History of Sri Lanka and significant World events from 246 BC to 777 AD

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

246 First Buddhist Ordination in Lanka Mihindu Thero spent the following 26 days in Anuradapura, preaching to the large crowds who gathered in thousands. Many came with curiosity, to question and understand the new religion. Lankans liked the logical philosophy straight away. That was the only way to explain the astonishing response.

246 First Buddhist Monastery in Sri Lanka After the 26 days, Mihindu thero returned to Mihintale with the king, to establish the first Buddhist monastery there. Chief Minister Maharitta and 55 others took ordination that day itself. Within one year, the construction work would be finished.

246 Introduction of that Great National Philosophy Around this time, the golden National philosophy was introduced. Apart from the privately owned land, all land belonged to the local Buddhist temple or the Buddhist university. Majority in the society, including kings, ministers; officials, and merchants had spent their childhood as Buddhist monks. This ensured a very disciplined society. The villagers in the area cultivated the land. 10% of this harvest was reserved as the payment for the local doctors and vets. Villagers received enough portions for them to live quite comfortably. These pious Theravada Buddhist monks supervised, collected and kept records of the harvest and finally remitted the profit to the central government in Anuradapura through officials. That was how Sri Lanka managed to keep corruption and wastage to a minimum and went on to save national resources. This led to the massive development of the public infrastructure and the creation of some of the World's greatest buildings.

246 National Education: The Secret to success Almost all children became Buddhist monks and studied art, sciences, Buddhism, history, and philosophy in the Buddhist universities. While studying or after the graduation, they could choose either to return to the society as civilians or continue the rest of the life as Buddhist monks. Many of these pious Theravada Buddhist monks spent their time in the Buddhist universities studying, teaching and practising the discipline of Buddhism. Some chose to live in Buddhist temples. Some chose to meditate in isolation in Aaranyas deep in the jungle. As almost all children had the equal opportunity to study in one single National education system, it was easier to identify the best talented and naturally gifted children in the country. These exceptional children were directed for further education and training. After specialised training, these children were appointed in the relevant respective areas under experienced veterans. The experienced veterans who were in charge of various areas and fields, groomed these young men and women to take over senior roles in the future.

Arrival of the scared Bo tree

246 Arrival of the sacred Bo tree & Thero Sangamitta : Proof of a massive population of Sinhalese living in the Jaffna peninsula King Devanampiyatissa walked through the seawater at Jambukola ( Sambaliturai in The North) to receive the Bo tree respectfully with both hands. It was exhibited in a nearby pavilion for three days until all the people finished paying tribute. ( This is a classic example to show that Sinhalese lived in the extreme coast of the north, until the big massacre of 1478 AD when the power-hungry racist Tamil extremists killed the Sinhalese in the peninsula). King Devanampiyatissa himself was on the roster, along with other guards, to guard the sacred tree. This shows the size of the Sinhalese population who paid tribute to it. Only on the fourth day that the people finished paying tribute. Then it was driven in a chariot along the Northern Highway, which was covered, in white sand & white flowers, for 8 days to reach the City of Anuradapura.

246 Sacred Bo tree is planted at the present location."Oldest Authenticated Tree in the World" The sacred tree was planted on the present site the same day it was brought to Anuradapura. The site has 3 terraces. The sacred tree was planted on the highest terrace, 21 feet above the ground. On the first level were 21 Bo trees representing 21 chief monks of Buddha. Eversince, for over 2250 years, only the water from TissaWeva is used to water the tree. Emperor Asoka sent trusted maidens from his castle to do the watering of the tree, to make sure that it was done properly. This gave birth to the ritual of 16 bathing maidens. Pilgrims, who safeguarded the traditions during the times of the invaders and the collaborators, continue the tradition, bringing water from TissaWeva in pots to water the tree even today. Some of these people never left the Bo tree, even after the city of Anuradapura was destroyed and was covered in jungle. They remained there, looking after the tree in traditional ways. The British had records about these faithful caretakers.

246 North Indian Migrants mix into Sinhalese community : Creation of a fiercely patriotic Sinhalese Social Elite, sets the standards of leadership The legend that Sinhalese would safeguard Buddhism for 5000 years, made many North Indians to migrate to Sri Lanka. With the arrival of the Bo-tree and the relics, there was a new migration. Other migrants, who arrived in Sri Lanka due to the tolerance, peace and prosperity Sinhalese had ensured everyone, had always remained as a separate community. (Sinhalese did nothing to question their loyalty). Unlike them, these North Indian migrants mixed into the Sinhalese community. North Indians who migrated with the sacred tree were from the Buddha's Sakya family. They treated themselves as Bodi-tree bearers, who had promised to practise and protect Buddhism. Their descendants will guide Lanka to become a developed nation, under the two greatest Sinhalese dynasties as Lambakarnas & Maurya families. Under their leadership qualities, Lanka developed both spiritually & economically. As the strongest patriotic Sinhalese social elite, their descendants will place the development of the country and people first, before personal gains.

246 North Indians weren't fooled by the art of corruption & deceit Arrival of Lambakarna & Maurya Families created a fiercely patriotic social elite. The power-hungry, greedy, selfish corrupt elements in Lanka went on fooling the people with lies, propaganda and fraud. But they couldn't fool the North Indian migrants who had mixed in to the Sinhalese community. These North Indians had come from a place, which was situated, on the silk route, between the middle east and China. The silk route through North India was one of the busiest places on earth. There, they had experienced all forms of evil and corrupt habits of the selfish elements. There, they had met, dealt with and experienced all types of traders and travellers. They knew that there were people in this world who had different standards in maintaining the principles of life. They knew the game. They knew the art of deceit through experience. They were NOT frogs in the well.

246 First Sinhala Buddhist Nuns Queen Anula, ( wife of the deputy king who was also the brother of the king) and 1000 Sinhala ladies awaited in the Uapasika nunnery, the arrival of Sangamitta thero to become monks. Thero Sangamitta would ordain them.

246 The second Sri Maha Bodi, SriWardana Bo tree, is planted in Seruvila. King Devanampiyatissa plants the first sapling that grew out of the Sri Maha Bodi in Seruvila temple. It will be destroyed by racist Tamil extremist elements in a cunning plan in 1977. It was second in it's importance only to the first one in Anuradapura.

245 Missakapabbata (Mihintale) is developed as the first monastery: This amazed British Archaeologists 68 caves of Mihintale mountain were prepared as meditating caves for the Buddhist monks to meditate during for the Vas(rainy) season. During the British occupation, British archaeologist, HCP Bell, said " A better hermitage can hardly be selected than these, with every facility for a quite retreat, only 2 Gavs(8 miles) from Anuradapura, views of miles of dark green forests & silvery tanks, in a peaceful elevation."

245 Lions Pond of Mihintale Monastery : Open-air Baths, Hot water baths, Underground Water Supply into bathrooms Archeologists were surprised to find Underground waterpipes, Open air baths, Hot water baths, and Underground water supply into bathrooms. Built for the meditating monks who lived in jungle caves, It had fortunately survived the invader's destruction as living proof of the prosperity of Lanka. The lion pond's carving of the lions, out of sheer rock, impressed HCP Bell, British Archaeologists, in 1800's. He said "Nothing else in all the ruins of ancient Lanka proves the tour-de-force of Lankan stone-mason for the bold artistic work on granite, so handsome & artistic".

245 Mahamevuna Uyana is developed as the Centre of Buddhism : First Major Presentation to the Monks in Lanka King Devanampiyatissa donated the Mahamegavanna Park( MahaMevuna Uyana) to the city-based Buddhist monks to meditate. Mahinda Thero walked with the king, inside and around the city, to find and mark the suitable site to be developed as the centre of future activities of Buddhism in Lanka. This will become the most important Pure Theravada Buddhist Centre in the years to come, until the invaders and collaborators destroyed it in 1018 AD during the 15th Invasion.

245 Mahaviharaya- Greatest Theravada Buddhist University in the World King Devanampiyatissa established 6 major Buddhist University complexes. They included Mahaviharaya, Isurumuniya And Vessagiriya in A'pura, and the Monastery in Mihintale. The Largest of them was the Maha Viharaya. It was the world's largest Theravada Buddhist centre.

245 Royal Alms Hall - The First Social Security Centre " A Nation cannot prosper when any citizen is in distress". The first step of the plan to become one of the developed nations, was to combat the hunger, and look after the citizens in distress. The Royal Alms hall built by King Devanampiyatissa was named "Catussala". It faced the giant Dagabas. It will develop as a Social Security Centre as it fed the people in distress, without any discrimination. In the eastern corner of this Alms Hall, were giant rice boats. Many were looted and taken to South India during the following invasions. But one rice boat 45 feet long survived. It was capable of feeding at least 3000 monks at a time. It is written that the state fed over 8000 priests daily and many more poor civilians who came with their families and bowls. The Social Security system was funded by the income received by the Theravada Buddhist temples, which owned most of the important land and forests ( to make sure that they were not destroyed and manipulated for selfish advantages). The villagers leased and irrigated these lands.

245 Lanka receives the Buddha's Right Collar Bone & the Alms Bowl Sumana Samanera, a novice Buddhist monk visited the Emperor Ashoka. He brought Buddha's right collar-bone relic and the almsbowl relic. Emperor Asoka sent Budda's Alms Bowl & the Right Collarbone relic to Lanka because he knew that those relics would not survive in India. India was too big and too populated with thousands of different cultures. North India was in the silk route, and many invaders had access to the area. He knew that a harmless and a peaceful culture based on Pure Buddhism would not survive the threat from others.

245 Oldest Surviving monument in South Asia-Thuparamaya Thuparama Dagaba was built enshrining the Buddha's right collarbone. Regarded as the most exquisite Dagaba, it was made of brick and earth. On the advice of Mahinda Thero, the clay taken from the bed of Abaya Weva, were laid and layers of bricks were laid on top of that to build this Dagaba. On the opening day itself, 2500 youngmen became monks in the new monastery. The four circles of the strong pillars, that we can see today, around the Dagaba, were once holding the giant golden domed roof of the complex. It is still solid and almost perfect even after so many invasions, destructions, after 2500 years. The restoration in 1862 AD changed it's shape from Danyagara(Paddy-heap) to Ghantakara(Bell) shape and was much smaller than the original Dagaba. Even today, the ruins of this complex cover over 3.5 acres, indicating how giant the original complex had been.

245 Thuparamaya's Image House-World's Largest Image House Archaeologists consider this Image House as the Most elaborate and impressive one in Anuradapura. It is the only example that is left of an image house in Mahaviharaya from these ancient times. (The giant Image house of Jethavanaramaya was built only in 286AD, 532 years after this). The legend speaks of a giant Buddha statue seated on a throne made of diamond. Archaeologists who have matched all other writings with evidence, are yet to discover any evidence on this. It is believed that it was looted in an invasion, never to be mentioned again.

245 Second-most beautiful and romantic ancient site in Lanka-Isurumuniya Next to Sigiriya, the Archaeologists and artists have ranked Isurumuniya as the Second-most beautiful and romantic ancient site in Lanka. Isurumuniya was famous for the sheer atmosphere of peace, love, and happiness it depicted. It was a symbol of the perfect lifestyle the Sinhalese had created during their golden era.

245 The Reservoir that will never die - Tissa Weva - The largest in Anuradapura, is a reminder of the skill of Sinhala Engineers Realising that the Lankan civilisation would need a guaranteed supply of water through out any worse drought, Sinhalese engineers were entrusted with the task of finding a solution. TissaWeva was designed by these outstanding engineers to last forever. It was designed to supply water to all important and sacred places and also to all public and private places in the city of Anuradapura. As a permanent reminder about the skill of these Sinhalese engineers, Tissa Weva does this job even today, with perfection. Hardly any maintenance had been necessary. With an embankment over 4 kms long, it is still the largest reservoir in Anuradapura. It probably is one of the World's oldest reservoirs still in use.

241 Rome conquers Sicily The small city-state of Rome was becoming powerful year by year, due to their concentration on developing the military power. They will fight other Mediterranean powers like the larger states of Greece and Carthage, in order to establish itself as the major Mediterranean power soon.

240 Death of King Devanampiyatissa & the First National Crisis The first national crisis since the arrival of Buddhism, took place after the death of the King. The king died without nominating a suitable king who was capable of carrying on with the National philosophy. The selfish and corrupt elements began to campaign against Mahanaga, the deputy king who was a known patriot. Mahanaga narrowly escaped death by poisoning. The corrupt elite was too powerful. They won the day as Mahanaga left Anuradapura fearing for his life and Uttiya, the youngest brother of the deceased king, became the king. The result was evident. The progress of the nation, without the Royal backing, was paused. The selfish corrupt elements, as usual, progressed in life. Their merchants became rich. Their ministers and officials became powerful.

240 Ruhuna Sub-Kingdom is founded : Most Patriotic City in Lankan History- Mahagama becomes a big City. Mahanaga, King Devanampiyatissa's brother, was one member of the social elite who believed in the golden National philosophy. He moved to Ruhuna, fearing assassination in Anuradapura where suddenly the selfish and the corrupt had become influential. He developed the Ruhuna kingdom under the central government of Anuradapura. He developed the provincial town Mahagama as the capital of Ruhuna sub-kingdom. This sub-kingdom would be, in the years to come, the birth place of almost all liberation attempts. Therefore this patriotic large city will be completely destroyed by the Chola invaders during the 15th invasion. They razed all the buildings to the ground and smashed them into tiny pieces to give a very clear message to the people of Ruhuna. Invaders and the collaborators, during their selfish rule, prohibited this city to be rebuilt or to be rehabited, to stop any further liberation attempts. Today this legendary city, the most patriotic city in Lankan history, lays covered in jungle, about 20 kilometers north of Tissamaharamaya, forgotten even by the Sinhalese.

240 World's first Oblique Dam is built in Ruhuna : Sinhalese are the World's first to realise the advantage of Oblique Dams Tissamaharama Weva was built Mahanaga by blocking the Magama river( now Kirindi Oya). Sinhalese engineers used heavy stones each weighing over one ton to build the dam. These heavy stones were placed with an exact number of millimetres between each other. Archaeologists are baffled even today as to what technology the Sinhalese used, to do this so precisely. It covered an area of 652 acres (250 hectares) with a capacity of 160 million cubit feet. This dam was 1.3 Kilometers long, and 4-6 meters wide. It was angled at 45 degrees from the direct line. 2000 years later during British times, when the engineers carried out the repairs in 1871, they discovered that the Sinhalese Engineers of 245BC had followed the same decisions they took using the latest technology available in 1871. They even had to stick to the original settings in order to retain the water level. Sinhalese were the World's First to discover the advantage of an Oblique Dam. The British who learned it from the Sinhalese ruins, only in the 19th century, built world’s second oblique dam.

240 Kelaniya Sub-kingdom is founded Yatalaya Tissa, son of Mahanaga in Ruhuna sub-kingdom, went to Kelaniya, which was close, the port of Colombo. He established a sub-kingdom there under the central government rule. He married the daughter of King Uttiya, the Lankan king, who was his uncle in Anuradapura. They will have 3 children. Eldest son Gotabaya will move to Ruhunu sub-kingdom after the death of Mahanaga, and will have a son named Kavan Tissa. Second son Tissa will become king of Kelaniya kingdom and will have a daughter named Vihara Maha Devi. The rest, is a legend...!

238 Arahat Mahinda - 4th heir to Indian Maurya dynasty- passed into parinirvana After 48 years of preaching to Lankans from his serene jungle Aranya in Mihintale, he passed away at the age of 80. He was the son of the Indian Emperor Asoka, who could've become the 4th Emperor of the Maurya dynasty who ruled India, Pakistan and Afganithan. Lanka honoured him with a state funeral. Later, Ruwanveliseya Dagaba will be built on the site where he was cremated. And the largest Dagaba of all time, Jethavanaramaya would be built enshrining his ashes 532 years later. Some of his remains were enshrined in Ambasthala Dagaba in Mihintale.

238 Death of thero Sangamitta She was the daughter of the Indian emperor Asoka. She was 79 when she died after establishing the Bikkuni sasanaya. Her students will continue by establishing Bikkuni Sasanaya in many other countries, most notably China who will record all these in detail. She was cremated at a spot she had requested before, next to the sacred Bo tree, which she had brought to Lanka.

238 Only dagaba to built in stones - Ambasthala Chaitya Ambasthala Dagaba in Mihintale enshrining some remains of Mihindu Thero is the only Dagaba made of stone, instead of bricks. The Alms Bowl relic brought by Sumana Samanera, is enshrined in this Dagaba.

237 First Invasion - Sena & Guttika - Just when the 500th Buddhist University was opened, the Selfish Corrupt elements raised their ugly head for the first time Two sons of a horse businessman from South India, led the first invasion of Lanka. They hired a mercenary force of South Indians, and marched to Anuradapura. Lanka had no army capable of fighting international warmongers. Lankan army at the time was nothing more than a Police force, designed and rose to maintain the law and order. King Suratissa, who had just completed his 500th University, was killed in action. They grabbed the power so easily, indicating the support they had from the selfish, corrupt elements like power-hungry officials, greedy merchants in Lanka. Promoting business, rather than destroying or developing the civilisation, they would rule for 22 years, becoming very rich by the wealth of Lanka. Prince Asela, youngest brother of Devanampiyatissa, regrouped and reorganised the patriotic Sinhalese.

232 Emperor Asoka dies in India He never recovered from the grief, after the destruction of the sacred Bo-tree. He died a very sad man. Only consolation he had was that Buddhism was at least safe in Lanka.

232 Corruption and Decline of Buddhism in North India after Asoka During the political unrest following the death of King Asoka, 18 different Buddhist sects emerged. Time to time they would argue on varoius points of Buddhism which they had changed slightly. This continued until 100 AD when the Indian emperor Kanishka of Kushna Empire called for the 4th Buddhsit council in Kashmir.

225 Roman Legions : Best armed soldier in the world at the time. Young Romans joined up at the age of 16 for a six month legion training and a 25 year Legion service. During the training they ran 3 miles per day, drilled twice a day, exercised and mock-battled in full armour in all types of weather. They were also trained to carry 70 pounds of equipment including axe, pick, saw, cooking pot, and 3 days ration. They were also trained to wear the Roman helmet that covered the head and the neck, a body armour of many metal breast plates joined by hooks allowing free movement which made him the best armed soldier in the world at the time. Despite this training, one out of every three Legionaire was killed in every operation. They were allowed girlfriends, but were not allowed to marry. They continued rigorous and bloody training even during any peacetime. They were paid well and some proven warriors were paid five times the normal pay. They used short swords with a wider blade and jevelins with thin necks so that they broke on impact. This made them of no use to the enemy.

225 New Roman Army The New Roman Army was the greatest army the world had seen todate. Their greatest weapon was the discipline. They were trained extensively to win situations before which other armies would flee. A Roman squad, which was the key element of the army, had 8 soldiers. They worked as a team with no individualism. They slept in one tent. They were so disciplined that if one of them fell asleep in guard duties, the rest had to stone him to death. About 10 squads made up a centurion ( 80-100 soldiers). About 6 centurions made a cohorts ( 480-600 soldiers). 10 cohorts made a Legion ( 4800-6000 soldiers). Legions had doctors, architects, engineers, carpenters, bookkeepers, blacksmiths with them which enabled the Romans to build very strong fortifications in no time. They sacrificed an Ox, a Sheep, and a Pig before every battle.

225 Romans are ready to conquer Rome, with only one million population and the 300,000 Roman army, was ready to build the Empire that would control 60 million people.

Unfortunately, in doing so, the Roman Army would always be at war at one corner of the empire. Even at the peak of the power, Roman empire was paying tribute to barbarians in the northern and eastern borders to keep them away. Roman empire depended on the Roman Legion. Once the Legions were all gone, the empire collapsed.

225 Romans unleash their New Roman Army against the Celtic invaders in Italy Gauls( Celts) from France and from the settlements in northern Italy, marched on Rome to destroy the rising city state. With 50,000 infantrymen and 20,000 horsemen Gauls had no doubts of victory. Unknown to them, the Romans had studied the Celtic military tactics and had raised the new Roman army to face them. Only 8000 Roman Legionaires ( Two Roman Legions) faced them. They were armed with short swords and tall shields. When the Celtic jevelins rained down on them the entire Roman army had their shields up. When the Celts charged the entire Roman army took shelter behind a wall of shields which the long Celtic swords couldn't penetrate. When the Celts got closer, the Roman short swords emerged from the wall of shields cutting through the enemy bodies. At the end, 40,000 Celts lay dead while well-disciplined Roman formations stood like hard rocks unmoved and fearless. 10,000 Celts were taken prisoner. Celtic rule was pushed back northern Italy all the way to France and Germany. They wouldn't be a threat to Rome for another 600 years.

