenters, cooks, bakers, and cheerleaders who encourage troops in battle, musicians) advanced. Then came the mercenaries hired from other communities and countries, and allied forces from conquered kingdoms. Then came the supply chain of thousands of wagons. They moved at a speed of 25 miles per day. The advancing column was so long that It was said that no one could stay to watch the column from the head to the tail.

261 Most fearsome Battlefield formation in History ; The Mauryan Army formation in the field Except for the highly mobile cavalry who moved all around the field, the Mauryan Army stood with their Eelphants Division and the Infantry Divisions mixed at the front. They had platoons with heavy elephants at the front. Just behind them were the Best Infantry units ready to charge. Then the weakest infantry units in the middle so that they cant run. Then platoons with smaller elephants. Behind them, at the rear, were the second-best infantry untis. Platoons with unreliable, or hot-tempered elephants were on the flanks ( so that they cause minimum disruption if they go berserk). The support units were behind this fearsome fighting formation ready to provide food, water, medicine or equipment needed.

261 Why Kalinga state ? After eight years as the Indian Emperor, Ashoka had only Kalingha State and the Southern states remaining to conquer. State of Kalinga ( today's state of Orissa) was a prosperous Buddhist state who controlled the sea trade route to south India and east Asia. Kalingha had busy and established trade connections with southern states, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. He badly wanted to control this highly commercial and agricultural area, which was rich in ores and agricultural revenue. He also wanted to dominate the sea route along the east coast to the Krishna valley, where major gold fields and veins of semi-precious stones were located.

261 Planning for the Kalinga Invasion Buddhist population in Kalinga state had a reputation as fiercely patriotic people who cherished peace and liberty. Therefore Asoka knew that the campaign would be the hardest one that he had faced so far. His Generals handed him a detailed military plan after much study. That plan became Asoka's best well-planned and best-prepared military campaign. Asoka built roads and warehouses to keep stocks along the 500 mile road that ran to Kalinga from his forward lines.

261 Battle for Kalingha : Asoka invades the last North Indian state Fiecely patriotic and Buddhist Kalingha people knew that Asoka was coming. Prior to the invasion, they had many conspiracies that unsettled their leadership. When Asoka actually arrived, they knew that they were weaker than their usual strength. They knew that their army would fight to death. They knew that would not be enough to stop the invader. Yet they, in a historical gallant stand, including all the civilians, father, mother, children all decided to fight. Nowhere else in history such a large community had ever agreed to fight until death to resist the invader to prove their patriotism and honour.

261 Most Patriotic People's stand against an invader in the recorded history of mankind : The Legendary Patriotism of the Kalinga people When the regular army of the Kalinga state was wiped out, true to their agreement before, even little children and women, with no weapon training, took up weapons from the fallen warriors, and joined their fathers. They stood in the path of the charging Mauryan army waves displaying a heroism and bravery that cannot be found anywhere else in the recorded history of mankind. They all fought the invader until death. Asoka's army marched over the deadbodies of over 100,000 Kalinghas, most of whom were women and children, who had resisted the invader in Unisom. Over 150,000 Kalinga people, almost all of them civilians as the army had fought to death, lay mortally wounded. They resisted and cursed the enemy even while crying in pain. Despite the agony, they refused help and attention from the Mauryans. Asoka had never seen such patriotism before. For the first time, a shocked Asoka sat down in the field and thought about why those people sacrificed their lives for their land in unity.

261 Asoka regrets war after Kalinga campaign, & turns to Buddhism to find true peace for the world His sadness at the suffering caused by this war, made him to reject violent conquest as a means to any end. His interest in Buddhism ( which is the religion of the Kalingha people), which had begun earlier, increased after this, as he wanted to find the ultimate peace. This earned him an exclusive unmatchable place in the history of mankind.

261 Chakraqvartin - Asoka's Social-Political Government based on Buddhist principles He introduced chakraqvartin, a politico-social system based on Buddhist principles. It included respect for all religious teachers, harmonious relationship between parents and children, teachers and pupils, and employers and employees. His righteous rule. as a wheel of law, rolled across the kingdom, ensuring the welfare of all. He knew that this would not survive in North India which is exposed to the invaders from the middle east, central Asia and China. He knew that Sri Lankans could safeguard this system for the rest of the mankind. Therefore he passed this way of rule to Sri Lanka through his own son who migrated to Sri Lanka with Buddhism. ( Later Sinhalese in Sri Lanka advanced on this concept developing the ultimate political, social governance based on pure Buddhist principles).

260 Anuradapura is recorded as the 10th largest city in South Asia in Archaeology - Many cities develop in Lanka By the time of Emperor Asoka, the city of Anuradhapura was nearly 100 ha in extent, making it the tenth largest city in India/Sri Lanka at that time and the largest south of Ujjain and Sisupalgarh, both in northern India. The concept of irrigated agriculture had developed into a sophisticated and large-scale systems, laying a solid economic foundation for the Lankans whose villages would become towns (over 500 towns by the birth of Jesus Christ in 1AD), towns would transform into cities (19 cities by 1AD as recorded by the Romans).