224 2nd King of Ruhuna- Gotabaya After the sub-king Mahanaga's death, Gotabaya, eldest son of the sub king in Kelaniya, went to Ruhuna to become the new sub-king in Ruhuna. There he will have a son named Kavan Tissa.

223 Scandal in Kelaniya As the king Yatalaya Tissa died in Kelaniya, his second son became the king as Kelani Tissa. His queen started an affair with the king's younger brother, Uttika. A love letter sent from Uttika fell into the hands of the King. King identified the handwriting as that of the chief monk and ordered him killed. This led the sub-kingdom to destruction. A huge tide rose from the sea and the whole Kelaniya was submerged in water. Many of the people in Kelaniya were not Buddhists yet. They demanded a suitable sacrifice be made to the sea gods. Vihara Maha Devi, the daughter of the king, volunteered to sail into the ocean to save the people in the kingdom from the flood.

222 ViharaMahaDevi floats to Kirinda Vihara Maha Devi didn't perish in the sea. She was carried all the way to Kirinda, which belonged to the Ruhuna kingdom. There she met King of Ruhuna, Kavan Tissa, who was the son of her uncle( Her father's eldest brother) Gotabaya. Kavan Tissa, her cousin, was glad to meet her and soon they were married. She was a woman gifted with outstanding and rare qualities. She became the most respected chief queen in Lankan history. She and the king would go on a revival of Buddhism, creating over 64 Buddhist monasteries. Situl Pavwa, Seruwila Viharaya, Tissamaharama Dagaba are some their notable work.

221 End of Warring States and China is united under Qin rule 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 in a ten year war, introduing the First Emperor, one common culture, and one nation of China. Zheng, the king of Qin province created a new Chinese empire, standardising weights and measures, including the axle lengths of wagons. Ordering that only one Chinese culture should exist, based on his own legalist philosophy, he ordered all "useless" books to be burnt. Hundreds of scholars who had different ideas, were put to death.

221 China expand to current boundaries, gets it's name & construction of the Great Wall starts Zheng named himself as the "First Emperor" though there had been emperors before him. He ruled China from 221 to 206 BC. Under his rule, the modern borders of China were determined. A centrally administered bureaucracy replaced feudalism. The written Chinese language was standardized. Many roads and canals were built. As a memorial to himself, He built life-sized terracotta statues of 2,000 horses 6000 riders, which had survived to this day. To keep out the barbarian attacks into China from the north, he constructed the first parts of the Great Wall. For the first time, the name China came into existence from the name Qin (formerly written Ch'in).

221 Negative effects of Qin rule Forced labour in Military campaigns to capture Vietnam and Korea and massive public structures such as the Great wall, Taxation became a nuisance to the Chinese common public. Thought control policies such as burning of books enraged intellectuals. The power struggle following the First emperor's death crippled the central administration, and the public rebellions followed. By 206, most successful rebel leader would introduce the Han dynasty.

215 1st Liberation - Asela frees Lanka after 22 years Asela, youngest brother of Devanampiyatissa, freed the country from the selfish corrupt rule after 22 years. He pardoned the enemy prisoners of war, and gave them permanent residency in Lanka. Many of them married Sinhala women and took Sinhala names. But they wouldn’t pass down Sinhala patriotism down the family tree as it was NOT important to them. They were only interested in the survival of their family. Unfortunately they betrayed Lanka in the following South Indian invasions and in Lankan racist Tamil rebellions. Asela was very old when he freed the country. He got only 10 years to rule as the selfish corrupt elements organised a well-known South Indian Warlord Elara, to come and rule Lanka in revenge.

215 Rome starts to rule Greek states From 215 BC, Rome began to interfere and make demands from the Greek states. Greeks faced with the most powerful enemy since the Macedonians, couldn't do anything about this new threat.

212 Romans murder Archimedes Archimedes (287-212 BC), was born in Sicily, and was educated in Alexandria, Egypt. He became a Greek mathematician and inventor, who wrote important works on geometry, arithmetic, and mechanics. He proved that the volume of a sphere is two-thirds the volume of a cylinder that circumscribes the sphere. He defined the principle of the lever. He invented the hydraulic screw for raising water from a lower to a higher level. He is best known for discovering the law of hydrostatics, often called Archimedes' principle. Archimedes spent the major part of his life in Sicily devoting his entire lifetime to research and experiment. As the Romans invaded Sicily, he offered his talents to defend the nation. Among his mechanical devices that defended Sicily, were the catapult and a mirror system that focused the Sun's rays on the invaders' boats igniting them. After the Romans captured Sicily, a Roman soldier found him drawing a mathematical diagram in the sand. Archimedes was so concentrated in the calculation that he told the Roman soldier "Do not disturb my diagrams" and was killed on the spot.

206 Macedonian power is weakened by the Romans for siding with the Carthagians. As Rome and Carthage were battling for supremacy in the region, the third major regional power, Phillip V of Macedonia, decided to support Carthage. Romans, with the help cunningly obtained from many Greek states, weakened the Macedonian forces in 206 BC. With the weakening of the Macedonians, the Romans had a firm foothold on Greek soil. In 9 more years, Romans would take Macedonia, thereby taking over the whole of Greek states.

206 Qin rule starts to decline as power is divided among rebels So-called first emperor's harsh rules caused the Qin downfall. Scholars longed for the freedom of speech, and the common people were angry of high taxes, forced labour and military service. After the death of the emperor, power struggles weakened the central government. Qin rule was short as local areas fell into the hands of rebel groups. But, Qin legacy continues for 2,000 years with the boundaries and the authoritarian character of the Chinese state.

206 Han dynasty is established by a soldier of fortune A humble soldier of fortune named Liu Bang is credited with establishing the Han Dynasty, which ruled China from 206 BC to 220 AD. His rebellion against the harsh Qin dynasty ultimately placed him as the emperor of China. He made China a very powerful country. He abolished the harsh laws and heavy taxes, but kept the administrative structure of the Qin dynasty. Many features of the Qin Legal system, which treated the emperor as a semi-God and gave him executive powers over anything, were also kept to control the corruption.

206 Confucianism becomes Chinese National Philosophy Chinese emperor Liu Bang who founded the Han Dynasty, made Confucianism the National philosophy like the way the Theravada Buddhism was in Sri Lanka. They even established an imperial university, which had the curriculum, based on the five Confucian theories like the way the Buddhist universities in Sri Lanka were based on the Theravada principles.

206 Chinese select officials through exams The Han dynasty founded by a humble soldier, believed in the appointments by merit. They conducted examinations to select suitable officials. In order to appreciate this, a history student needs to study what was happening in the other cultures and civilisations in the world at this time.

205 2nd Invasion - Elara is hired by the selfish corrupt elements in Lanka Selfish corrupt elements, which included both the Sinhalese and some South Indians living in Lanka, were after more business profits. They secretly helped and funded a South Indian Warlord named Elara, to come and weaken the patriotic Sinhalese rule. The selfish corrupt class hated the rules under the pure Buddhist principles. Elara arrived with 20 Generals, and a private army of 100,000 South Indians Mercenaries. This he needed to face the newly raised Lankan Patriotic Army. They landed in Trinco. Old King Asela personally led the Lankan Army against the invader. But the invader knew the precise tactics, the strategy and the timing, the formations adopted by the Lankan Army units. The traitors who were loooking forward for a business economy under Elara's rule, had passed all the information to the enemy. Asela was killed in action as Anuradapura fell to the invaders and the collaborators.

205 44 Years under Elara has over one million armed men Elara ruled from Anuradapura, pleasing the selfish corrupt elements. There are no records to indicate that both invaders thus far destroyed any of the Buddhist heritages. It is clear that they both had the support of some very powerful and influential Sinhalese in Anuradapura. Elara didn't dare to challenge the Ruhuna as it wasn't easy to obtain information from Ruhuna. Unlike in Anuradapura, there were not enough traitors in Ruhuna to divulge information. Mahaveli river separated Elara's rule and the Ruhuna kingdom. Ruhuna continued as the free Lanka. It clearly shows that this wasn't a war between the Sinhalese and the Tamils. All research reveal that it was only a conspiracy by the selfish corrupt elements, which included both the Sinhalese and some Tamils, who were after more business profits and who didn't like the rule under the pure Theravada Buddhist principles. It has been recorded that Elara, who arrived with only 100,000 South Indians, had well over a million armed men with the addition of these Lankan's private thug squads.

205 Good Elara, Bad Elara Elara was not only a warlord. He was obviously a clever ruler who was capable of analysing the situation around him. Though his regime was fully supported by a group of Lankan collaborators, who were both Sinhala and South Indian, he knew that the people were not happy under him. Since the day Buddhism arrived, Lankans had discovered what the ultimate just governance should be. He knew that he had to match his rule, which supported the merchants and officials, somehow with the previous rule based on the Buddhist principles. He couldn't fully transform the system, even if he had wanted to, for the same fate that befell on the patriots would have befallen him. His troops and his collaborators didn't want the former system of government. That was the only way to describe why he acted quite contrary to how his officials, ministers and merchants were behaving in certain cases. Several times he brought justice to the civilians who had suffered under his regime. But, overall, his regime was not clean enough to satisfy the Lankans who had known something better.

204 Chinese Great Wall is completed It was over 1,900 km (1,200 miles) long. Sometimes it was helpful in stopping the invaders. But the huge cost of building the wall and other military projects, led to public unrest all across China. (Such unrests had ended the powerful Qin dynasty). Similarly, such pressure of taxes and greater monopoly by government, brought out public anger. Still Han dynasty suvived for 200 more years.

202 Battle of Zama : Romans chase Carthagians from Roman Territory By this time, the city of Carthage who ruled North Africa and the western Mediterranean, was Rome's it's most powerful rival. The Carthaginian army had occupied Roman territory for more than 10 years. Roman army fought what was called the Punic Wars to chase them out. But Carthagians army led by the great General Hannibal stayed. In 202 BC, in the Battle of Zama, Roman army won. Finally, Carthaginians were forced to withdraw. Rome would not stop there. They will take Spain in 5 years, Carthage, North Africa, Macedonia, Greece in 56 years, and the Middle east in 69 years. Rome would be the regional military power within 50 years.

200 850 years of Painting starts in Ajantha caves - The Best Buddhist Paintings to survive in India The Ajantha caves were famous for their frescoes, and sculptures belonging to the period between 200 BC and AD 650. Most of them were based on the Jatakas (stories of the former lives of the Buddha) and on events in the life of the Buddha. The relationship of all living things, which is a basis of Buddhism, is evident in all the paintings. Being inside caves, they had survived the brutal suppression of Buddhism in India. Their liveliness, rich colours, and the creativity had made them the best Buddhist paintings in India. About 20 caves carved out of the sides of a steep ravine near the village of Ajanta, in Maharashtra State, central India, were only discovered in 1819 AD.

200 Ramayanaya is composed Ramayana, was composed around 200 BC.

200 Mayans introduce the most accurate calendar the world had until 1583 Using their temples as observatories, Mayans developed the most accurate calendar the world knew until the adoption of the Gregorian calendar in 1582.

200 Mayans develop concept of Zero The Mayans developed the concept of zero, unknown even to the Romans. They also developed an original system of writing, with which they recorded astronomy, religion, and history.

200 Tissamaharama Dagaba is built Built by Kavan Tissa and Vihara Maha Devi, this was the largest Dagaba at the time. Over two million bricks were used to build it. It's pinnacle alone was 24 meters tall. This became the centre of studies in the south, like Maha Viharaya in Anuradapura. About 6000 monks studied there at any time. The resources of the area entrusted with the temple was so well managed, that even during the worst famine it still had enough grain very well stocked to last for 3 years.

200 Situl Pavwa Buddhist University is built King Kavan Tissa and Vihara Maha Devi built this as a Buddhist university. The massive complex was capable of accommodating 12,000 resident students who were following religious studies. It was the largest jungle monastery in the country. In numerous rock caves in the jungle, which is now a National park, many monks were able to practise and reach Arahath state. Over 60 inscriptions discovered from the jungle have given archaeologists valuable information about the life at the time. This became the greatest jungle monastery of all time. The invaders who swept Ruhuna from 1100 AD destroyed it. Finally, the complex was abandoned as Buddhism was threatened and lost state patronage.

197 Greek states are fooled by the Romans After weakening the Macedonian forces in 206 BC, helped by some Greek states that believed that Rome would get them freedom from the Macedonians, Romans in 197 BC completely conquered Macedonia. Macedonia made a peace deal with Rome, giving all of the Greek states over to the Romans. The Greek states that supported Romans hoping for freedom, found that they had exchanged one master for another.

197 Rome conquers Spain The powerful city-state of Rome conquered Spain, immediately after taking the Macedonia.

196 Chinese evaluate literary Work In an example to show how much important it was for the Chinese to preserve the literature, the emperor Wu offered massive rewards for those who preserved copies of ancient literary work.

185 Break up of Indian Maurya Dynasty due to nomad invasions The Maurya dynasty collapsed after the assassination of the last Mauryan King in 185 BC. Central Asian warrior tribes, specially the Turkish-speaking nomads in Mongolia, experienced with their battles against the expanding Chinese Han dynasty, began invading north India. These nomads who had herds of horses, cattle, and sheep, and lived in tent-covered wagons, were famed for their horsemanship and skill as archers. The predominantly Buddhist North Indians with harmless views, were not a match for these nomads who had no hesitation for bloodshed. While the North Indians battled for survival, the Greek states on the west, took over eastern parts of the Asoka's Mauryan empire. Indian Mauryan empire was finally divided into several kingdoms. It was one of these nomad communities who settled in the north west Ghandara region who started the next Indian empire, Kushan dynasty, by 40 AD. The profits made from Taxila in the silk route between Rome and China made them very powerful.

184 Beginning of the decline of the Buddhist system in India Within 112 years ( from 184 to 72 BC) Hindu Brahman (priests) attempts to win the hearts and minds of the ruling class succeeded. Weak, greedy and corrupt rulers ignored the Buddhist system which was unfavourable to them and found the advice of Hindu Brahmans useful. The result was the persecution and decline of Buddhism in India and the triumph of Brahmanism. As Hindu Brahmans (priests) became powerful, the caste system was strongly and deeply imbedded in the Indian social structure, creating injustice and suffering to millions.

170 Rome's first paved streets - Secrets of quick reinforcements & communication As their territory expanded it became important for the Romans to move their limited military resources quickly. In 170 BC, they built the first paved streets, which could survive any bad weather. With such dependable roads, the Romans sent horsemen, fast chariots, and supply wagons in all weather conditions. For the next 300 years Romans would constantly expand their road network, using the resources of the countries they conquered. These roads of stone would link together much of the Roman Empire. At the height of the empire, Romans had built about 80,000 km of roads.

161 Legendary three Cravings of Queen ViharaMahaDevi The legend says that ViharaMahaDevi who had no children, pleaded with a dying pious monk to be reborn as her son. Sometime after his death, she conceived a baby and had three unusual cravings that predicted the birth of a great hero. The three cravings were, firstly, to lie on a magnificent bed using a honeycomb as large as a sambhur, as a pillow and then to share the honeycomb with 12,000 pious monks in an alms giving. Secondly, she wanted to drink the water that washed the blood off the sword used in the killing of Nanda Sarathi, the senior-most General of Elara, while standing on his head. Thirdly, she wanted to wear a garland of flowers, made of Manel flowers from a lake in Anuradapura. All these indicated the birth of a fiercely patriotic, passionate noble son who would one day liberate the country from the invaders and collaborators.

161 Negombo gets it's name A villager discovered a huge honey comb, as large as a sambhur, in a hornet's nest, inside an overturned boat . That place would be named Meegomuwa (later, Negombo). It was sent to the King in the South.

161 Adventures of Velusumana: " Best Horse rider in Lankan History " Velusumana, the bravest warrior of the Lankan army at the time, took up the challenge to fulfil the second craving of the queen. He went to Anuradapura in disguise. After studying everything in detail, he gained access to the stables. There he stole the best horse of the Elara's private army and challenged them to catch him. Nanda Sarati, Elara's best General, went after him. Velusumana ambushed him on the banks of the Malwatu Oya. After killing him, Velusumana managed to return to Ruhuna with the head of Nanda Sarati and the bloody sword that killed him. He was the only one of the ten giants who was serving in the Lankan army at the time prince Gemunu was born. He would be oldest of all the ten giants.

161 Birth of Gemunu & the arrival of Kandula As Gemunu was born in Mahagama, in Ruhuna, a Vedi chief named Kandula, found a baby elephant stranded in the jungle. Noticing the strength and the intelligence of the baby elephant, he decided to send the animal to the king for Royal service. King named the elephant as Kandula, as a tribute to the Vedi chief who found him.

161 Ten Giants : Giant No:1- NandiMitra : "The Strongest Sri Lankan in History" NandiMitra was a Buddhist nephew of Mitta, a Sinhala General who had defected to the Elara's army during the invasion. As a teenager he used to light lamps and offer flowers to the sacred Bo-tree and the Thuparamaya everyday. He noticed that the South Indian mercenaries, officials and traders, behaving without any respect at these holy places. Once he witnessed a South Indian throwing the flowers and stepping on it, to scare a Buddhist pilgrim. During the argument there, NandiMitra said that he would kill as many disrespectful South Indians as he can, and would throw their bodies over the city wall. Once the Elara's intelligence services came to know about his words, he had to flee to the south. There he joined the Lankan Army.

161 Ten Giants : Giant No:2- Suranimala In a village near the border of the Ruhuna sub kingdom, a village chief had 7 sons. The youngest son named Nimala, was very well built and looked very strong. But he was a notoriously lazy person who slept most of the time. His friends called him Suranimala because he could gulp down very large amounts of alcohol. After finding out about his quick running, He was directed to the Sinhala king by the local chief. He would be the fastest runner who could run one whole day without a stop, maintaining a speed of 12-15 kilometers per hour.

161 Ten Giants : Giant No:3- Mahasona In a southern village, Sona, the youngest son of a family of 8 sons, had extraordinary strength. At the age of ten he could uproot a tree with his bare hands. Therefore, His friends called him Maha Sona. He was sent to the king of Lanka for Royal service to the motherland.

161 Ten Giants : Giant No:4- Gotha Imbara Gotha was the youngest son of a family of 7 sons. He was small made. His brothers cleared the jungle for cultivation, and left a smaller area for him to clear. Gotha cleared the whole jungle, by uprooting the giant Imbara trees using his hands. His family named him Gotha of Imbara and sent him to the King of Lanka for Royal service.

161 Ten Giants : Giant No:5- Theraputh Abaya In a village near Kotagala mountains, a villager became a Buddhist monk, leaving his family. Villagers called his son, named Abaya, as Theraputh Abaya, which meant son of a Thero. As he grew up he displayed his outstanding strength. When he was 16 years old, he used an iron rod, 16 meters long and one meter wide, as a tool to cut down big trees. The villagers directed him to the king, for Royal service to the country. He would be one of the two giants who would survive the liberation war.

161 Ten Giants : Giant No: 6- Bharana He was a village boy from a hunting family, who at the age of ten, could chase rabbits and crush them with a single strike from his foot. When he was 16, he did the same to the wildboar and the deer. Villagers thought that his services could be better utilised for the Royal service and sent him to the king.

161 Ten Giants : Giant No: 7- Khanja Deva The youngest son of a village family, named Deva, though he had a limp in his foot, could chase buffaloes, grab them by the legs and dash them on the ground. Villagers named him Khanja Deva ( Deva who limps), and sent him for Royal service.

161 Ten Giants : Giant No: 8- Unmada Pussadeva " The Best marksman of all time" He grew up in a village near Situl Pavwa. When his father taught him the archery, he realised that his son was no extraordinary human. He sent his son to the Royal service. There he proved shooting at a hair, shooting at the sounds while blindfolded, shooting through 100 skins, shooting through a cart fully loaded with sand, shooting through four inch thick armour plating of iron or copper. He became the best Marksman of Sri Lankan history. He would be one of the two giants who would survive the liberation war.

161 Ten Giants : Giant No: 9- Labhiya Vasabha He was one of the most handsome young men in the country. While repairing a reservoir the villagers noticed that he had the strength of 12 men, and directed him to Royal service.

161 Ten Giants : Giant No: 10- Velu Sumana " Best Horse rider in History " He was the oldest and the only giant to serve in the Lankan army at the time of the birth of the prince Gemunu. Once a local chief couldn't control the strongest horse he had. A village boy, who was well known in his village for horsemanship, came and calmed down the horse. The chief noticed that the horse riding skills of this young man could be better utilised in the service of the motherland, and directed him to the king of Lanka. there he became the best horse rider in the recorded history of Sri Lanka. it was recorded that he rode his horse so fast in a circle, that the onlookers could see several men riding a horse.

161 Kavan Tissa refuses Gemunu the permission to wage war King KavanTissa refused 3 requests forwarded by Gemunu to liberate the country. "How are you going to fight one million troops commanded by 20 experienced Generals ?". ( Unlike the 10 amateur Generals of the Lankan Army, The 20 Generals of Elara's army were battle-hardened South Indian veterans). Gemunu couldn't give a satisfactory answer. Instead, he began to criticise the king saying that the king is too timid. When king ordered Gemunu to be arrested, Gemunu fled to Kotmale. From this point onwards he came to be known as Dutugemunu, meaning "bad Gemunu".

161 Seruwila Dagaba is built King Kavan Tissa built the Seruwila Dagaba near Allai reservoir, which he had built before. This proved that the east, including Trincomalee, at the time was in the hands of the Free Sri Lanka. This Dagaba enshrined the Buddha's hair relic and the forehead relic.

161 Somawathie Dagaba is built The Dagaba most famous for miracles, Somawathie Dagaba has a reputation for radiating Buddha's rays from its pinnacle. It became publicised in 1981 as the rays were radiated when JR Jayawardana placed the pinnacle on the Dagaba. The deputy king in Kelaniya sub-kingdom married Soma Devi, the sister of king Kavantissa. Queen Soma Devi wanted to build a giant Dagaba enshrining the right tooth relic of the Buddha, which was in the custody of Arahat monk Mahadeva. A giant complex of image house, monks residence, assembly hall, was built. The area was such a populated and a busy place that the river had three ports. The jungle surrounding the village was named Vihara forest because of hundreds of meditating temples inside the jungle.

161 Death of King KavanTissa in Ruhuna at 64 He died a worried man, foreseeing a confrontation between the two brothers. He knew that his eldest son Dutugemunu had the courage that he didn't have. He also knew that his second son Tissa, who was in command of the Ruhuna kingdom, would not tolerate Gemunu's attitude. By the time of his death at the age of 64, he had built 64 Buddhist temples all over the country. Before he died, he got the 10 giants to make a promise never to take a side, if the two Royal brothers clashed.

161 Battle of Culanganiyapitti : Dutugemunu lose to Tissa Dutugemunu as the elder brother took over the rule after his father's death. But his brother continued to ignore his orders. The clash was inevitable. While many Lankan troops stayed neutral, the supporters of the two brothers clashed in the battle of Culanganiyapitti, 16 kilometers north of Buttala. Tissa won. Gemunu had to run away.

161 Dutugemunu wins the dual against the brother Realising that further clashes would only reduce the Lankan fighting strength, Dutugemunu challenged his brother for a dual. He didn't want to kill his brother. He only wanted to be the king, and to liberate the country. He won the dual. The Buddhist monks at last reconciled both of them. Then, Dutugemunu was free to concentrate on the big task ahead.

161 Gemunu organises the Lankan Army Gemunu became the commander of the Lankan Army. The evidence clearly shows that this was not a primitive tribal force. The army was equipped with horses, elephants, chariots, and arms. Gemunu trained all the soldiers in archery, swordsmanship, horse riding, elephant riding. Army was 11,000 strong and was divided into ten divisions of 1100 troops each. Each division was commanded by a Giant( A General) who had finished training in the art of war.

161 Tissa organises the administration Royal brother Tissa took charge of the administration. He concentrated on the agriculture ( so that there is enough food for everyone) and the building of roads ( so that supplies could be sent to the army quickly).

161 Dutugemuni leaves for battle Lankan army that left Mahagama was so large, that when the first troops reached Buttala, which is 56 kilometers away, the other end was still in Mahagama. Over 500 Buddhist monks left with the Lankan Army to provide spiritual support.

161 Fall of 17 Forts Dutugemunu conquered the 17 enemy forts, each commanded by a South Indian General, built along the Mahaveli river. They were guarded both by the South Indian mercenaries and the local collaborators whose masters were well looked after by the invader.

161 Fortress at Vijitapura After taking the 17 forts, Dutugemunu turned towards Jijithapura. It was a fortress town on the northern banks of the Kalaweva, near present day Vijitapura Viharaya. Unlike the minor forts that were taken along the river bank, this was manned completely by the battle-hardened South Indian Mercenaries. The South Indians had fortified the fort hoping to finish Dutugemunu there. There were three deep moats around the fortress, which had strong high walls, and iron gates. South Indians hoped that wasting his military resources on repeated attempts on the fort would weaken Dutugemunu. He almost did.

161 The Bold Plan of an All-out Assault on Vijitha pura For four months, Lankan Army led by Dutugemunu assaulted the strong fort in Vijithapura, suffering heavy casualties. Rains of arrows, balls of red hot iron came down on the Lankan troops killing them in hundreds. Dutugemunu realised that this was slowly destroying his army. He called all his ten Giants and discussed for a plan. There they came up with a bold plan. Giants said that only an all out concentrated assault made on the all four gates, could minimise casualties as that wouldn't allow the enemy to concentrate their firepower on one spot. DutuGemunu realising that this was the only option, gave the green light. 4 Giants Velusumana, Gotha Imbara, Mahasona, and Therapuththabaya took their troops to assault the east gate. Bharana and Khanja Deva assaulted the north gate. Pussa Deva and Vasabha assaulted the west gate. Best two giants, Nandi Mitra and Sura Nimala would assault the South gate where Dutugemunu hoped to make the break through. Kandula, the Royal elephant, was assigned to break the giant South gate.

161 Kandula receives a shower of melted iron The Lankan Army units managed to cross the three moats again under the shower of arrows and red hot iron balls. They began to attack the Southgate as Kandula used his tusks to remove the plaster, bricks, and stones of the wall. Roaring and trumpeting, he then charged at the wall repeatedly. As the wall seemed to shake from the foundations, the enemy commander ordered all red hot iron melting machines to be directed to the South gate to be used on the Kandula. This brought relief to other groups who were being harassed by these terrible weapons. But a shower of melted iron ended up on Kandula who jumped into the moat screaming in pain.

161 Taking of Vijitha Pura Fortress Dutugemunu called for the Royal Vets who applied balm on the elephant's body. Dutugemunu was running out of time. Nandimitra and Suranimala couldn't break the south gate without Kandula. They were taking heavy casualties every minute by staying there under heavy barrages. Other fronts were pressing on the three gates, suffering similar casualties, hoping the break through would happen at the south gate. Dutugemunu stroked the elephant speaking to him, reminding him that the only living thing that could break open the iron gate, without which the war would be lost, was him. Dutugemunu covered the elephant's back with thick clothes, plates of copper, and buffalo skins folded seven times, and a hide steeped in oil. Kandula came charging in. After several attempts the South gate, weakened by repeated attacks, collapsed with the heavy arches that supported the gate. Nandi Mitra pulled Kandula away before falling debris killed him. That was the decisive moment. The defenders couldn't match the motivation of the attacking Lankan troops. Other three gates fell simultaneously as the enemy ran away.

161 Battle for Fortress MahelaNagara Then the Lankan Army advanced from Dambulla to Anuradapura. Along the way they met many local enemy groups, mainly the thug armies of the local chiefs and powerful wealthy merchants who didn't want to see their favourite regime crumbling down to the patriots. Then they arrived at the fortress of Mahela Nagara, which was taken only after 4 more months of relentless fighting.

161 Dutugemunu awaits Elara at Kahagalagama After taking 32 enemy forts, Dutugemunu arrived in Kahalagama, 30 kilometers South East of Anuradapura and 16 kilometers North west of Ritigala. Dutugemunu wanted to avoid war inside the city of Anuradapura. There he decided to stay until Elara came out to meet him. Elara could arrive there in two days.

161 Elara's battle plan Elara's situation didn't look bad. He still had 20 South Indian Generals, and 30,000 South Indian mercenaries. Digajantu, Elara's best General, was the most fearless South Indian at the time. Many patriots were scarred even to hear his name. Dutugemunu's original force of 11,000 had suffered a lot of casualties specially in the battle for Vijithapura. Elara was well aware of this and believed that he could win. Digajantu was not very sure. He obviously felt that something could go wrong at the last minute. He called for reinforcements from South India, by asking his nephew Balluka in South India to recruit a mercenary force of at least 60,000 South Indian troops. Elara decided to engage Dutugemunu without waiting for the reinforcements.

161 Legendary Tactics of the Last Battle Dutugemunu was aware of his weaknesses too. He had his last defence meeting with the 10 giants and his mother. On her advice, he broke his army into 32 smaller separate battalions, instead of the 10 divisions. Each battalion was to have a wooden statue of Dutugemunu. They knew that the South Indians would concentrate on killing Dutugemunu hoping that would demoralise the Lankan patriots. Real Dutugemunu would be flanked by the two best giants, Suranimala on the left and Nandi Mitra on the right as his bodyguards. The plan was to surround the enemy force at a crucial time of the battle by all the small battalions, so that the advantage of superior manpower was denied to the enemy. It was a clever tactic that was made world famous by Napoleon, 2000 years later.

161 Battle of Kahagalagama - The Last Battle Elara, on his elephant Mahapabbata, arrived with his formidable 30,000 strong private army. Digajantu, the strongest and the most fearless South Indian warrior flanked him at the time. The South Indian force crashed through the Lankan army easily, slashing the Lankan troops with their superior skills and experience. As they advanced deep inside the ranks of the Lankan formation, it looked like that the Lankan army was doomed. Dutugemunu held on, without giving the order for the other battalions to close in, knowing that even if they did, that the enemy could route all of them.

161 Sacrifices of the ten giant Warriors It is believed many, may be upto eight out of the ten giant warriors, died while fighting here. They died while fighting against unbelievable odds, probably realising that average soldiers couldn't fight against such terrible odds. They probably decided to sacrifice themselves, making maximum use of the super strength they had, to fight the stronger enemy. Their sacrifices would have helped the Lankan army to hold on for just little longer, until the unexpected happened.

161 The turning point in the Battle of Kahagalagama Digajantu cleverly identified the real Dutugemunu and charged at him from the left. He failed to notice Suranimala who stood to the left of the king. Suranimala who blocked him saying “Where are you worthless South Indian going” surprised him?. Speechless Digajantu attacked Suranimala with his sword. Suranimala blocked it with his shield cleverly so that the sword fell off the hand of Digajantu. Immediately, as Digajantu rushed to pick up the sword, Suranimala's sword came on his neck with lightening speed. Pussadeva quickly blew his whistle, signalling all battalions to close in. As Digajantu's troops retreated saying that their master was dead, the panic took over. The encircled South Indians. including Elara, tried to break through the circle in mass. Using concentrated efforts, some, including Elara, were able to. They managed to escape to Anuradapura while the Lankan army killed all the surrounded South Indians.

161 The Duel at the South Gate Dutugemunu gave chase to Elara, ordering everyone to leave him for him. He overtook and blocked Elara at the 24 feet wide, 15 feet tall South Gate of the City of Anuradapura. Elara accepted his challenge for a duel. Two elephants charged at eachother with their masters on the back. Dutugemunu managed to avoid an arrow shot at him by Elara. Dutugemunu's javelin pierced Elara on the side. Kandula dealt a mortal blow with his tusks on Mahapabbata. Elara fell off the elephant and died at the spot from where the 57 feet wide Sanghamitta Mawatha started from the Southgate to the inside of the city. Mahapabbata dragged himself on for few more paces in death agony before falling dead.

161 End of 8 Giant Warriors After this battle was over, history mentions only two names of the original ten giants. It is quite possible that eight giant warriors died, bringing victory, peace and harmony for ALL Sri Lankans. But they will continue to live ONLY in the hearts and minds of the Sinhalese. Generations of Sinhalese children will cherish the memories of their true heroes, while many non-Sinhalese would fall victim to the sinister anti-Dutugemunu campaigns and forget them. These giant warriors were what, Nights of the round table were to the true British, and what Samurais were to the Japanese, and what the Shaolin monks were to the Chinese. They set an example for the future generations to protect the motherland. May be that was why sinister propagandists wanted to bury these legends.

161 Paying Last Respect, Even to the Enemy : A Golden Sinhalese Principle Since Elara had done a few good deeds in his attempts to win the Buddhists, Dutugemunu ordered that everyone who passes Elara's tomb must get off their vehicles , remove their hats and should pay respect to him. In the society of principles that the Sinhalese would always liked to create, this tradition was followed with so much honesty, that even Lankan warriors chased by the enemy later, paused at the tomb to pay respect to Elara.

161 3rd invasion - Balluka from South India Balluka, nephew of Digajantu, landed with the 60,000 South Indian mercenaries on the day as Elara's body was being cremated. Dutugemunu was surprised. He hardly had any military resources left. His surviving army volunteers had been demobilised. They were back in their villages, sharing their war experience with their family and villagers. Many of his Giants were either dead or were in hospitals. Surviving records mention only Pussadeva and Theraputh Abaya, which could mean that the rest had laid down their lives for the country. Balluka came to know about the death of his uncle Digajantu and decided to take Lanka by force as the way Elara did. He advanced unopposed, burning the villages, and killing the villagers in anger. By the time Dutugemunu rallied his volunteers, Balluka had reached the north gate of the city of Anuradapura. Fortunately, Balluka, unable to understand the lack of resistance, paused. That gave enough time for Dutugemunu to re-organise his army.

161 Battle at the North Gate A fierce battle erupted when Dutugemunu finally led his troops out of the city through the north gate. Many of his Giants were either dead or were in hospitals. Theraputh Abaya was there leading a key battalion. He had only Pussadeva by his side as his bodyguard. Again the La

161 Battle at Maha Viharaya Eager to finish the battle by killing Dutugemunu, Balluka was looking for an opportunity to shoot Dutugemunu dead. Pussadeva's efforts in guarding his king, didn't allow him to do that. Somehow Balluka managed to position himself, so that Dutugemunu was between Pussadeva and himself. Taking advantage of Pussadeva's inability to shoot at him, Balluka shot an arrow aimed at Dutugemunu's mouth. He was so sure of success that he shouted to his men that he had shot Dutugemunu in the mouth. As alert Pussadeva shouted at his king, Dutugemunu just managed to cover his face with the shield.

161 Heroism of Pussadeva Pussadeva, the Best marksman in the country who could shoot through four inch thick armour, took his chances by shooting an arrow at Balluka, though Dutugemunu was in the path of the arrow. Balluka was certain that Pussadeva wasn't able to shoot because Dutugemunu was between them. As Balluka turned around after finishing his war cry, this arrow pierced through his mouth, lifting his body from the ground. As he fell dead backwards, Pussadeva shouted at his king to jump up, and shot a second arrow at Balluka's knees, to stop Balluka falling with his feet turned towards the Lankan king. As the powerful arrow smashed his knees, Balluka's body fell forward, with his head towards the king of Lanka. As Pussadeva turned towards Dutugemunu he saw blood on king's face. The first arrow had grazed the Royal ear. Pussadeva was so upset that he immediately punished himself by cutting his own ear. A surprised Dutugemunu told him that he shouldn't punish himself for an accident that wasn't intentional.

161 Dutugemunu becomes king : Transition from Selfish rule to Just rule Dutugemunu transferred the ruling system back to the system that was based on the pure Theravada principles. This pleased the masses, but annoyed some merchants, ministers and officials who lost their opportunity to exploit the resources of the country and the people. Again, the public infrastructure began to develop with the funds saved from being ended up in merchants and officials pockets. Standard of living increased. Universities and hospitals were built every ten miles. Clever children got access to education and became qualified enough to work overseas. They would migrate to China, South India, North India, South East Asia, and Afghanistan. (This probably explained why so many Sri Lankan engineers and technicians are doing great in overseas employment even now). People became healthy and worked harder. Prosperity returned to the land. Then, it was time to build those astonishing monuments and buildings.

161 Wishes of the Last Two giant Warriors History mentions only two names of the original ten giants after the peace was established. The other eight must have probably sacrificed their lives for ALL Sri Lankans. It was similar to the legend of the King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table ( 500AD) where only 3 out of 140 knights survived at the end. Theraputh Abaya requested King's permission to become a Buddhist monk again. He wanted to continue his battle for eternal truth and eternal peace. Pussa Deva was rewarded with a state pension for him to live a quite comfortable life in retirement. They were the last of the legendary ten giants. Of them, only Theraputh Abaya would be alive when King Dutugemunu dies in 24 years.

158 Dutugemunu's first Dagaba- Mirisavetiya : It's beautiful Vahalkada would survive the destruction until 1987. Dutugemunu's Kunta(sceptre), which embodied a sacred relic of Budda, was on the ground while he was at the TissaWeva attending a water festival after the consecration ceremony. He couldn't remove it on his return. Realising that this must be a sacred ground, he enshrined the unmovable Kunta and built his first Dagaba. Within 3 years Dagaba was completed. It was at least 220 feet tall, and had a diameter of 170 feet. It was named Mirisa Vetiya by Dutugemunu as an apology for partaking a pod of pepper without offering it first to the monks. Over 100,000 Buddhist monks and 90,000 Bikkunis participated in the opening ceremony. It's Vahalkada's would be the best surviving of all Vahalkadas in all the destruction that followed. It was the only reminder of the beauty of the Vahalkada designed by the Sinhalese Architects. In 1894 AD, after 2060 years, this Vahalkada impressed Archaeologists, Artists, and Historians, for it's beauty. Unfortunately it got destroyed in 1987 as the whole Dagaba collapsed due to neglect.

156 6 Year Work On Lova Maha Paya begins Dutugemunu discovered a gold plate inscription written by Mahinda Thero, hidden inside the Royal palace. It revealed a prophecy, which said that a great king would arrive to create the greatest buildings of the world. Dutugemunu believed that it was his duty to do so. He called up for plans to build the mightiest building of the land. A plan which was taken from a legendary nine storey palace with 1000 chambers and a stadium built inside, decorated lavishly with gold, silver and diamonds, was selected from all the proposed designs. Many could not believe that something like that could be built.

150 Mulkirigala Viharaya is built in 1826 AD, George Turnour, British civil servant, GA of Ratnapura, with the help of Buddhist monks traced the Mahavandsa written in Pali verse on old ola leaves ( dried leaves of Talipot leaves), in the library in Mulkirigala Viharaya built in 150BC.

150 First skyscraper of Lanka, & in the world's recorded history, Lova Maha Paya is built Dutugemunu built this beautiful 9-storey building as a hostel of the Mahaviharaya Buddhist university. Each floor had monk's residences. First floor was for the student monks. Second floor was for the monks who knew Tripitakaya. 3rd, 4th and 5th floors were for the monks who had achieved Sovan, Sakurdagami and Anagami states. Top 4 floors were for the monks who had reached the state of Arahath. It housed over 3000 monks at any given time. British archaeologists were puzzled as to why such a beautiful palace was built for religious activities. It was the Sinhalese way to build some of the most beautiful buildings for religious places. It was probably intended as an attraction to the common public. The practising monk would realise the impermanence of things when surrounded by the ultimate beauty and luxuries.

150 Beauty of the Lova Maha Paya : The greatest proof of the standard of civilisation the humble Sinhalese achieved All window frames were made of silver. The coral balustrades were decked with gems and were surrounded by rows of little silver bells. There were Vedikas( stages & pavilions), Varandahs ( lobby's), and Inner courtyards, backyards full of vegetation, waterfalls, fountains and flowergardens inside. Lotus blossoms, made of gems, decorated the inside. Scenes from Jataka stories were painted in gold on the walls. Beds, chairs, coverlets, and carpets were all expensive ones. The jars, mugs, vessels, plates used were all made of gold. In the centre of the building was a beautiful gem set pavilion. Even the pillars were embedded with gems. Figures of wild animals, specially lions, were everywhere watching the visitors. Lines made of pearls decorated all around the pavilion. Seven gems were embedded on the pavilion itself. On the pavilion was a throne made of ivory. It's seat was made of mountain crystal. On the background of the pavilion, a sun was made of gold, and a moon was made of silver, and stars of pearls decorated the sky. The roof was made of copper plates, which shine brightly during the sunset.

150 How Lova Maha Paya became an eye sore There were many foreigners living in Lanka who continued to be loyal to the kingdoms they had come from. They were not loyal to Lanka. They might have had some appreciation of the land and the people who provided them with the opportunity to make wealth in peace and harmony. Through these foreigners the news of the astonishing prosperity of Lanka, reached other countries. Some of these kingdoms didn't take the news easily. Some thought that the Lankans might become too powerful and might even invade them in the future. Some traitors in Lanka who were longing for more trade opportunities and more power, added fuel to these insecurity feelings. Lova Maha Paya was an eye-sore to the powerful neighbours of Sri Lanka, whose ego was affected by the humble Lankans. In 20 years, in 131 BC, a mysterious fire destroyed the building. That would be the first destruction of the skyscraper. Then the invaders would destroy it and collaborating traitors four times. treating it as a National tragedy, Sinhalese would flock to the city of Anuradapura to rebuild it.