260 King Asoka calls for the 3rd Buddhist council to save Buddhism from the corrupt monks Emperor Asoka called for the third council at Pataliputra (present-day Patna). Led by the monk Moggaliputta Tissa, it was held to clean up the sangha of the large number of corrupt monks and heretics who joined because of its Royal patronage. This council argued defeating the offending viewpoints and expelled those who held them. Buddhist scriptures (Tripitaka), subtle philosophy (abhidharma), the doctrine (dharma) and the monastic discipline (Vinaya) that had been recited at the first council, were compiled according to the original teachings. Another result of the third council was the dispatch of missionaries to various countries.

260 Why Sri Lanka ? Asoka decides to send Buddhism to Lanka Asoka had despatched the word of Buddhism in peace as far as Alexandria, Macedonia, Iran, and Syria. But Asoka decided that it was time to send Buddhism to Sri Lanka officially, as predicted by Buddha himself, for Lankans would safeguard Buddhism for another 5000 years. India was too big and was too populated with thousands of different cultures. He knew that a harmless and a peaceful culture based on Pure Buddhism would not survive the threat from others who were not so peaceful and so harmless as Buddhists.

260 Importance of Sri Lanka to Asoka It was so important to him that he even directed both his children to carry Buddhism to Lanka. His son Mahinda, instead of becoming the 4th Emperor of the Maurya dynasty ruling India, Pakistan and Afganisthan, dedicated his life as a Buddhist monk in Lanka. This was how all the 3 relics (Tooth relic, Alms Bowl, Buddha's robe) and the Bo tree was given to the Lankans for safe custody. By the year 2003 AD, after 30 invasions, two of these, the Alms Bowl and the Buddha's robe were destroyed by the invaders. The highly motivated, skilled North Indians like Maurya people who mixed into the Singhalese, were a big force behind Lanka's advance to the developed world.

256 End of The Chinese Zhou dynasty The Zhou dynasty ruled China from about 1027 to 256 BC.

250 King Devanampiyatissa becomes king of Lanka He developes a very good diplomatic relationship with the emperor Asoka in India.

247 Romans begin studies on the ways to improve Unlike other city-states that fell and went poor due to Celtic invasions, the Romans continued to improve on the legacy of the Etruscans civilisation. They watched and learnt from Alexander's rise and the fall. One of their first tasks was to study the tactics that could defeat the Celts. The military power so raised would, by 215 BC, enable the Romans to become the masters of Italy. They will conquer Greece to absorb the Greek culture, fine art and literature. Then they will conquer Europe introducing culture to the Barbarians for the first time.

247 1st Latin literature is produced in Rome

247 The circumference of the earth is calculated Eratosthenes of Cyrene calculates the circumference of the earth.

Arrival of Buddhism to Sri Lanka

246 Official Arrival of Buddhism -Mihindu Thero, son of Emperor Asoka meets Lankan king On 16th May, 246 BC, Lankan king Devanampiyatissa went on his regular Royal hunting in the 450-acre Royal National Park of four mountains, each of them, over 1000 feet tall. He got separated from his friends as he chased a deer. On one of the four mountains, he met Mihindu thero (Son of Emperor Asoka), and the Buddhist party despatched by the Emperor Asoka himself. The famous questions to check if the king had the wisdom to understand Buddhism were asked by Mihindu thero. Then, Lankan king listened, and asked questions, and by daybreak, became a Buddhist.

246 People flock to A'pura to listen to Bana People from all over the country who came to listen to the Buddhist teaching by Mihindu Thero flooded Anuradapura. Over 8500 people embraced Buddhism during the first week alone. 55 members of the prime ministers family became Buddhist monks. Buddhism then took root as the formal belief system of the island. This was how Lankans were able to concentrate as a nation, voluntarily, to advance to become one of the developed nations in the world.

246 Why did Lankans embrace Buddhism as a National Philosophy? Lankans were, even before the arrival of Buddhism, uncorrupt, no-nonsense people who wanted the balance between the material wealth and the spiritual well being. Lankans had resisted the attempts by many foreigners, who arrived as merchants, to introduce the selfishness, corruption and mal-practices that had developed in other parts of the world. Instead, Lankans took what was good from the other parts of the world, and created this almost fairy tale-like civilisation of wealth and inner peace. Not only they found that Buddhism was one of the good things they could learn from the outside world, Buddhism fitted very well into the vacuum they had so far in the National philosophy, in spiritual happiness and inner peace. Never in their history they turned down what was best, spiritually and materially. It was their nature to search for the truth, to search for the ultimate peace and happiness and reject the injustice, selfishness, fraud and propaganda.

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