150 Lankans have Steel Factories In one of the most recent archaeological discoveries in Lanka, Steel Smelting Furnaces along with samples of steel, belonging to 150BC, were discovered in Hingurakgoda. It was these steel that was exported to the middle east. One of these furnaces was in such an intact state, the archaeologists were able to actually use it. They used the natural monsoon winds to smelt the iron ore, freely found in the Samanalawewa area. They produced steel ingots in the same way it was produced for over 2,200 years by the "Hela" ( Sinhala) engineers of those times.

148 End of Alexander's Macedonia as Romans enter Using many cunning military and political tactics, Rome finally took Macedonia. That was the end of the Macedonia created under Alexander. Romans combined Greece and Macedonia and named it as the Roman province of Macedonia.

146 Greece & Macedonia BOTH become part of Roman kingdom for good Some Greek states helped Rome to conquer under the impression that Rome would get them freedom after the war was over. When Rome finally took Macedonia, the reality dawned on these Greeks. They realised that they had simply changed from one master to another. Some of the City States rebelled against Rome. Rome responded by sending Roman Legions who destroyed the state of Corinth. Following that, Greek resistance collapsed. Rome abolished the Greek rule by the leagues (states). Rome annexed both Macedonia & Greece as a Roman province. History is such a teacher.

146 Greek Culture lives on….. Between the death of Alexander and the acquisition of Greece as a Roman province in 146 BC, Greek city-states declined both in political independence and power. But the culture of Greece, mainly due to Alexander's conquests, spread through out most of the ancient world, including Rome.

146 End Of Carthage- Romans ban to rebuild it for 25 years As wished by the Roman statesman Cato the Elder, Roman army under Scipio Africanus the Younger, flattened the city of Carthage. The Romans banned occupancy of the site for 25 years. Only 100 years later, Roman General Julius Caesar, allowed the city to be rebuilt.

144 Largest Monument to be built in the world at the time- Foundation laying Ceremony of Ruwanveli Mahaseya was an international festival It was an event that stopped the nation. Many religious persons, visitors and officials from Persia, Kabul, Alexandria ( Even Buddhist monks from Alexandria), Rome, Greece, Kashmir, and India recorded this event in detail. It was the Vesak day of 144 AD. Large crowds gathered in the city of Anuradapura. Lankan Army made a formation around the site in a beautiful parade. As the whole city echoed to the chants of "Sadu,Sadu", King Dutugemunu walked the circle marking the lines. All foreign visitors stayed for one more week in 18 specially built mansions, enjoying the Sri Lankan hospitality.

144 How Ruwan Veli Maha Seya was built ? Over 500 master builders were involved. The earth was dug 7 cubits( 17.5 feet) deep. Strong surviving War veterans, brought heavy stones to be used as bricks. Workers hammered them in to smaller pieces. Elephants dressed in leather shoes crushed small stones on the earth so that the foundation would stay for centuries. A Butter clay layer was placed on this layer of crushed stones. On top of that, the bricks were laid and plastered. A layer of quartz was placed over that. a network of steel rods was placed on top of that. Fragmented marumba were laid on that. Then a layer of crystal and a layer of more stones, were placed with butter-clay in between. Then an 8 finger-breadth thick bronze plate was fixed. On that Silver plate 7 finger-breadths thick, was fixed. They were held together by arsenic, which was mixed with sesame oil & resin of woodapple mixed with Mercury.

144 " Let one work as one desires, and take them as one desires" - is a classic example to show the heights the Sinhalese took the human civilisation to. King Dutugemunu is on the record for introducing the culture of ultimate honesty, an exclusive feature in the Lankan civilisation. The system is best explained in Dutugemunu's own words " Let one work as one desires, and take them as one desires". In one classic example, 1.6 million worth kahappans, garments, ornaments, food & beverages, perfumes, garlands, molasses, five kinds of body-fresheners are kept near the worksite of Ruwan Veli Mahaseya. The workers take what they need with honesty. But when foreign scavengers who didn't believe in the great Sinhala honourable system were found stealing these, Royal guards were appointed to prevent the stealing.

137 King Dutugemunu falls sick : As he fell ill, Dutugemunu knew that it was the end. He was sad that he couldn't finish the work on Ruwanveliseya. He called for all those who were close to him for the last farewell. His brother Tissa came from Digavapi, and covered up the unfinished top of the Dagaba to look like it was finished. Dutugemunu moved to a pavilion near the great Dagaba. Dutugemunu was happy to see the finished Dagaba and wanted to die while in full view of it.

137 "Like you had helped me in 28 battles, you helped me in my last battle too." : Last Farewell of the Last Giant : Monk Theraputh Abaya The last two giants who survived the war, had both become Buddhist monks. Of them, monk Pussadeva had expired. Dutugemunu was upset that he might not be able to see the last remaining giant Theraputh Abaya, who was a monk meditating in the jungle. "The warrior giant who never took a step back in all the 28 battles with me, is not there in my last battle". Dutugemunu was very happy when the monk arrived. "Once I had 10 warriors around me in all my battles. Today in my last battle, I go alone. Death is a foe I cannot conquer." Monk Theraputh Abaya replied " Oh Great king of Lanka, without conquering the enemy sin, one cannot conquer Death. Impermanence overcomes all, even Buddha's. You have done enough merit by bringing peace and justice for all people. You have done well in your last battle". Dutugemunu said "Like you had helped me in 28 battles, you helped me in my last battle too."

137 Handing over the rule to Tissa Dutugemunu didn't hand over the rule to his own son as he had proved that he wouldn't be able to give his 100% to the country as the leader. Dutugemunu's son had fallen in love with a girl of low class and had neglected his training to be a national leader. This showed how serious the Sinhalese were about what it takes to be a national leader. Dutugemunu's son was selfishly enjoying the pleasures of life with the girlfriend. It was obvious that he wouldn't concentrate on state affairs as this relationship was more important to him. This has been quoted incorrectly as the Sinhalese Royalty despising the low class people. It was NOT a low class issue. Those days Sinhalese low class were the real low class people. They lived only for themselves and had no motivations to live for anything else. The ruler of a country should have what it takes to be a leader, including the training, dedication and the discipline. Therefore Dutugemunu handed over the crown to his brother Tissa.

137 Death of King Dutugemunu : Dutugemunu watched his greatest work Ruwan Veli Maha Seya while listening to the Pirith chanted by the monks. He asked which of the heavens was the best. The monks replied that as far as they knew Thousita, was the best as the next Buddha, Maitree Bodhisattva was waiting there. Then Dutugemunu closed his eyes last. It is believed that the chariots sent from all heavens were waiting for him and that was why he asked which one he should get into. It is prophesied that Dutugemunu would be reborn as the main student of the next Buddha, "Maithreee".

131 The largest monument to be built in the world at the time - Ruwanveli Maha Seya is ceremoniously opened 370 feet in diameter and 300 feet high, this will become the most venerated Dagaba in Lanka. 6.4 million coins were spent as wages of the workers alone. Fortunately, a rich vein of silver was found in Ridigama to help with the cost of building this astonishing monument. Each tusk of the elephants of the elephant wall had real ivory. At least 15 kings will add more things like Limestone terraces, Sandy courtyards, Railings, One or Two great umbrellas to protect it from weather, a ring of valuable crystals on the umbrella top, 4 Great invaluable priceless Gems on the 4 sides of the Hataras Kotuwa, Gems embedded on the umbrella, Elephant walls, An umbrella of made of stone, paintings. British archaeologists said that a 10 foot high, one foot thick wall could be built from London to Edinburgh using the amount of bricks used here. They also said that it would take 500 British builders at least 15 years to build a similar monument. (Lankans took only 13 years.)

131 Harry Williams is amazed at Ruwanveli Maha Seya "Standing there now in unimaginable peace, the thought of the men who could create such staggering buildings and the conditions of the civilisation that made them possible, is very salutary" Said British writer Harry Williams amazed at the sight of the Ruwanvelimaha seya.

131 Mysterious Fire in Lova Maha Paya-1st Destruction In a National disaster, Lova Maha Paya was destroyed in a fire. People volunteered to restore the grand building. Villagers came from remote corners of the land, offering their services. They managed to restore the palace only to 7 storeys.

131 A Buddhist University for every 12 kilometers King Tissa ( brother of Dutugemunu) earns the name Saddatissa, after building so many temples and Buddhist universities between Anuradapura and Digavapi. By then, the whole country was dotted with Buddhist schools and universities.

131 Record of 84,000 Bhikkus in the country

119 Conspiracy against the good system : Selfish corrupt elements against the good system When King Saddatissa ( Dutugemunu's brother) died, the Ministers sought for the advice of the Bikkus as usual, as to which son of the king should be the king. The monks nominated the second son who had done numerous services to the country, displaying his capability and the dedication to develop the country. This disappointed the eldest son who believed that he should be the king as happened in other kingdoms of the world. Selfish corrupt elements that disliked the Buddhist rule, saw their opportunity and approached him. They planned a conspiracy. They failed to realise that it was in the interest of the country and the people that the most suitable and the capable should be the king. Instead, they continued to believe in the rule by inheritance, out of sheer selfishness. They also started blaming the Bikkus for interfering in the governing of the country, a popular pastime of the selfish corrupt elements ever since. The Bikkus just gave the best advice that was best in the interests of the people and the country. Because of this, Bikkus became an enemy of the selfish corrupt elements.

119 Killing of a Sinhala Monarch for the first time On the good advice of the Bikkus, second son Thulathana had been made the king. But Eldest son Lanjatissa, supported by powerful officials and ministers, killed his second brother Thulathana, and grabbed the rule. So pathetic was the human's greed for power that Lanjatissa, blind with hunger for power, forgot his own brother.

119 First Fall-out between the king and the Bikkus King Lanjatissa, under the evil advice of the selfish corrupt elements, banned any Royal sponsorship towards Buddhism immediately. But soon he realized that he was sleeping with the enemy, as the true colours of the selfish elements began to show.

119 King returns to the Good system Lanja Tissa realised that the country and the people would ultimately go nowhere if the selfishness, fraud, and the corruption continued. He then realised that the Bikkus had actually been right in their decision. Then he regretted his mistake, and started to rule under Buddhist principles. Selfish corrupt elements were disappointed. They would wait for the next opportunity.

119 The Land between Thuparamaya & present day Ruwanveli Maha Seya is levelled King Lanjatissa, now a Buddhist king who accepted the golden National philosophy, spent 100,000 money to clear and level the ground. Then the Buddhist infrastructure was developed in the area.

110 First western attempt to domesticate marine life In the first western attempt to domesticate marine life, Romans began to cultivate oysters near Naples. (The Chinese were engaged in fish cultivation from 850 BC). The experiment was successful, and one merchant named Sergius Orata built a big Oyster business by selling his oysters to the Romans who loved it as a rare delicacy.

105 Kurundapasana Viharaya is built in Nedunkerni. ( converted to a Hindu Kovil in 1981) Kurundapasana Viharaya is built in Nedunkerni, by King Khallatanaga, 3rd son of Saddatissa. ( Saddatissa was the brother of Dutugemunu). This temple located between WeliOya and Oddusuddan, would be converted to a Hindu Kovil in 1981. Even in 1980, it had Dagabas, Ponds, Monastery ruins, Image house, and lot of other buildings covering 78 acres, indicating that it was a massive Buddhist University complex. Even the British archaeologists noticed the extent of historical information it could carry and the length of time it could take to fully investigate it. They had it declared as an important archaeological site in 1933 to be explored further.

103 First military coup ( by South Indians in the army) - lasted only 24 hours Planned and funded by the selfish corrupt elements, Maharattaka, a South Indian commander in the army, took the capital city by surprise. He assassinated the king Khallatanaga, 3rd son of Saddatissa. ( Saddatissa was the brother of Dutugemunu).

103 Liberation in 24 hrs-By Dutugemunu's nephew Vattagamini, slain kings youngest brother ( SaddaTissa's 4th son) killed the rebel commander and liberated the country. He became the next King as the King Valagambahu.

103 4th South Indian invasion - South Indian regiments of the Army joined the invaders The Selfish Corrupt elements secretly funded an invasion by hiring a South Indian private army of 7000 mercenaries, led by 7 Warriors. Due to the absolutely non-discriminating nature of the Sinhalese, many other religions survived in Lanka with their own followers. The selfish corrupt elements inspired a cult leader, a Brahmin named Tissa from the south, against the Buddhist rule. This foolish Brahmin, dreaming of religious power under a new regime, led an army of cult followers against Anuradapura. Faced with two fronts, the King acted smart under the good advice of the wise people including Bikkus. King lured the cult army against the invading South Indian private army. South Indians massacred them. Then they also beat the Lankan Army too. As the invader supported by the traitors within, arrived in Anuradapura, King had to flee with his queen Anula Devi who was pregnant, and Soma Devi.

103 Fleeing king is humiliated by the traitors living in Lanka as Soma Devi sacrifices herself On the way, the traitors who lived in Lanka humiliated the king. With their South Indian brothers ruling Anuradapura, they dared to insult him. One of them was a naked ascetic named Giri who shouted that the "Great Dark Sinhalaya was on the run". (Valagambahu marked this location in his mind.) King realised that the chariot was too heavy to escape from the South Indians who were chasing them. Realising that a sacrifice had to be made, Soma Devi jumped out of the chariot so that the others can escape. South Indians were surprised to see someone sacrificing own life so that others could live, a concept hardly unknown in their power-grabbing, war mongering society. One of the seven South Indian Warriors, hearing the story, took her as his queen. All others would stay to rule Lanka and will finally pay the price for their greed, with own lives.

103 Lanka loses the "Alms Bowl" relic, It is taken to South India Two of the seven South Indian Mercenary leaders returned to India. One took the majestic Queen SomaDevi with him. Another took the Alms-Bowl with him. It was one of the three important relics in Lanka ( The other two were Buddha's robe & the Tooth relic), to South India. In 120 AD king Gajabahu will bring that back when he rescued 12,000 Lankans from slavery in South India.

102 The most impressive Rock caves in Lanka- Dambulla King Valagambahu hid in the caves of Dambulla. Then he moved to the hill country to organise the liberation movement to free the country. He raised a new Lankan army capable of fighting the overseas mercenaries.

102 World's First Dictionary World's first dictionary was compiled in Rome around this time. Romans wanted a way to understand other languages when they used shrewd political tactics in their conquests of other countries.

100 Caesar is born in Rome

100 Earliest record of the "Art of War" by Sun Tzu In 100 BC, Chinese emperor ordered a scholar to collect and list all literary work for the imperial library. He noted a classic "The Art of War" written by a Sun Tzu on 3 rolls of thin wooden slips. He mentioned that there were 82 chapters of the classic, each describing tactical philosophy in various aspects of warfare. Men of every Chinese family studied this book. This is the earliest record of the existence of the classic believed to be written around 500 BC in China by the warrior Sun Tzu. By 200 AD, 69 chapters had been lost. Father J.J.M.Amiot, a Jesuit missionary in Peking, first introduced the remaining 13 chapters, which survive even today, to the western world. He translated the classic into French and published in Paris in 1772. 12 years later, a 16 year old poor cadet officer named Napoleon Bonaparte, who couldn't afford to attend parties, read this with so much interest and passion. Around 1000 AD, it was compulsory for the Chinese officer cadets to master it. The rest is history. Today, even undergraduates of business studies learn it.

89 Ministers fall out with the king on the eve of war Just before he waged the liberation war, Valagambahu learnt a lesson. His impatience and arrogance, made him kill one of the 8 ministers for not standing up in his presence. This made him unpopular among the public. The remaining 7 ministers left him. But Bikkus spoke to all of them. Bikkus made the king understand his weakness. Finally, all of them were brought together, so that they could unite to free the country.

89 Liberation after 14 years, by King Vattagamani (Valagamba) The five invading South Indian Warriors killed eachother in their power struggles. The last one had to face the liberation army led by the king Valagambahu. The invading mercenaries, including their leader, were killed in the war as the liberation army won at the end. The South Indian regiments of the army who had joined the invaders, now expressed willingness to join the Lankan Army. In typical Buddhist fashion, the Sinhalese forgave them, and absorbed them back into the Lankan civilisation.

89 Valasgala Viharaya in Ruhuna, is built

88 The 3rd tallest building in the world, Abhayagiri dagaba, is built King Valagamba razed the building of the unpatriotic Giri- the naked ascetic who insulted him while he was on the run, to the ground. He built a huge Buddhist University complex there. This huge complex was second only to the Mahaviharaya in size. Third tallest monument

88 The 3rd tallest building in the world, Abhayagiri dagaba, is built King Valagamba razed the building of the unpatriotic Giri- the naked ascetic who insulted him while he was on the run, to the ground. He built a huge Buddhist University complex there. This huge complex was second only to the Mahaviharaya in size. Third tallest monument in the world, Abhayagiriya Dagaba, was built there. 113 meters ( 370 feet) tall, it was second only to the two tallest Pyramids. Thanks to the invaders, it is only 76 meters tall today. It still nearly matches the height of the St.Peters cathedral in Vatican and much taller than the St.Paul's cathedral in London. Even today it is the 2nd largest monument in Lanka, though it is only 235 ft in height, and 310 ft in diameter. The huge university had 12 faculties(Pirivenas) covering over 500 acres of land.

87 Corrupt Monks close to the rulers King Valagamba presented the Abayagiriya university complex to a Buddhist monk named Mahatissa. This monk had gained access to the king and had won the confidance of the king pretending to be a genuine Buddhist monk. In the years to come, this corrupt monk would be the first monk to damage the Buddhism in Lanka.

87 Two Dagabas taller than the 3rd tallest Pyramid. Both Ruvanweli Maha Seya and the Abhayagiriya Dagaba were second only to the two tallest Pyramids in height. In the years to come, they would still be taller than the St.Pauls Cathedral in UK, and St.Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican, the tallest in the western world.

87 First Corruption of Buddhism in Sri Lanka Monk Mahatissa was not the typical, pious Theravada Buddhist monk. During this time, Lanka also had not-so-disciplined Buddhist monks who had deviated from the Theravada discipline. Monk Mahatissa was already accused of Vinaya, discipline breaches, accepting personal gifts and frequenting lay families. These not-so-pious bikkus survived with the patronage they enjoyed from some of the merchants and officials. Many of these merchants and officials collaborated with the invaders. As they survive through collaboration, these monks also survived the invasions and became very powerful in the society with the influential contacts they had. As pious Bikkus generally lived in isolation from the society, these monks were right in the society, enjoying the attention and pampering. After an investigation, pious Mahavihara monks who held the original, pure Buddhism, expelled monk Mahatissa from the monk hood. But Monk Mahatissa, with the powerful support he received from some officials and merchants, refused to leave the Abayagiriya Temple.

87 Corrupt Monks gather in Abayagiriya Over 500 not-so-disciplined monks, fearing persecution and exposure, moved to Abhayagiri Viharaya supporting Mahatissa Thero. From there, they challenged the Mahaviharaya discipline. The merchants and officials who supported them also helped them in their propaganda. Buddhism just then became a business just like many other religions in Sri Lanka. The differences between the Theravada monks and these monks were in the strict discipline. The Abayagiriya monks were too vulnerable to the influences of the selfish and corrupt elements of the society due to the lack of strict discipline. On the other hand, Mahaviharaya monks were strict disciplined monks who couldn't be corrupted. They were a pain to the selfish corrupt elements.

87 Creation of the powerful corrupt Buddhist Nikaya The selfish elements saw their opportunity to destroy Theravada Buddhism in Lanka, using these new business-friendly bikkus. They quickly organised some monks of Dharmaruci Nikaya in South India ( At this time Buddhism existed in South India in various forms, including a certain following of Theravada discipline as well) to arrive in Lanka to advise these monks how to build up a new Nikaya. They claimed this new Nikaya as open-minded, open to new ideas etc. Mostly, it was a Business and Official-friendly Nikaya. Mahaviharaya considered both these nikayas as heretics who thrived on exploiting the Buddhism. These South Indian monks were accepted by the Abayagiri bikkus in good faith, unaware of the conspiracy that was hidden in the deal. They firmly established themselves there, slowly changed the strict Vinayas, and finally converted the whole philosophy to their own. This suited the selfish and corrupt elements as these Bikkus, as long as they were fed and pampered, wouldn't object to their unpatriotic, selfish activities.

86 Greeks rebel against Roman rule Greek states that were cheated by the Romans, had reluctantly accepted the Roman rule since 146 BC. In 88 BC, the King of Pontus, an Asian country, began a liberation campaign against the Romans. He requested Greek support. Many Greek states joined the war. But better trained Roman legions chased this king Mithridates out of Greece and crushed the rebellion.

86 Romans destroy Greek commerce & buildings : Greeks begin to disintegrate After crushing the Greek liberation attempt, Romans destroyed Athens in 86 BC and Thebes in 87 BC as a punishment. The battles fought inside Greece already had many of their cities in ruins. Then Greece began to disintegrate economically. Athens remained a centre of philosophy and learning, but it's commerce became almost non-existent. ( Greeks would survive somehow until the arrival of the Goths in 267 AD. Goths, after conquering the Romans, would arrive to take Roman colony of Greece. Goths, in 267-268 AD, overran the area capturing Athens, and destroying the ancient cities of Argos, Corinth, and Sparta forever.)

85 First Writing of Pure Buddhism in Lanka - At Matale, Alu Viharaya Mahavihara Bikkus were alarmed at the way the Buddhism was being exploited by the corrupt Buddhist monks supported by corrupt merchants and officials. They identified and published five dangers to pure Buddhism. They decided to write down the original teachings of Budda, which they had been memorising so far for so long, in order to prevent corrupt monks from changing them.

79 Corruption leads to selfishness : A rebellion by Vattagamini's son In a classic example of what Sri Lanka was without the pure Buddhism, Vattagamini's own son, in just the arrogant and ignorant way like his father was before him, conspired with selfish corrupt elements to grab power. Good Theravada Monks objected to his rule as he was of loose character. Good Generals of the Lankan Army remained loyal to the king, and the rebels had to withdraw to the jungle. The good, this time, just prevailed. But they will not be lucky every time.

77 A king who worked like normal people in disguise : Good Theravada system proves itself King Mahaculi MahaTissa, son of Kallatanaga ( who was the king before Vattagamini), was a king who followed the Theravada discipline, which benefited everyone regardless of the race or religion. He was so pious, that he worked in disguise in paddyfields and Sugarmills with the rest of the countrymen to develop the nation. He used his pay to do meritorious deeds.

73 Spartucus Spartucus leads 70,000 slaves against the Roman empire. He would be captured and killed by the Romans.

72 End of the Buddhist system in India Within 112 years ( from 184 to 72 BC) Hindu Brahman (priests) attempts to win the hearts and minds of the ruling class succeeded. Weak, greedy and corrupt rulers ignored the Buddhist system which was unfavourable to them and found the advice of Hindu Brahmans useful. The result was the persecution and decline of Buddhism in India and the triumph of Brahmanism. As Hindu Brahmans (priests) became powerful, the caste system was strongly and deeply imbedded in the Indian social structure, creating injustice and suffering to millions.

63 The Worst King of Sri Lanka : Lanka went nowhere under the selfish corrupt rule After the death of the good king, Coranaga, a rebel leader who had waged a rebellion to grab the power few years ago, claimed the throne. He became the king with the support of the powerful selfish officials and merchants. He then took his revenge. He destroyed 18 Theravada University complexes that refused to support him in his rebellion. He married a beautiful, but a wicked woman named Anula Devi. She had an affair with a palaceguard. She finally poisoned this king in order to rule the country with her boyfriend. No one regretted his death. The administration of the country had ended up in the hands of the selfish corrupt elements again. They didn't mind anybody becoming the king as long as the King didn't stop their selfish activities.

60 Caesar becomes one in the 3 who rule Rome By this time a Roman General named Julius Caesar had quickly risen in the ranks, displaying his political skills in conquering many foreign lands. In recognition Rome had appointed him as the Roman Governer in Spain. Again, he displayed rare talents in politics there. He was recalled to Rome from Spain, to be appointed as one of the members of the 3-man council that ruled Rome. ( other 2 were Pompey and Marcus L. Crassus.) From here onwards, no one would be able to stop Julius Caesar's rise to Roman leadership.

58 Caesar becomes the Roman Governer in Gaul Gaul ( France and surrounding European lands ) became a headache to the Romans. Rome decided that Caesar should be appointed as the Roman Governer in the troubled Gaul. There he spent seven years, bringing the area under Roman rule. Romans didn't have any political or social avenues to combat the freedom fighters in Goal. Caesar had to choose the military option, which was the only path that remained. This was where even Caesar realised his exclusive talent for warfare. By the time he finished in Goal, Rome realised that they had a legendary conqueror.

56 Caesar returns to Rome As Caesar's popularity grew, the other two triumvirates panicked. A power crisis erupted. A wise Caesar quickly returned to Rome to solve the problem.

55 Caesar invades Britain

54 Caesar invades Britain again

50 Evil Anula Devi loses hope as Ministers choose KudaTissa as the king Anula Devi poisoned her husband, hoping to be the queen of Lanka. As some of the good ministers applied pressure and appointed the son of Mahaculi Maha Tissa to the throne, Anula Devi's plan to become the queen was shattered. However, pretending that she had nowhere else to go, she managed to obtain permission to remain in the Royal palace. She would poison the new king within 3 years.

48 First Queen of Lanka- Anula Devi Anula Devi built up a circle of powerful friends during these 3 years. As Anula Devi killed the king, king's brother Kutakanna Tissa escaped and became a Buddhist monk. She kept her boyfriend BalathSiva, the palace guard, as her partner. But soon she poisoned him for another man. Like this, she would kill 5 partners. No one dared to be her husband afterwards.

48 Caesar becomes the ruler of Rome This is a classic example to show the difference between the successful true leaders and the fake leaders who survive on devious hollow propaganda. In Rome, pursuing the hunger for power, Pompey, one of the 3 triumvirates, had become the sole consul. All those who enjoyed the leadership roles in Rome, were alarmed at the success of Caesar. They were jealous, and were feeling insecure because they refused to accept his capability. In selfishness, the Senate ordered Caesar in Gaul to resign and planned to disband his army. Furious Caesar returned to Rome, with his faithful army. Pompey fled. Caesar declared himself as the ruler of Roman. As a sign of how powerful the selfish corrupt elements in any country were, even Caesar would be assassinated in just four years.

47 Veni, vidi, vici - "I came, I saw, I conquered". In 47 BC Caesar won the battle of Zela. His words to Rome are among the most famous words of victory in history, "Veni, vidi, vici" : " I came, I saw, I conquered".

44 Caesar is stabbed by 23 of his fellow senators." Brutus You too….." were his surprised last words. Marcus Junius Brutus and some other senators planned his assassination in just jealousy and selfishness. Caesar was different to them. He never deviated from empire-building. Unlike many corrupt senators, he wasn't interested in extra income or personal wealth. More he tried to curb corruption, more he was interpreted as a dictator by the selfish elements. He was becoming a threat to the hypocratic officials. On 15th March, 44BC, they stabbed him to death as he entered the Senate house. They justified the murder saying that Caesar would jeopardise the principles of the Roman Republic by making himself king. Thanks to the powerful propaganda machine in place, they got away with that excuse. This excuse was such a lie, that in just 17 years, one of the senators himself would become the first Roman Emperor. His fellow senators didn't assassinate him.

44 37 of the next 50 Roman emperors will be assassinated in the next 300 years. Though Rome ruled the Western world, the Mediterranean Sea, parts of Britain and had ambassadors in India and in Sri Lanka, and had the largest network of roads the world had ever seen, it was a troubled city. During the first 300 years, 37 of 50 Roman Emperors died violent deaths. They were slain by their wives, mistresses, soldiers, friends, and political-rivals. Germans across the river Danube remained free. Every year they became stronger and mightier than before and challenged the Roman empire.

42 Angry People demand KutakannaTissa back Unable to withstand the fall of the nation under the queen Anula Devi, angry people started to protest against the selfish corrupt rule. They surrounded the temple where the heir to the throne, Kutakannatissa lived as a monk, demanding his return. He responded to the duty of the nation. He returned with the people's army. Except for foreign regiments, and some units led by Generals who were part of the corrupt regime, the rest of the Lankan Army joined him. In the ensuing battle, the selfish queen was either killed or she committed suicide.

41 A new Royal palace is built People were disgusted by what they saw inside the Royal palace. It had been turned into a self-indulgent pleasure palace of alcohol and pleasure drugs. Good values had been corrupted. The officials themselves had violated Law and order. In protest to the system this queen and her friends maintained, people burnt the Royal Palace ( built by Pandukabaya 340 years ago), with their dead bodies inside. New good king had to build a new Royal palace and started to rebuild the nation. It was built close to MahaMevuna Uyana so that the king could consult the pious Theravada monks for good unbiased impartial advice.

41 First Protective City Wall for Anuradapura : Invasions are expected……… 196 years after the first invasion, king KutakannaTissa realised the danger that the nation was facing because of the unfaithfulness of the South Indian troops and officials who were loyal to South India. Four invasions and one South Indian rebellion later, this King Kutakannatissa was the first to build the First Protective City Wall for Anuradapura. It was 7 cubits (over 3 meters) high and had a moat around it. But it will take another 108 years before King Vasabha, the first king of the Sinhalese Lamkarana dynasty, increased the height from 7 cubits to 18 cubits ( 8 meters).

31 Battle of Actium : Romans defeat Mark and Cleopatra On the advice of Cleopatra, (who was seeking an opportunity to withdraw to Egypt) and against the advice of his generals, Mark Antony ordered his fleet of 400 heavy ships equipped with missile-throwing devices to attack the Roman fleet of 260 light but faster ships commanded by Octavian. Octavian's light vessels outmanoeuvred the heavy ships. But Mark Anthony's fleet held on until Cleopatra, unable to understand an enemy manoeuvre, ordered her 60 Egyptian warships to withdraw. Antony had no option than to withdraw, during which his slow fleet was destroyed by faster Roman warships. Following this defeat, it was clear that Roman-Egyptian army under Mark and Cleopatra will have to surrender.

30 End of Anthony & Cleopatra Mark Anthony, Caesar's best General and Egypt's Cleopatra both committed suicide after losing the battle of Actium.

30 Stadiums in Rome At large stadiums, thousands watched sea battles and gladiator combats, and during the times of emperor Nero, the torture of Christians. In 110 more years, Rome would get the Grand Colosseum, the largest Stadium in Rome.

27 First Roman Emperor- the robbed wealth turns Rome from a leading republic to the strongest western empire Rome was already the leading power in the western world and Mediterranean. Wealth received from captured countries, made Rome very rich. Grain tax collected form captured territories alone was enough to cover the output of the Italian agriculture. A solid foundation for an empire had been set. By 27 BC, Octavious was a prominent senator without a rival. He had a new idea. He adopted the title "Augustus Caesar" and became the first Roman emperor. He annexed Spain and invaded the Middle East. His only major defeat would be in Germany where his legions were forced back by a German rebellion at the Elbe river. The River Rhine marked the boundary of the Roman empire. By 476 AD economic problems and pressure from the Barbarians led to the fall of the empire. The eastern branch of the Roman Empire, based on Constantinople, continued till 1453AD.

27 How Roman Emperors were selected After "Augustus Caesar", the Roman emperors came not only from Rome and Italy, but also from Spain, Carthage, Dalmatia, and Thrace. Since there were no formal rules for the selection of emperors, they often came to power with the help of commoners, most often soldiers. But once on the throne, they were under tremendous pressure to seek co-operation with the senators and officials. Less attention to the senators meant allowing some to group together to plan a conspiracy.

27 Secret of Roman success- tightly controlled Admn, strong & disciplined Army, excellent Communications, Three most important factors were the system of tightly controlled administration, a well-trained, strong and disciplined army, and the excellent communications system. Roman Governors appointed by the emperor ruled provinces. Well-looked after Roman army and the strategic fortresses controlled the local people effectively. The superb network of roads enabled messages, military resources and trade goods to be moved faster than anybody had done before. All these three factors enabled the Roman empire to use the resources of the captive lands very well like no one else before them had been able to.

29 No Taxes for Romans, More Taxes to colonies Taxes and valuable commodities ( grain, minerals, slaves ) made Rome very rich, and helped finance the army. Collaborating natives were rewarded so that the locals would try to imitate the Roman culture, Roman ideals and the Roman citizenship. By 100 AD, Roman Empire was the strongest empire of the ancient world. The income from mines, exotic goods, slaves, custom duties such as the ones collected from far-off caravan routes enabled expansion of the infrastructure in Rome. Income was so much that the empire stopped taxes on Roman citizens. But it was all an illusion achieved by the power of lying words and the sword. As liberation attempts increased, this wealth was required to sustain the army needed to maintain the empire.

27 What Romans were Really good about : Engineering & Law The Romans were at their best as engineers and lawyers. They built roads and waterways, viaducts and aqueducts, as well as baths, quays, and ampitheatres. Ruins of many of these structures still exist. In their legal codes they showed a passion for order. Through such measures as the Institutes of Justinian and the Laws of the XII Tables, they introduced law codes that became an example to lawmakers for hundreds of years.

27 Roman Citizenship Roman Emperors, from Augustus, depended on the support of the Roman people who loved to live comfortably and to enjoy life at the expense of other nations. Gradually, they offered this "Joy" to their collaborators in the form of "Roman Citizenship". At first the title "Roman Citizen" applied only to aristocratic citizens of Rome. Then, as the Barbarian attacks increased, the adult males in Rome, then adult men throughout Italy, and finally people throughout the empire, estimated to be 80 million people, received the Roman citizenship. Adult men were able to join as Roman soldiers. And they would have good reasons to fight for Roman empire. Their comfortable lifestyle and the fun, all depended on the Roman Empire.

27 Collaborators in Roman Army The official Roman posts were given to faithful collaborators who were looked after very well. The members of the local social elite were enlisted into the Roman army in separate regiments. The special units like the Roman legions were reserved for only for the Roman citizens. By 100 AD the Roman army was mostly non-Italian. Yet it wasn't a threat, as the non-Romans depended on the survival of the Roman empire for their own survival in the local areas. Germans, who were the only European tribe Romans couldn't conquer, were in high demand in the Roman army. It was the army that brought many native people into Roman ways. After discharge, a local soldier could be eligible for Roman citizenship.

27 Roman tactics to control people The retired legionary troops were settled in colonies, which were named as "model towns" inside conquered territory. Their high standard of living attracted more locals into the Roman faith. This was called the civilising of the Barbarians. Locals were settled in fortified villages in and around Roman forts, where they were tightly controlled and were economically dependent upon the Roman rule. There was no room for any independent life, strong enough to challenge the Roman rule.

27 Roman effects in the West : Less developed Barbarians imitate Romans Romans were eager to "civilise" the human societies of the west, named Barbarians, in order to take their attention away from fighting against the Roman empire. In practice, the "civilising" became "Romanising". To the Barbarians, the Roman culture was a new advancement in life. It was the Romans who introduced cities, roads, and lifestyles to them. It was a great attraction to the hunting nomads. Many quickly adopted the Roman culture. These less-developed Barbarians started to act and behave in Roman ways. They became the social elite of European areas like Britain and France, who measured their social success in terms of their connections with the Roman rule. Roman's wine-drinking became their favourite pastime as well. British chiefs were even buried with jars of imported wine, the cups and mixing-bowls from Rome. They found the way the Romans had advanced armour and weapons amazing, for they didn't have that technology. That technology was common in the rest of the world.

27 Roman effects in the East : East already had civilisations to whom Romans were nothing new In the east, unlike in the under-developed west, Romans found highly developed civilisations. These eastern civilisations already had cities, roads, civilised traditions, governments, taxation, communications, and administration. These eastern societies did not become Romanised so much so as the so-called "barbarian" western societies as they already had a respectable ancient culture. To them what the Romans showed ( many of those had been picked up from the Greeks) were not new. On the other hand, Romans didn't press too much to change them due to the cost involved and the massive income already obtained under the existing efficient systems.

27 Sinhala Ambassadors in Rome Four Sinhala Ambassadors are based in Rome. They were involved in trade discussions, news exchange, research into latest discoveries in Sciences and technology.

27 End of artistic & scientific Greek civilisation This is the estimated end of the artistic and scientific age of the Greek civilisation. Like many of the world's cultures, Greece then fell into internal turmoil and foreign invasion.

22 Lankan Embassy in Rome, is recorded both in Mahawansa & in Greece inscriptions. During King Batikabaya's time, Lanka despatched ambassadors to Rome, which was under Augustus Caesar. This was recorded both in Mahavansa and in a Greek inscription discovered in the 1990's. This has been a severe blow to the history-twisters who tried to prove that Mahavansa was fictitious and was not reliable.

20 Giant festival of Flower offering at Ruwanveliseya Whole Dagaba was covered with a fragrant paste, 8 inches thick, and flowers are embedded on it. Machines pumped water from Abhaya Weva and sprinkled water on these flowers. The whole dagaba looked like a huge globe of flowers. One can only imagine the standard of the Sinhalese civilisation at the time.

20 Coral Trade import from Medittaranean ( One is embellished in RuwanveliSeya.) As recorded in the Greek inscription discovered in 1990's, Lanka imported coral from the Medittaranean. One of those was embellished in Ruwanveli Maha Seya. This matched very well with the descriptions in Mahavansa again. Lankan envoys had visited Rome to request big Corals officially.

13 Romans face their most humiliating defeats todate - Resistance of German tribes Rome's most humiliating defeat so far was when a Roman army under Publius Quinctilius Varus was wiped out in the Teutoberg Forest by the German tribes. Emperor Augustus was so upset by the costly failures in Germany that he recommended to his successor, Tiberius, not to obtain any more territories. Romans withdrew to the natural frontier of river Elbe. They stationed 8 legions in Germany and another 7 Legions in the Danube provinces. Rome was glad to hire German mercenaries into the Roman army. These hired Germans would be the most important troops, second only to the Roman legions, in the entire Roman army.

1 The Grandeur of the City of Anuradapura The grand capital city had developed further from the city plan created by Pandukabaya. At it's peak before the invasions, the distance from the North entrance to the South entrance was 4 Gawva's ( 16 miles). When the invasions and rebellions became more frequent, the City was six miles in length from north to south, and was four miles from east to west.

1 What was inside the City of Anuradapura ? Like many other major cities in the world later, Sinhalese built a citadel for the city of Anuradapura. This citadel was half a mile long on each side. The Royal palace was inside this citadel. Temple of the Tooth Relic was the only temple inside the citadel. Streets had names like Chandra Vanka Veediya, and Mahaveli Veediya. Foremost of them was Sangamitta Mawatha, which started from the South gate near Tuparamaya, and ran across the citadel. Many Great Buddhist Universities ( Monasteries) were located just outside the citadel. Five biggest of them were Mahaviharaya, the greatest Theravada Buddhist University in the world, on the south, Jethavana Viharaya on the east, Abayagiriya on the north, DakkinaViharaya on the Southwest, and Mirisavetiya on the west. Beyond the city were the five largest reservoirs ( TissaWeva to the southwest, NuwaraWeva to the east, AbayaWeva (Basavakkulama) to the west, Bulankulamaweva to the northwest, Puliyankulamaweva to the northeast.

1 Population in A'pura was 125,000 The archaeologists came to this conclusion by considering the size of the city, the reservoirs, the irrigated land, and other findings. This also matched with the records maintained by the international visitors.

1 Why was population in Anuradapura important ? In 118 AD, the first largest city in the western hemisphere, Teotihuacan, in the Valley of Mexico, had a population around 100,000 in an area of 8 Sq.miles. Even as late as 1127 AD, few European cities had more than 20,000 residents. Even by 1492 AD, the largest cities in the western Europe, Paris and London, had only populations of 80,000 and 50,000 respectively. In 1492 AD, even the Most Populated City in the World, Tenochtitlan- Aztec capital city in South America, had only 300,000 people. It was only around 1800 AD, after the industrial revolution, that the European cities had over 100,000 citizens. This comparison was an astonishing revelation. It is unimaginable how far the Sinhalese civilisation would have progressed, if they were allowed to continue.

1 1890 years later the British will marvel at the archaeological findings of Anuradapura "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 A'pura when at the height of its prosperity." - A British Archaeologist recorded in 1800 AD

9 Priceless Diamonds are used as lightening protectors on Dagaba's It has been recorded that Dagabas and their overhead Domes had priceless diamonds as lightening protectors. Also, a ring of crystals was embedded on the Dome that covered the Dagabas. Four valuable gems were added to the four sides of the Hataras kotuwa as a tradition. No wonder the foreign barbarians invaded so many times.

10 Ambasthala Chaitya is built in Mihintale This Dagaba was decorated with golden balls and strings of pearls, which were fixed around the Dagaba. The four entrances had four arches, beautifully created by the artists and decorated with dazzling precious stones.

10 Dedicating the Dagaba to the Bikkus, is recorded as a huge All island Festival Giribandha -The Ceremony of Homage, was held dedicating the Chaitya Pabbata to 24,000 Bhikku's. It was a huge festival. People walked on beautifully woven carpets from the river Kadamba to the Chaitya Pabbata. Garlands of lamps were lit all across the land. These lamps were lit on the reservoirs and on the sea as well.

10 Pasanadipika Monastery is built and dedicated to Bhikkus as a university

19 Vegetarian King - Ananda Gamani Abhaya becomes king As a pious Buddhist, he was a total vegetarian. He encouraged and promoted cultivation of all sorts of good vegetables, which could replace the meat and the fish products. He brought peace not only to the humans, but also to birds and animals.

19 Killing of animals to be consumed as food, is banned. King encouraged the research on vegetarian food, and developed the cultivation of vegetables. After this, he banned the killing of animals to be consumed as food. Since there is no record of how the non-Buddhist foreign population living in Lanka reacted to this, it can be assumed that they accepted the majority Buddhists tradition with respect. After all, there were many other places in the world where a meat lover could enjoy their meat. But Sri Lanka was the only place the true Buddhist could live in the Buddhist

19 Killing of animals to be consumed as food, is banned. King encouraged the research on vegetarian food, and developed the cultivation of vegetables. After this, he banned the killing of animals to be consumed as food. Since there is no record of how the non-Buddhist foreign population living in Lanka reacted to this, it can be assumed that they accepted the majority Buddhists tradition with respect. After all, there were many other places in the world where a meat lover could enjoy their meat. But Sri Lanka was the only place the true Buddhist could live in the Buddhist way in a Buddhist environment.

20 Beautiful Gem-set Pavillion is built for LovaMaha Paya Such beautiful, very costly additions to the Lova Maha Paya added to the glory of the nation. Yet the history proves that the attention given to the protection of such magnificent infrastructures, and the defence of the nation, was not enough. The invaders and collaborators would destroy these without any feelings for the amazing heritage that they were destroying forever.

20 Beautiful Gem-set Pavillion is built for Thuparamaya These beautifully built, very costly umbrellas were expected to guard the historical building from bad weather. But the invaders and collaborators would destroy these, in sheer jealousy and inferior complexes, without any feelings for the amazing heritage that they were destroying forever.

20 Rajatalena Monastery is built

20 Reservoirs for Universities Mahagamedi reservoir was built for the Dakkhina Monastery. The water from this reservoir was pumped through underground pipes to the university complex. Thousands of monks, students, teachers, and research groups used this water. The water was also needed for the diverse agricultural projects undertaken by the university students undertaking the irrigation and agricultural subjects and research.

23 End of peasant-saving, anti-Rich XIN dynasty of 14 years During 200 years, Han dynasty had weakened while the rich families in states refused to pay taxes and exploited the peasants. Wang Mang, a Minister of the Royal court grabbed power to establish the short-lived Xin dynasty. Wang Mang tried to make the central govt strong by winning the peasants. He nationalized and redistributed all land among the actual cultivators. He abolished slavery and fixed prices to save innocent peasantts from cunning merchants. He offered low interest business loans to the poor to begin work. While winning the masses he he tightened the govt monopolies on salt, iron, and coinage. But the powerful rich class offered such resistance that he was forced to cancel the above land legislation. Break down of agriculture due to neglected irrigation systems made matters worse. Within 14 years, a rebellion backed by rich families re-installed the Han dynasty after killing Wang Mang. As varous fractions compete, this dynasty would disintegrate by 220 AD creating local rule by rich powerful families.

32 Culagallaka Monastery is built Meanwhile in Sri Lanka, historical evidence mentions another monastery being opened. Monasteries functioned as the local school, local university, and looked after and superviced many administrative duties on behalf of the central government in Anuradapura. A monastery was located at each port city functionaing as the local immigration and customs department and also as the guest house, and the tourist info center for the travellers. Monks who were not searching for the inner peace in higher states of mind in jungle monasteries worked along with state officials in these state departments. Therefore a monatery was a huge complex of buildings spread in usually over 500 acres of land. They served all Sri Lankans and was very successful in curtailing the corruption and maintaining the discipline and fairness in the local society. This is the reason why the foreign and some local traders, corrupt officials didn't like the Buddhist structure.

33 Second Queen of Sri Lanka After the death of the king, his younger sister Seevali, became the queen. But the people, because of Anula Devi's reputation, were not happy. They suspected that she too could be taken on a ride by the conspiring selfish corrupt elements. ( And that was exactly what would happen later...). After four months, her cousin would become the king while she became his partner. People's fears materialised in just 19 years.

33 King & Lambakarna officials clash Second Queen's cousin, Illanaga, became king and made this Queen Seevali his wife. This new king ran into trouble with the proud and very patriotic Sinhalese Lambakarna descendants ( descendants of the North Indian migrants). These very patriotic Lambakarna people were excellent officials. They practically dominated the administration of the country. Even a king could not unduly influence them to do unpatriotic deeds. They believed in doing what was best for the country, irrespective of the king's personal opinion. Somehow a misunderstanding erupted between this king and these Lambakarna officials. Lambakrnas ignored the king who tried to overrule one or more rules set by the national philosophy.

33 Coup by the Lambakarna patriots When it was obvious they were on a confronting path, the Lambakarnas staged a coup. They took Anuradapura in this successful coup. King escaped to Ruhuna, and developed the infrastructure for a while, repairing tanks and improving cultivation and prosperity. He became popular in Ruhuna. Then he returned from Ruhuna with a new people's army and defeated the Lankan army led by the Lambakarna officials.

35 Massacre of the Lambakarnas Unfortunately the triumphant king massacred most of the Lambakrnas officials and their supporters who were captured in battle. Fortunately, his mother intervened. She advised him not to waste those patriotic people. Lambakarnas were fiercely patriotic people. In 32 years these Lambakarna patriots of the Sinhalese community would end the sorry state of Lanka by advancing to join the Royalty. Under them Lanka would become a developed nation again for a solid 350 years.

40 Kushan Dynasty emerges ( 270 years after the end of the Mauryan dynasty) After the death of King Asoka in 232BC, Hindu priests got close to the rulers. From 184 BC to 72 BC, ignored by rulers, Buddhism lost ground. By 100 BC invading central Asian nomads like Shakas (Scythians), the Yueh-chi's pushed southwards. Yueh-chi nomads settled in north-western India, where Kadphises, one of their kings, founded the Kushan dynasty by AD 40. They took large part of northern India shortly. As taxila on the silk route earned them trade profits, they had diplomatic and commercial contacts with the Roman Empire. Buddhism, Mathematics and science thrived under the Kushans, and especially under the rule of Emperor Kanishka, who was a patron of learning and the arts. The indigenous Andhra dynasty, which survived from 27 AD for about 460 years, made repeated attempts to expel the Shakas without any success. By 236 AD, the Shakas took over the entire western India. By 246 AD, shortly before the fall of the Andhra dynasty, the Kushan rule also collapsed. The next 100 years was a period of political conflicts between smaller and weaker kingdoms throughout most of India.

43 City of London is built, Romans invade Britain The invasion of Britain was carried out on the orders of the Roman Emperor Claudius. Romans justified the invasion in commercial value and publicised it as a move to stop the British support to the European Barbarians.

43 First Vietnamese Freedom Struggle against the ocuupying Chinese is crushed. The Chinese had been ruling over the area just beyond the southern border what is now Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Chinese Han dynasty began to by-force the Chinese culture and language on the Vietnamese. They even got Chinese officials to migrate to Vietnam to replace position of the Vietnamese nobles. Some Vietnamese started to rebel against the Chinese rule from 39 AD. Most famous would be the rebellion by two widows of local aristocrats, the Trung sisters. They led an uprising against the Chinese rule and the older sister, Trung Trac, managed to establish and rule an independent state until the Chinese armies retook that in AD 43. It was only in 939 AD, when China was weak, they managed to free themselves after nearly 1000 years of freedom struggles. First dynasty, named Ly dynasty, lasted for 200 years, from 1010 to 1225 AD. It was the Tran dynasrty(1225-1400) that turned Vietnam into a powerful nation in South East Asia by keeping Chinese and the Mongols at the northern border and conquering the South from Champa Kingdom in DaNang(Indonesian migrants following Indian culture) and the Khmer from Cambodia in Mekong delta.

43 First Boy King of Sri Lanka King Candamukhasiva became king when he was just 10 years old, after his father's death. His mother, former queen Seevali, looked after the administration. But this Boy king's brother, who was only two years younger, would grow up to be a notoriously playful and irresponsible character. Inspired by the selfish corrupt elements, in another 9 years, he would kill his own brother to grab the power. This also showed the failure of the Queen Seevali as a mother and a queen. She couldn't raise her children in the disciplined manner and she also failed to stop the conspiracy just as the people suspected.

46 Roman Diplomatic Mission arrives in Lanka : An official Roman ship carrying the Roman Revenue officials, which was heading to the medittaranean to collect tax, was caught up in a storm. Driven by the storm, they landed in Mannar in Sri Lanka. These Roman sailors and officials described Lanka in detail. It is regarded as one of the solid proof of the prosperity in Lanka under the Sinhalese National philosophy, which the anti-Sinhala history-distorters cannot deny.

46 Roman Diplomatic Mission recorded what they saw, and no History-twister can deny that…… Based on the above visit, the Roman empire recorded that the technological and deeply religious Sinhalese in Lanka, had built 19 big cities and over 500 towns. There were over 200,000 Lankans living in the beautiful Anuradapura, which was a city of parks, lakes, skyscrapers, and universities. The land had been divided in to 13 provinces for administration purposes. ( They were NOT separate states.) They also recorded that Dagabas had overhead domes ( which protected them from weather) with a priceless gem as big as a pineapple on top as a tradition. The domes had rings of gems around them and lightening protectors( long before the west discovered electricity). All these radiated magnificently under the sunlight and the moonlight alike. People grew their hair long like women, and were very patient, religious, and harmless. Their life expectancy was over 100 years.

50 Lanka has an embassy on Rome Again, it has been recorded that Lanka had an embassy in Rome in 50 AD.

50 Teotihuacan, in the Valley of Mexico- A textbook formation of a civilisation The rivers in the Valley of Mexico provided water needed for agriculture. The people there at this time learnt how to control and divert the flow of water. This led to increasing population. Their leaders concentrated the people for agriculture. Then they developed statecraft, industries, trade, and a large city. This civilisation based on irrigation, is regarded as a textbook formation of a state.

50 The Temple of the Sun at Teotihuacan, Mexico 200 feet ( 61m) high, the Temple of the Sun at Teotihuacan, Mexico, was built between AD 50 and 200. The site was located on the axis of the sun during the summer. The building had been made of layers of clay mixed with stones. In the centre, a long flight of steps led to the top of the building. A temple dedicated to the sun god, which was destroyed later, stood at the top.

52 South Indian Queen donates a reservoir to Buddhist Temple : Classic example of good multi-culturism where Sinhalese philosophy was appreciated. This was another classic example of the few South Indians living with the Sinhalese, respecting their good philosophy, which benefited everyone. A South Indian Queen of the young Lankan king Chandamukasiva built a reservoir, using her pocket money. She donated this reservoir to the Isurumuniya temple in appreciation. It was an act of saying "thank you" for the wonderful, selfless, uncorrupt service the Buddhist temples were doing to the economy. ( pious Theravada monks in the Buddhist temples leased the land they received from the king. The villagers cultivated them. These pious monks paid the workers well, and at the same time were able to save the rest of the profit for the state by their uncorrupt supervision of the funds. It was this supervision that made Lankan resources to be best utilised to the benefit of the Lankans and their future. This also barred selfish corrupt elements from pocketing them in.) This also showed the patronage the ruling class was bound by, to Buddhism.

52 Chinese invents Ships Rudder This Chinese discovery would arrive in the middle east through the silk route. While the Chinese used this discovery to build ships mainly for trade purposes, the rest of the world would use this to build war ships to conquer foreign lands, including China. Sea travelling became more frequent after the discovery of the rudder.

52 Saint Thomas in Kerala, South India Saint Thomas, a Christian Missionary, travels as far as Kerala on the west coast of South India.

52 First Boy King of Sri Lanka, is murdered by his own brother After 9 years of rule, his own brother killed him. This was another example to show how the corrupt and power-hungry, selfish elements somehow won the day. As you would see next, such kings were a shame to the great Sinhala civilisation. They didn't develop the country or the people. They simply survived on the good work of the previous good kings. Only the merchants and the officials who installed such kings, progressed during these times. But the patriotic people, backed by the Theravada monks, would always fight back to re-install their National philosophy.

52 King Yasalalaka Tissa - The immature practical joker At the age of 17, he killed his own brother king ( The first boy king of Lanka who was 19 by this time) to grab the throne. He was very unpopular among the public, because of his deeds. He was very playful and immature in thoughts and deeds. He was so immature and foolish that one day he asked a door-guard who looked like him, to switch roles. So the king acted like the door guard while the guard was sitting on the throne. King, who was acting as the door guard, was having so much of fun watching how the visitors and the king fumbled in their conversations that he couldn't stop laughing. In a silly joke that went horribly wrong, the door guard who was acting as the king, became angry and ordered the "Door Guard" to be killed for disrespectful behaviour. In the entire history of Sri Lanka, one can hardly match this immature act of stupidity with any other event.

60 King Subha : The Door-keeper lacks what it takes to be a Sinhalese King The new king who was a door guard before, survived only because of the unpopularity of the slain king. Scared of his safety, he was always heavily-guarded. He tried his best to win the Theravada monks by building and repairing temples. But offering gifts to the Buddhist Monks was not what was expected of a Lankan king. Sinhalese expected their king to be a talented, highly skilled, noble character, strong and wise, to develop the country day and night through hard work. Terrified of the consequences, he turned to astrologers. Hearing about a prophecy that a person named Vasabha was destined to be the next Great King, he ordered all Lankans who had the name Vasabha to be killed. He survived only 6 years as his end came with the beginning of the Great Lambakarna Dynasty.

66 Beginning of the 7-year Jewish religious Rebellion against the Roman rule About 100 years before, on a mountaintop 48 km south east of Jerusalam, the Judaean king Herod had built the Great two fortified palaces. Jews were free people at that time. These castles were named Masada (in Hebrew, "fortress"). After Herod's death, the Roman army occupied Masada. Two main religions had developed among the Jews. One was Judaism, and the second was Christianity, which was considered an offshoot of Jadaism. In 66 AD, Jewish religious rebels named Zealots captured this Masada fortress from the Romans. That was the start of a seven year long rebellion against the Roman rule. The Jews tested the great discipline and the strain a Roman soldier was trained to bear.

67 King Vasabha- First ruler of Lambakarna Dynasty makes Sri Lanka a developed nation for the next 350 years Nephew of the Commander of the Anuradapura City Guards, was a Vasabha. When Subha-the doorkeeper king, ordered all persons who had the name Vasabha to be killed, this commander's wife tipped him about the impending danger. He managed to flee and hide in the jungles of Ruhuna. He soon impressed the people by his philosophy and the genuine motivation to develop the country. He raised an army easily, and freed Lanka from the selfish rule, by killing King Subha. He had to fight and kill his own uncle in the battle. He married his aunty who saved his life. He became the first king of the Lambakarna Dynasty. Under the no-nonsense rule of these Lambakarana Sinhalese, Sri Lanka became a developed nation again. He alone built 11 large reservoirs, and 12 irrigation canals, which improved the economy to the highest standards. Under the Lambakarna rule, the selfish corrupt elements simply shut up and lived accordingly, for they knew that they couldn't get away with any conspiracies. Lambakarna people were smarter than them.

67 Under the fiercely patriotic Lambakarna Sinhalese rule, the selfish corrupt elements keep quiet Lambakarna people were one of the 3 main North Indian migrant communities who mixed into the Sinhalese community. ( The others were Maurya descendants of the Asoka's Grand North Indian Maurya Empire, and the Sakya clan who were Buddha's relatives). All these North Indian communities mixed in to the Sinhalese community in Lanka without any hesitation. Their only hope was to live with Buddhism in a developed nation. They were proud, noble, and smart people. They were fiercely patriotic people who accepted no lower standards than the standards of a developed nation. They tolerated no selfishness or corruption. Having migrated from kingdoms in North India, which were crossed by thousands of foreigners on the silk route, they knew all the tricks in every trade. Therefore the selfish corrupt elements in Lanka could not fool these North Indian descendants with their lies or propaganda. Under them Sri Lanka advanced as expected, to a developed nation again.

67 National Defence becomes a Top Priority under Lambarna Sinhalese rule - A'pura CityWalls are raised to face invaders One of the rare records of Sinhala kings being interested in National defence came during this Lambakarna rule. King Vasabha consulted the clever soldiers, architects and soothsayers for advice on the defence of Lanka. He then raised the City Wall from 7 to 18 cubits ( to 8 meters). The n he enlarged and strengthened the City Wall. He fortified the Gatehouses. These ruins can be seen even today despite the destruction caused by the angry traitors and invaders. All these showed that they were aware of the existence of unhappy selfish corrupt elements in Lanka who might invite foreigners to invade.

67 Over 1000 lamps lit up in festival ChetiyaPabbata at Mihintale This then became an annual National festival on the orders of the King Vasabha.

70 Romans destroy Jerusalam while suppressing the Jewish rebellion The 69 year old Roman General commanding troops against the Jewish rebels in Palestine, was recalled to Rome as the new Emperor Vespasian. Titus, his 31 year old son, became the new Commander in Palestine. He had proved his ability while fighting the Germans and the British. In 70 AD, thanks to the discipline and the strain under which Roman Legions were trained, he won the war and destroyed the rebel stronghold Jerusalam. To commemorate this victory, his brother, Roman Emperor Domitian, erected the famous Arch of Titus ( AD 81) in Rome. Titus also would become the Roman emperor from 79 AD to 81 AD. Under his rule, the building of the Colosseum in Rome, continued.

70 Jewish rebels withdraw to Masada - The Last Rebel Stronghold When the Roman Army took Jerusalem, the last remaining rebels, about 1,000 men, women, and children, withdrew to their last stronghold in Masada. On this remote mountaintop, under their leader, Eleazar ben Jair, they survived a two-year siege by the Roman 10th Legion.

70 Romans started work on the Colosseum The building work of the grand Colosseum would go on for another 12 years.

73 End of the Jewish Rebellion : Mass suicide in Masada Roman Army broke through to Masada stronghold after two embarrassing years. Last Jewish Zealots refused to surrender and committed mass-suicide. Uncovered by Archaeologists in 1965, today it is a National shrine of Israel.

79 Alahera Canal is built 48 kms long, flowing from Ambanganga to Anuradapura, Alahera canal is considered as one of the wonders created by the irrigation skills of the Sinhalese.

79 City of Pompeii is buried as the Mount Vesuvius explodes The rich resort town of Pompeii was an attraction to the wealthy Romans. Mt.Vesuvius erupted burying Pompeii under ash and lava for 1500 years. The Archaeologists began uncovering the buried city in 1748 and still 20% of the city is yet to be excavated. Though many civilians escaped the eruption, the cavities left by over 2000 decayed human bodies, buildings and objects reveled a complete picture of Italian city life. This included bodies of several gladiators who had been put in chains to prevent them from escaping or committing suicide.

80 City of Rome is affected by a Great fire and a plague

80 Magnificent Night Views of Lankan Temples It has been recorded that four places ( Sacred Bo tree, Thuparamaya, Ruwanveliseya, ChetiyaPabbata) had over 1000 lamps lit in the night.

80 City wall is raised to 9 meters with 4 huge control towers. Under Lambakarna dynasty, the City Protective wall was raised to 9 meters. Four more key Control Towers are added to the Defence plan. It was obvious Lambakarna kings took all necessary precautions on some information about an imminent invasion attempt.

82 Colosseum in Rome is completed after 12 years The Colosseum, which was made famous by the Hollywood movie "Gladiator", was a four-storey oval theatre with tiers of marble seating for about 40,000 people. Such public buildings made the Romans very proud and advertised their architecture and engineering. At the Colosseum, sometimes more than 60,000 Romans watched sea battles and gladiatorial combats, and the torture of the captured Christians.

100 Emperor Kanishka convened the 4th Buddhist council : Mahayana Buddhism spreads Kanishka, most famous emperor of the Kushan dynasty, ruled most of northern India, Afghanistan, and parts of Central Asia. Like the Shakyas, Kushans were originally nomad warrior tribes originating from Central Asia. Under him, the great Kushan culture from Gandhara reached their peak. He was a great patron of Buddhism. Since the death of Emperor Asoka Buddhism has been divided in North India to 18 sects. He called for the fourth great Buddhist council at Jalandhar (Kashmir). Under Kushans rule, Mahayana Buddhism was developed. It spread rapidly under the Kushan rulers, from India right across Central Asia to China. Next importance event in Buddhism in North India would be in 319AD when Gupta empire from Orissa and Magadha opnes a glorious era of Buddhism.

100 Controversy on the Fourth council : Theravada Buddhists refuse new corrupt ideas The fourth Buddhist council, under North Indian King Kanishka, was held at Jalandhar in Kashmir. This is NOT recognised by the Theravada Buddhists. The council was said to have influenced by the Mahayana and other branches of Buddhism that had deviated from the original teachings. They wanted to make agreements with all Buddhist sects on key issues. But Theravada Buddhists who uphold the original version of Buddhism, refused to agree to the new corrupt ideas. Therefore they refused to recognise the authenticity of the fourth council. As the council at Pataliputra was recorded only in Theravada sources, the council of Kashmir was recorded only in some Indian, Chinese and Tibetan writings. These proved that this fourth council was just an attempt by the monks of different Buddhists sects to introduce local traditions rather than cleaning up the Buddhist Sangha of twisted and corrupt elements.

105 Chinese invents paper Chinese are responsible for the invention of almost all important aspects of the human civilisation. The paper was one of the most important inventions in the history of mankind.

107 Birth of Romania : Roman take Dacia and colonise it as Romania Two Roman armies were struggling to keep the Dacian raiders away in the northern border. When faced with strong forces, Dacian raiders would disappear into woods. Romans were forced to retreat during each winter. It took 12 Roman Legions to force the Dacian raiders to withdraw from the border. In 102 AD, Roman emperor Trajan made a determined effort to take Dacia for good. After building a line of forts which could keep the supplies flowing, he took 100,000 troops, one third of the Roman army to launch the military campaign to take Dacia. He reached the Dacian capital which his troops were able to assault blindly, under the cover of personal shields locked together. As the Dacian missile attack didn't bother the Romans, Roman Catapult devastated the defences. When Dacian capital fell, 10,000 were enslaved. Dacia was resettled by the Romans who renamed it as Romania.

110 Cholas beat both the Pandyans and the Seras, the traditional powers of South India In one of the most important chapters in South Indian history, Cholas, a new military power, beat both the Pandyans and the Seras, the traditional powers of South India. In the battle of Vanni in South India, combined forces of Sera ( Chera) and Pandyan kingdoms were defeated by the Chola army led by Karikalan, the most powerful Chola king. Disappointed Sera king committed suicide in the battlefield. Then the Cholas emerged as the new super power in South India. Within two years, they would invade Lanka.

111 Chinese completes their first Dictionary

111 Proof that Vasabha controlled the whole island Mighty King Vasabha's work is found almost everywhere in the island, from Vallipuram in Jaffna to Tissamaharama in the south. These discoveries are a solid proof of one strong developed nation.

112 5th South Indian Invasion - Chola Invasion by Karikalan : Cholas take 12,000 Lankan Engineers as slaves to develop South India. Flying the tiger flag, Chola military force invaded Lanka from South India. Lankans hard work on National defence was not enough to stop the Chola tactics. Cholas respected no rules of humanity, unlike the Buddhist Sinhalese who fought with their hands tied with sympathy and kindness. Cholas were surprised to see the advance state of Lanka. They felt an inferiority complex as their own cities looked like provincial towns when compared to Lankan cities. They grabbed over 12,000 Sri Lankan Engineers, Architects, and Technicians as slaves to be used in the development of the Chola Kingdom. Some of them worked on flood protection and irrigation works in the Chola Kingdom. Some were used on building a dam across the river kaveri.

116 Roman Empire reaches the climax The Roman Empire reached the climax under the Spanish-born Roman Emperor Trojan who ruled from 98 AD to 117 AD. He was also the first non-Roman to become the Emperor. He ruled under the strict supervision of the senators. The senators made sure that the emperor, whoever he was, did not deviate away from the Roman interests. Trojan conquered Romania, Hungary, Arabia, and parts of Iran. The Empire controlled many races that were quite different to eachother. These people included the unclean, tent-dwelling barbarians of Europe and northern Britain to the sophisticated urban citizens of the Middle East.

116 Roman Empire has Two distinctive areas : Greek East & Latin West An unofficial Western Roman Empire consisting of Britain, Gaul, Spain, Rhine and the Danube and an Eastern Roman Empire in Greece, Asia, and Africa had developed. This eastern Roman empire used Greek as the main language while the western Roman empire used Latin. Romans were interested mainly in the income tax and continuing loyalty. Therefore they didn't suppress the many national and regional identities. But they tried to enforce the views that Romans were the civilised world and the lifestyle of the Romans was the ultimate standard of the civilised life.

117 Struggle to maintain the Roman empire begins Roman empire expanded too big for it's resources. Extended frontiers demanded a huge army, which drained the revenues again. The bureaucracy became lazy and self-indulgent. Everyone wanted to enjoy and have fun, while fewer were ready to work for it. Too few farmers and peasants were feeding too many unproductive mouths. Political competitions created civil wars, which further exhausted the resources. Massive rates of inflation, debasement of the coinage in order to increase the money supply to pay the army and the administrators, reduced international confidence in the currency and low economic production led to disaster. Romans had become selfish in a cycle of economic depression and bureaucracy. All these happened amidst the pressure applied by the European Barbarian tribes who had no such expenditure.

117 Roman Empire hires Barbarian Mercenaries to protect the frontiers As fewer and fewer Romans were willing to work or to fight to defend the Empire, Romans hired European Barbarians as mercenaries. Of all European Barbarian mercenaries, the Germans were regarded as the Best. The desperate Romans recognised them with gratitude. They were regarded as being second only to the elite Roman Legions.

118 Teotihuacan, in the Valley of Mexico : Earliest City in the western hemisphere They built one of the largest cities in the entire world at Teotihuacan, in the Valley of Mexico, while the Roman Empire was beginning the decline. By 500 AD, City of Teotihuacan covered 21 sq km (8 sq mi), laid out on a precise grid plan. City population ranged from 70,000 to 200,000. Teotihuacan was the capital of the largest Mesoamerican empire in history. They had many links with the Mayans. Both had similar cultural characteristics as well.

118 Romans direct Resources only to Italy & Rome As the demand for resources needed to maintain the empire increased, Romans began to direct resources only to Italy and Rome. From this point onwards, the cosmopolitan community could grow only in Rome and in Italy. These civilians were not interested in fighting for Rome. They wanted to enjoy Rome. Under their influence, the resources collected from other countries were used only on Italy and Rome.

120 Parthenon is built in Rome

120 In Greece, Temple of Zeus is built.

120 Young Hot Shot Gajabahu finds out about the missing 12,000 Lankans Knowing the patriotism of his hot-shot son, Lankan king had done his best to hide the history about the 5th invasion. But Young king Gajabahu found out the details of the 5th invasion on his own. He suspected that something was wrong in Lanka as everything appeared pre-planned and too perfect. He started to travel in disguise in countryside secretly. That was how he found out that during his father's rule, South Indian invaders had abducted 12,000 Lankans. As his father had predicted, he was furious. He ordered the nation to be ready to rescue the Lankans from slavery in South Indian Chola kingdom .

120 King Gajabahu invades Chola kingdom - First Lankan king to be mentioned in the South Indian literature. The mighty Lankan army charged on the shores of South India. Gajabahu led the force himself. Cholas released their elephant brigade on the Lankan Army. Gajabahu's top General Nila stepped forward into the charging elephants. He grabbed all the elephants who attacked him two by two, and crashed them into eachother by pushing and pulling them. Then many physically strong Lankan soldiers joined him. Some were killed. Finally the elephants got the message. They started to run back, throwing their trainers away in anger. General Nila then scared the South Indian troops by squeezing juice out of sand and iron. He threatened that it would happen to the Chola capital city if the fair Lankan demands were not met. Hearing this, the pressure mounted on the Chola king to seek a peaceful settlement. Gajabahu warned the Chola king never to harass Lanka again, and brought the Lankan prisoners back. Gajabahu brought the Alms Bowl relic of Buddha, which was taken in the 4th invasion, during King Valagamba’s times in 103 BC, back after 223 years.

120 King Gajabahu attends Kovil opening in Chola capital As recorded in the epic South Indian poem Cilappadikaram, the King Gajabahu of Lanka, attended the ceremony of consecrating the temple to Goddess Pattini in Chola capital city, with respect. This showed the typical tolerant attitudes of the Sinhalese, who had always extended the respect and tolerance towards other religions.

120 Gajabahu brings back 12,000 South Indian Cholas as Hindu Kovil workers Unfortunately he brought 12,000 Cholas to be employed in Hindu temples. Many of them settled in the hill country, instead of in Vanni and Jaffna. They were settled in Harispattuva, Hevaheta, Tumpane, Udunuwara, and Yatinuwara. With them, the cult of Hindu Gods arrived in these areas. Many of them mixed into the Sinhalese community by marrying Sinhalese women and taking Sinhalese names.

130 Nuwara Weva is built by King Gajabahu Tissa Weva in Anuradapura was the official City reservoir that supplied the city with water. But king Gajabahu thought of establishing a second reservoir, which could ensure meeting even the highest demands. Nuwara Weva was helpful to thousands of pilgrims who flocked to the city on ceremony days.

130 Sinhalese have the "Finest & Greatest reservoirs in the world" - British Archaeologist 1700 years later, British archaeologist Parker was impressed with the remarkable technical achievements of the hydraulic Sinhalese. He was surprised with the expertise with which Cistern Sluice (Bisokotuwa) had been designed. He was also highly impressed by the clever design of the "Spill" that avoided all possible damages to reservoirs even in worst floods and in heavy rains. He said that it was the Bisokotuwa, which allowed the Sinhalese to boldly build so large networks of irrigation projects, which didn't fail or were prone to disaster.

130 State of Enlightenment achieved by the Sinhalese, was magnificent Further proof of the magnificent Sinhalese irrigation system, came from R.L.Brohier who, 1800 years later, commented on the Grand Irrigation systems of the Sinhalese, "It cant be said that we have found enough of ancient irrigation works around the great buried cities. Yet it leads to a higher estimate of the state of enlightenment of the old Sinhalese than that of all their works".

130 Roman Emperor Hadrian visits all frontiers to strengthen the defences Under the emperor Hadrian who ruled from 117 AD to 138 AD, Romans consolidated defences on their frontiers rather than expanding territories. The pressure was such that the emperor himself had to visit every part of the Rome's frontier to boost up the morale. He was an able and just administrator with an interest in philosophy. Under him there was a stable period of peace and prosperity. His greatest achievement was the frontier defences established in Britain and along the Rhine and Danube. This was the start of a 30 year period during which the Roman Army managed to hold on to the frontier defences successfully.

132 Romans ban Jews in Jerusalam The Roman emperor Hadrian began rebuilding the ruined city of Jerusalam in AD 130. But a Jewish rebellion against the Romans between the years 132 AD and 135 AD made the Roman emperor to ban all Jews from entering the city of Jerusalam.

132 Chinese develop the primitive Seismograph to register earth tremors Chinese, the pioneers in many areas of science, developed a primitive Seismograph in 132 AD. They used this new equipment to register earth tremors.

138 Newly strengthened Roman frontiers hold on Roman emperor Hadrian who ruled from 117 AD to 138 AD had started a culture where the Roman emperor himself visited the frontier to strengthen and to boost up the morale. Antoninus Pius who ruled from 138 AD to 161 AD succeeded him as the Roman Emperor. He was a Gaul married to a Spanish wife. He continued the policies of Hadrian. Thanks to their efforts, the frontier remained intact for sometime.

150 Lankans continue to build Gavaratissa monastery, BhatikaTissa monastery, Mahamani reservoir, Randhakandaka reservoir were built during this time.

150 Earliest surviving Sanskrit inscriptions are made in India

150 Ptolemy describes Lanka Greek astronomer Ptolemy wrote his geography around this time. He mentioned Anuradapura as a big metropolis. ( This indicates the size of the city ). He described the beauty of the "Sinhalese Royal palace".

150 Aksum Kingdom emerges in Ethiopia Around 50 AD, a new Ethiopian king developed a new civilisation known by the name of their capital city, Aksum. They also mastered the art of warfare. That helped them to extend their rule further inland. Then they expanded across the Red Sea to Southern Arabia.

150 Egyptian Geographer Ptolemy mentions German tribes He said that they lived in the south Jutland Peninsula, in the north of today's Germany. They were famous for their warrior philosophy and their pirate raids in the North Sea. Their greatest act was the successful resistance with which they fought the Roman advances.

160 Figure of the Christian Bishop has clearly emerged After the death of Jesus, the surviving 12 apostles and many other disciples successfully adopted the language of the Greek-Roman world and the procedural and organizational practices of the Roman Empire to express its message. This spread Christianity from Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean within a short time. A letter written by the third Bishop ( Pope) according to the Roman Catholic church, St. Clement(92-101) intervening in a dispute in the Church is a valuable source of information about the life, doctrine, and organization of the early Christian Church. By 160AD, characteristically Christian figure of the bishop had clearly emerged. In 313 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine recognized the Church. For next 200 years with the support of the Roman Emperors, Roman Catholic Church consolidated strongly. In 450 AD, Pope Leo 1 (440-461), the greatest administrator of the ancient Church, joined administrative procedures with Roman law. The exceptional discipline, belief and links with Roman Emperor made the Roman Catholic Church very strong over others.

161 Desperate Roman Emperors ridicule nobles to win the public support The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius who ruled from 161 AD to 180 AD, was a philosopher. He realised that he had to motivate the public to maintain the Roman empire. In order to win the public, he developed the habit of ridiculing the nobles. The Roman Senate, once full of power and nobility, became the scapegoat for all the problems the Romans were facing.

170 The Roman Bubble Before the Barbarian invaders came, Rome declined in many aspects. Heavy taxes and corrupt lethargic bureaucracy ruined the profits in business. After getting addicted to a life full of fun and self-indulgence, the Roman citizens became unpatriotic and too lazy. They were so lazy and selfish that no one wanted to join the army. Romans had conquered nations who didn't have organised armies. By this time, they had advanced armies capable of resisting Romans. That meant less income from conquered lands and more expenses to collect taxes from the colonies. At the end, Rome even had to hire mercenaries to protect Italy and Rome. But they could hardly afford to pay them. Rome began to depend on more and more on shrewd political strategies instead of the military power. When the rest of the world also learnt of such devious political tactics, Rome could play the game no more. First, Visigoths looted Greece and Asia Minor both of which were under the Roman rule. Then by 400 AD, the barbarians roamed at will through the western Roman empire.

170 Germans break the Roman frontier & advance into northern Italy During the last years of philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius who ruled from 161 AD to 180 AD, the Roman frontiers were subjected to unbearable pressure by the expanding Barbarian tribes. A Germanic tribe named Marcomanni threatened the whole western frontier. They overran the entire Danube frontier and even entered the northern Italy. They then besieged the Roman city of Apuleia. After a long hard fought war, the Romans managed to push them back. But the cost was unbearable. Roman ability to survive such repeated attacks, was diminishing.

171 Roman public needs social welfare to survive The philosopher emperor Marcus Aurelius even publicly humiliated the nobles to please the public. The emperors needed the public co-operation as the demand for more hard work and more hardships increased. Emperor provided more public welfare services like distributing free bread and sponsoring recreation events like circuses. One of the classics in the Western thought, " Blot out vain pomp - check impulse, quench appetite, keep reason under its own control”, was introduced around this time.

190 Chinese use Abacus for calculations

190 LovaMahaPaya is re-opened in a magnificent National ceremony During the 4th invasion, in 103 BC, the South Indian thugs living in Lanka had destroyed the pride of the nation, Lova Maha Paya. The repairs had to be carried out over a period of 293 years. Such gigantic was the project to repair the damage done to the skyscraper. Yet they managed to rebuilt Lova Maha Paya only to 5 storeys. It was opened in a magnificent National ceremony.

200 69 out of 82 chapters of the "Art of Warfare" by Sun Tzu, disappear In 100 BC, the Chinese emperor ordered a scholar to collect and list all literary work for the imperial library. He noted a classic "The Art of War" written by a Sun Tzu on 3 rolls of thin wooden slips. He mentioned that there were 82 chapters of the classic, each describing tactical philosophy in various aspects of warfare. Men of every Chinese family studied this book. This is the earliest record of the existence of the classic believed to be written around 500 BC in China by the warrior Sun Tzu. By 200 AD, 69 chapters had been lost. Father J.J.M.Amiot, a Jesuit missionary in Peking, first introduced the remaining 13 chapters, which survive even today, to the western world. He translated the classic into French and published in Paris in 1772. 12 years later, a 16 year old poor cadet officer named Napoleon Bonaparte, who couldn't afford to attend parties, read this with so much interest and passion. Around 1000 AD, it was compulsory for the Chinese officer cadets to master it. The rest is history. Today, even undergraduates in business studies learn it.

201 Largest swimming pool in the recorded history of mankind to survive Kuttam Pokuna, the twin swimming pools in Anuradapura, were built during this time. Again the water was brought through underground pipes.

209 King of Law- King Voharika Tissa Though the majority of the Lankans who were Buddhists lived a disciplined life, there were many foreigners living in Lanka who didn't respect the Theravada discipline. Therefore the Lankan king had to introduce the Lankan law for the first time. This law abolished bodily injury as a punishment in law.

210 Bodily injury as a punishment in law, is abolished by Sinhala King Sinhala king abolished bodily injury as a punishment in the Law of Lanka. Unfortunately the bad rulers who came to power through conspiracies supported by the selfish corrupt merchants and officials, revoked bodily injury as a punishment in law from time to time. They used that to suppress the freedom struggles of the patriots who protested to their selfish rule. They also used the bodily injury as a warning to silence the patriots.

210 Vaitulyan Nikaya ( Dharmaruci Sect ) challenges Theravada Buddhism again By this time, various sects of Buddhism had gained the support of the elements that didn't like the strict Theravada discipline. Leading them was the Vaitulyan ( Darmaruci ) Nikaya based in South India. It was popular among the South Indians, foreigners, and many of the greedy merchants and corrupt officials because of the freedom it allowed for the selfish and corrupt elements to act without being criticised. The selfish elements patronised these corrupt monks and used many of them to challenge the Theravada Buddhism. As the pressure mounted, the King appointed a minister with a deep knowledge of Buddhism to investigate.

210 King warns the Vaitulyan Nikaya As the minister reported that the principles adopted by this new Nikaya was not the teachings of Buddha, king ordered all Vaitulyan books to be burnt. King banned the propaganda campaigns launched by the well-funded Vaitulyan supporters who claimed Vaitulyan Buddhism as the best Buddhism. But they were allowed to continue practising their belief, with a warning not to jeopardise the Theravada Buddhism. Unfortunately, in practice, it was not so. The selfish corrupt elements wouldn't stop manipulating this Nikaya to their advantage.

211 Myth of the Roman Power Before the Barbarian invaders came, Rome declined in many aspects. Heavy taxes and corrupt lethargic bureaucracy ruined the profits in business. After getting addicted to a life full of fun and self-indulgence, the Roman citizens became unpatriotic and too lazy. They were so lazy and selfish that no one wanted to join the army. Romans had conquered nations who didn't have organised armies. By this time, they had advanced armies capable of resisting Romans. That meant less income from conquered lands and more expenses to collect taxes from the colonies. At the end, Rome even had to hire mercenaries to protect Italy and Rome. But they could hardly afford to pay them. Rome began to depend on more and more on shrewd political strategies instead of the military power. When the rest of the world also learnt of such devious political tactics, Rome could play the game no more. First, Visigoths looted Greece and Asia Minor both of which were under the Roman rule. Then by 400 AD, the barbarians roamed at will through the western Roman empire.

211 Rome, needing more money to hold on, starts Taxes on Italians From 200 AD, the Roman Empire was on the defensive due to unsolvable economic and social crisis, and the barbarian pressure. Emperor Septimius Severus who came to power in 193 AD through bloody civil wars, died while fighting the barbarian invaders in northern Britain. During his rule, even Italians had to start paying taxes. As the fantasy enjoyed at the expense of the foreign countries diminished, the reality dawned on the Italians. Except for the collaborators who enjoyed Roman privileges, no one else was feeling sorry for the Romans.

212 Roman Citizenship is offered to anyone in the empire Desperate Romans under Emperor Caracalla offered full Roman citizenship to everyone in the empire, in order to make everyone feel that they had to unite as "ROMANS" to save the empire. This abolished the difference between the Roman and the provincial citizenships. But Rome had few genuine friends. Even Rome's allies were either buying time or were in alliance just for own survival.

212 Roman Army commanders become as powerful as Senators & emperors Roman leaders, including the emperor, senators and the generals fought eachother for power. Each tried to win the support of the Roman Army units by bribing them with cash. Thus, Roman Army commanders became powerful in the Roman administration. Sometimes, they even decided who should become the emperor. One who offered the greatest cash bribe to the troops was likely to take control. It only weakened the empire further.

220 Confirmation that the Silk road is in use Chinese were wearing silk since 2600 BC. During the Han dynasty (AD 220), Camel convoys carried Chinese silks from China to the Middle East. They crossed the Gobi desert to the Tarim oasis and moved through Central Asia to Damascus. The Chinese also exported porcelain and tea to the Middle East. This route was named as the “Silk Road” because of the premier export product those merchants were carrying. Chinese goods were traded in Damascus for wool, gold, and silver. Some of the silk was shipped to Italy, where it decorated the togas of Roman aristocrats. Recent discoveries of silk in an ancient Egyptian tomb suggested that the silk trade could have been in existence as far back as 2,500 BC.

220 Big Four are threatened by the Barbarians Thriving four great civilizations, the Roman Empire, the Sassanian ( Persia) Empire, the Gupta dynasty, and the Han dynasty were under threat. People of these civilizations lived in houses made of wood or stone. They had built great cities, and had written books. The Barbarians were nomadic people who lived in tents in the vast plains of Central Asia and in the forests of Europe. They could neither read nor write. They attacked the big four with success, destroying the myth that the uncivilised elements were not a threat to the empires. They were able to keep on attacking, for they needed little resources to survive, while empires needed a lot to survive. These nomads travelled far to attack and to grab treasures and the land. They invaded territories belonging to China, India, Persia, and Rome.

220 Rise of the Huns ( Masters of Horse and Bow) Huns were groups of Asian warrior tribes who originated from Mongolia and then mixed the nomads in Caspian steppes, and today's Turkey into their tribe. They lived a nomadic life in primitive mobile tent villages of 200-700 people, making instant forts using their wagons. The constant infighting for food and hunting territory made them aggressive and energetic fighters. Their primitive culture helped them to survive with little or no supplies under any weather condition. Their rugged horses and ponies could withstand heat and cold. As the survival of the fittest was their motto, they started developing skills in the art of warfare from 220 AD. (They started conquering the other Barbarians to the west from 350 AD successfully. They peaked around 447 AD under Atila forcing Roman empire to pay 3000 pounds of gold annually. Their 100 years of military supremacy, due to superb military horsemenship and the deadly Hun's bow, the fastest and deadliest at that time, ended in 451 AD when Romans learnt to use same tactics. Romans who despised them by calling them primitive savages, soon began to avoid facing them in combat).

220 Huns invade China: End begins for the Han dynasty in China In 220 AD the Huns, known to the Chinese as "the Hsiungnu", invaded the Chinese borders. Chinese Han dynasty went on a mobilisation to fight the invading nomads. ( These military-trained locals then rebelled for independent rule. That would be the end of the Han dynasty).

220 Beginning of the Three Kingdoms in China and Rise of Powerful Rich families The mobilisation against the invading Huns and the local rebels, led to provincial autonomy. By AD 220 the weakened empire finally split into Three Kingdoms. There the local rich families who had the authority to grade civilians for their ability to serve the government, favoured those who were loyal to them. That made these families very powerful with their henchmen holding all local positions. Under invasions and turmoil, China would be reunited only in 589 AD under Sui dynasty.

231 Adultery damages Lanka : Betrayal by king's younger brother & King's father-in-law leads to Selfish Corrupt Rule This was another example of how the loose-morals affected the good system. The younger brother of the King was a corrupt person. He started to have an affair with the Queen. When it was discovered, his South Indian friends helped him to hide in South India. Then these selfish corrupt elements in Lanka funded him to raise a private Army. Kings father-in-law was also a corrupt person. He tipped him about the suitable time to attack Lanka. They invaded Lanka at a time when the Government was weak. They killed the king in battle, and took the throne. This new corrupt king never gained any support from the public or the Theravada monks. It was a rule by the selfish corrupt elements. During this rule Lanka went nowhere while the greedy ruling class became rich. Fortunately for Lanka this new king died after 8 years of unpopular rule.

236 Kushan Dynasty weakens After the death of King Asoka in 232BC, Hindu priests got close to the rulers. From 184 BC to 72 BC, ignored by rulers, Buddhism lost ground. By 100 BC invading central Asian nomads like Shakas (Scythians), the Yueh-chi's pushed southwards. Yueh-chi nomads settled in north-western India, where Kadphises, one of their kings, founded the Kushan dynasty by AD 40. They took large part of northern India shortly. As taxila on the silk route earned them trade profits, they had diplomatic and commercial contacts with the Roman Empire. Buddhism, Mathematics and science thrived under the Kushans, and especially under the rule of Emperor Kanishka, who was a patron of learning and the arts. The indigenous Andhra dynasty, which survived from 27 AD for about 460 years, made repeated attempts to expel the Shakas without any success. By 236 AD, the Shakas took over the entire western India. By 246 AD, shortly before the fall of the Andhra dynasty, the Kushan rule also collapsed. The next 100 years was a period of political conflicts between smaller and weaker kingdoms throughout most of India.

238 Massive German attacks on Roman frontiers Germanic tribes on the Black Sea area, began to mount massive attacks in large numbers on the Roman frontier.

246 Lightening protectors for Dagabas Long before the west discovered electricity, a glass spire is fixed on to Ruwanveli Maha Seya to protect it from lightening.

247 Patriots poison the Self-Indulgent King Leaving the popular and capable army commander to mind the country, the king indulged in too many personal pleasures with his women and alcohol. He neglected his responsibility to the country. In his fourth year of rule, the angry people poisoned the Jambu tree in an island named Pacinadeepa, between Lanka and India, where king spent most of his merry-making time. After his death, the people invited the army commander, Sri Sanghabodhi, to the throne. He would become a legend in Lankan history.

247 A King too religious to rule over selfish corrupt elements : King Sri SanghaBodhi When the public invited the army commander to be the king, he was reluctant to accept the job. He was too religious. Under his rule, wrong-doers took advantage of his forgiveness and kindness. To the absolute delight of the selfish corrupt elements, the king who tried to follow the National philosophy showed mercy to the wrong-doers. He could not maintain a balance between the religious merit and the state policy on the corrupt. This alarmed his treasurer who was known as Gotabaya. He recruited mercenaries from the South Indian community living in Lanka. As they rebelled for power, the king fled into the jungles of the south all by himself.

249 Pillar Repairs on LovaMahaPaya destroyed in 4th invasion, by the patriots King Gotabaya, the treasurer who became the king, continued the rebuilding work on the skyscraper. The Theravada monks and the members of the public who had been assigned to the project team, strengthened the pillars of the building. They hoped to increase Lovamahapaya from five storeys to the original seven storeys. 15 years later, their hard work would allow King JettaTissa to raise Lovamahapaya to 7 storeys.

250 First Book on Algebra First book on algebra was published in Alexandria in Egypt. In another 600 years the Muslim conquerors would bring this knowledge to the Europe.

250 The Legend of Sri Sanghabodhi : Army commander-king-Fugitive-Buddhist Monk King Gotabaya, the treasurer who became the king, placed a price on the head of the fugitive king. He was scared that the ex-army commander might return in force to grab the throne again. He was wrong. Sri Sanghabodhi wanted to spend the rest of his life meditating as a Buddhist monk in the jungle. Finally he even gave his own head to a poor man so that he could claim the bounty from the King.

253 Saliens, one of the two tribes of Franks ( today's French), appear The Franks ( The French) were from a group of Germanic tribes. They appeared in Roman Territory in two groups, named Salians and the Ripuarians. The Salian Franks lived on the lower part of the river Rhine, and the Ripuarian Franks lived along the middle parts of the river.

255 Vaitulyan Nikaya ( Darmaruci Sect) challenges Theravada Buddhism again Backed by some selfish corrupt Lankans, the corrupt Buddhist monks of the Vaitulyan Nikaya decided to challenge the Theravada Buddhism again. They claimed that Theravada Buddhism was too strict, outdated and ineffective in the "modern society". The uproar created by the propaganda funded by the corrupt merchants and officials was so powerful that King Gotabaya had to intervene. He appointed a committee comprising of all leading, wise and well-learnt Buddhist monks and invited them to investigate.

255 King expels the corrupt Vaitulyan monks to Chola Kingdom The committee appointed to investigate the Vaitulyan allegations against the Theravada Buddhism, reported the truth. King Gotabaya then ordered the trouble-making Vaitulyan's books and propaganda material to be burnt. He even identified 60 Vaitulyan monks as the conspirators. They were expelled from Lanka to South India where Vaitulyan sect had their unofficial base camp in Kavirapattanam in Chola Kingdom. Those monks were branded with tattoos on their bodies both as a punishment and as a warning to the innocent people to be beware of their corrupt Buddhism. Many of these corrupt monks were angry about the loss of comforts and patronage they had enjoyed in Lanka. They would wait for their opportunity to take revenge.

257 Expelled heretic monks groom a young South Indian monk to take revenge One of the expelled monks started teaching "his version of Buddhism" to the South Indian novice monks. One of his good students named Sanghamitta inquired about the tattoo on the master’s body. Taking advantage of the concerns this student had, he brainwashed this student by creating hatred and anger about Lanka. The student promised to his master that he would take revenge by either making Lankan king accepts the Vaitulyan sect or by destroying Theravada Buddhism in Lanka.

258 First Lankan King to be fooled into a heretical sect of Buddhism The expelled Vaitulyan monks were based in the Vaitulyan stronghold in Kavirapattanam in the Chola kingdom. They sent their secret agent named Sangamitta dressed as a Buddhist monk, to Lanka. In a long and devious conspiracy, some corrupt officials organised him the access to the Lankan king. He managed to gain the attention of the king by displaying his wealth of knowledge about the world, which the Theravada monks lacked. King Gotabaya was so impressed with his knowledge of the world affairs that he even organised his two sons to learn from this wise monk who had come from the Chola kingdom. Slowly he managed to win the king over to the Vaitulyan sect. The elder son who had been exposed to Theravada Buddhism, wasn't impressed. But the evil monk managed to fool the playful younger son easily.

260 Rise of Goths (Swedish) : ( First Germanic barbarians to become Christians) Goths came from Sweden. They crossed the Baltic Sea, and advanced southwards to the lower Danube around the Black Sea. Gothic armies and fleets attacked the Balkans, Asia Minor and the Aegean coast. They organised combined attacks on the Romans in partnership with other tribes. This was a big worry to the Romans. For 100 years, Romans and Goths fought in the Balkan territory and in the north-east Mediterranean. Rome, when not fighting them, sought

260 Rise of Goths (Swedish) : ( First Germanic barbarians to become Christians) Goths came from Sweden. They crossed the Baltic Sea, and advanced southwards to the lower Danube around the Black Sea. Gothic armies and fleets attacked the Balkans, Asia Minor and the Aegean coast. They organised combined attacks on the Romans in partnership with other tribes. This was a big worry to the Romans. For 100 years, Romans and Goths fought in the Balkan territory and in the north-east Mediterranean. Rome, when not fighting them, sought to make alliances with them. Within 100 years, in the 4th century, they would establish a primitive Gothic kingdom, which extended from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. In the years to come, they would be the ones to destroy Athens, Sparta and Rome and would be the first Barbarians to convert to Christianity.

263 Massacre of the ministers who refused to attend the king's funeral When the king died, some ministers refused to attend the funeral as the King had entertained the Vaitulyan sect. King's elder son, Jettatissa, was angry of the disrespect shown towards his dead father. As the new king he ordered the ministers to the cemetery by force. Then he executed them in anger.

263 Evil monk flees to Kavirapattanam in South India Evil monk Sanghamitta noticed that Jettatissa had some respect for the true Theravada discipline. He realised that the same fate that dawned on the boycotting ministers could befell him if he pushed the new king too hard. He fled to the Vaitulyan base in Kavirapattanam in Chola kingdom. His opportunity would arrive in ten more years as Jettatissa dies and the younger son became king.

267 End of Athens & Sparta: destroyed by Goths Goths who were fighting the Roman army, captured the city of Athens from the Romans. They plundered Athens in 267 and again in 268. Goths also destroyed the other Greek cities of Argos, Corinth, and Sparta. Romans were too weak to defend these Greek states. Greeks efforts to revive the art and architecture destroyed by the Romans in 86 BC, now came to a permanent end.

268 Goths plunder Athens again Goths plundered Athens for the second time within two years.

270 Chinese invents the Compass Chinese mathematicians were using the simple compass by this time. This important invention didn't reach the Europeans until the 13th century.

270 Valentines Day ? On 14 the February, 270 AD, the Christian priest Valentine who was an anti-War activist in Rome, was killed by the Roman empire. He was speaking against the recruitment of so many young men into Roman military service against their will. He said that it was destroying their relationships and was breaking the hearts of the young women. But historians claim that this was a fabricated story. There is no record in the well-kept Roman archives belonging to this period about such an execution. On 13th February 270 AD, two persons, a doctor and a Bishop, had been executed for spreading Christianity. Later, a festival was developed on this day, where youngmen and women got drunk, killed goats for dinner and behaved badly in public. The activities of the festival became so embarrassing that in 494 AD the Pope himself banned this festival. Later a more disciplined festival where young men and women paraded with candles, developed in Italy. The Italian migrants and the Christian Church introduced this Valentines Day, along with the Christmas tree and the Santa Claus, to other western countries later.

270 Lova Maha Paya is extended to 7 storeys Destroyed in the 4th invasion, it had been rebuilt to 5 storeys. Helped by the costly pillar repairs done since 249AD, the building was extended to 7 storeys under the rule of the king JettaTissa.

274 Beginning of the Vaitulyan Conspiracy - FINAL revenge against the Theravada Buddhism As the king Jettatissa died after 10 years of rule, his brother became the king as King Mahasena. He was the second son of King Gotabaya. The evil Vaitulyan monk Sangamitta, who had fled to Chola kingdom as he couldn't fool Jettatissa, returned quickly form South India. By this time they had so many corrupt elements placed in the inner circle around the king. They were waiting for this opportunity to implement what was to be the final destruction of Theravada Buddhism in Lanka.

274 First Royal consecration performed by a non-Theravada, non-Sinhala monk Evil Vaitulyan monk Sangamitta performed King Mahasen's consecration. Then this evil monk convinced the king Mahasen that Vaitulyan's in the Abayagiriya were the ones who held the Buddhism "suitable to the modern times". The selfish merchants and officials who had been planted in the inner circle around the king, agreed. Foolish king fell into their trap. That was the end of the Theravada Buddhism in Lanka.

274 Public prohibited to look after Theravada Bikkus Foolish King Mahasen ordered Mahavihara Monks to convert from the strict Theravada discipline. They refused, saying that Buddhism must be upheld the proper way and the correct way only. King ordered the public not to give alms to the Theravada monks.

275 Theravada Buddhism is Banned in Lanka ( in the Vaitulyan Conspiracy) South Indian Vaitulyan monks introduced the statues of Shiva and Siva into Buddhist temples. Theravada monks of Mahaviharaya protested at the way the true Buddhism was being corrupted. Using this as an example, evil Sangamitta convinced the king that the Theravada Bikkus were extremists. The Theravada monks were not lobbying kings or ministers to prove their point. They were not on the payroll of the corrupt merchants either. They did what was right and stayed silent. Fearing the strong selfish corrupt bureaucracy, no one dared to speak on behalf of the Theravada monks. The foolish king banned Theravada Buddhism finally. Theravada monks had to leave both the Mahaviharaya and the Mihintale, the pinnacle of Theravada Buddhism. Theravada monks had to leave for the jungles of Ruhuna to escape the South Indian thug squads.

275 2nd recorded Major destruction of Sinhala heritage by South Indian thugs in Lanka : Vaitulyan conspiracy Just then the true colours of the conspirators were displayed. The evil monk Sangamitta had promoted a South Indian named Sona who was living in Lanka, as a powerful minister in the multi-cultural Lankan administration. He and his South Indian thugs then went on a riot. They pretended that this riot was "a public uprising against the extremist Theravada monks". The good old excuse " That was the angry people, not us" was heard again.

275 364 Theravada Buddhist Temples are destroyed These thugs destroyed 364 Theravada temples and monasteries in Lanka. They planted Undu on those grounds. They did all these convincing the foolish king Mahasena that the Theravada Buddhism was extremist and inflexible. That was the end of the Great Theravada Buddhism in Lanka.

275 Mahaviharaya is lost forever The true colours of the conspirators were shown only when Sona and his thugs destroyed the Mahaviharaya, the greatest Theravada Buddhist University in the world. They planted Undu on those grounds. The Tooth relic and the Alms Bowl which were in the custody of Mahaviharaya, were given to Abayagiriya, which had by that time become the stronghold of the Vaitulyan Nikaya in Lanka. Then only many elite Lankans realised that this had been nothing but a conspiracy by the South Indian racists and the corrupt elements in Lanka for personal gains.

275 LovaMahaPaya is destroyed for the 3rd time Sona and his South Indian thugs then destroyed the 7-storey Lova Maha Paya. It was just 4 years ago that this magnificent building was re-opened. The expensive repair work had been carried out over a period of 270 years. All that hard work was lost within just few hours.

275 Queen does the evil monk for good Everyone was scared of the influential and powerful evil monk Sanghamitta. King Mahasen's proud, patriotic Queen, finally killed this evil monk. Whole nation stood by her supporting her.

275 Public support gives the king guts to re-establish Theravada Buddhism Queen's brave action finally gave the king guts to ignore the selfish corrupt elements who were demanding to execute the queen. King finally ordered Mahaviharaya to be re-built and invited the Theravada monks back from their jungle hide-outs.

276 Gokanna Viharaya is built by King Mahasen (in present-day Fort Frederick, Trinco). This must have been one of the three Hindu Kovils destroyed by the King Mahasen. He must have had a very good reason to do so as Sinhala kings never had a habit of destroying Hindu Kovils without a reason. ( If they did destroy ALL kovils there wouldn't be any South Indian culture left in Sri Lanka today). This Kovil, if ever there was one and the king destroyed it, must have been a centre of conspiracy against Lanka. He built the Ancient Gokanna Viharaya there. In 1624 AD the Portuguese destroyed this ancient Buddhist temple to build the Fort Frederick. As recorded by the Portuguese writers, they literally pushed the whole temple into the sea below. But in 1964, the Bo-tree, the only item to survive the Portuguese construction on the site, was destroyed and a cemented platform was built over the site by "unknown thugs". The Buddha statue, which also disappeared, had been recovered and is in display in the Trinco museum today.

276 King Mahasen becomes the Greatest reservoir builder in Lankan history King Mahasen then went on a rapid roller-coaster ride, developing the nation as true Sinhala leaders had done before him. He built 18 giant reservoirs, becoming the greatest reservoir builder in Lankan history. The investment in agriculture finally started to pay off. Economic improved. Lanka became a developed nation again as prosperity went sky high. People started to treat him like a God, and continued to do so even after his death, for the wonderful job he did during the short last period of his life.

284 Rome divides into a Western Empire and an Eastern Empire Goths from the north, and the Huns from the East had intensified their attacks which were more sophisticated than French-German tribal attacks. Though Roman army managed to hold these Barbarians at bay, the resources were dwindling. Romans knew that their time was running out. Emperor Diocletian (ruled 284-305) divided the Roman empire into a Western Empire and an Eastern Empire, each administered by an Augustus (senior Emperor) and a junior Caesar (subordinate Emperor) in a system named the Tetrarchy. Radical reforms were implemented on the Army and the defences, including creation of a large Secret Police who could locate threats to the empire from within.

286 The Greatest monument of the Buddhist world, The mightiest mass of it's kind, Third Tallest Building of the ancient world - Jethavanaramaya is completed This was the greatest legacy left by the King Mahasen who tried desperately to repair the damage caused by his stupidity. This giant monument occupied over 8 acres. It was originally over 400 feet (160 meters) tall, with a diameter of 367 feet (111 meters). It was built on a foundation of concrete that ran 30 meters deep underground. It was built on the land, which once belonged to the Mahaviharaya University. It was built on the exact spot where Mihindu Thero was cremated, enshrining his ashes. It was the third largest monument in the world at the time. It was the tallest building in Lanka at the time. It is still the tallest brick monument of it's kind in the world. It's giant four entrances alone were 28 feet wide. Today looking at the ruins left behind by the South Indian invaders, it takes a lot of concentration to imagine the former grandeur. 1800 years later the British Archaeologists fell in love with the Sinhalese history after discovering the Jethavanaramaya ruins.

286 Magnitude of the Jethavanaramaya British archaeologists estimated that they could build Northampton city in England again with the amount of bricks used in Jethavanaramaya. That was 8000 houses with a 20-feet frontage. They also suggested that with this number of bricks used in Jethavanaramaya, a railway tunnel 20 miles long, or a protective wall one feet thick and 10 feet in height, from London to Edinburgh can be built.

286 Jethavanaramaya's Image House-World's Largest Image House -Golden Budda Statue was the Largest in southern hemisphere Jethavanaramaya University also had the Largest Buddhist Image House in the world. It's ruined Image house is the only Pratimagaraya surviving today from the days of Mahaviharaya. The giant entrance into the building, which survived the fire and destruction, can be seen even today. It was at least 27 feet tall. It's ceiling height alone was over 50 feet. Inside the chamber was a giant standing Budda statue, MADE OF GOLD. This golden statue was at least 37 feet tall. This astonishing statue was placed on a beautiful limestone lotus. Many international travellers who visited Lanka had been amazed to see this.

286 What happened to the Jethavanaramaya ? Jethavanaramaya University complex was destroyed during the 9th invasion in 835 AD and the giant statue was taken to South India by the invaders. Within 18 years, a noble young King personally led the second Lankan overseas military mission to recover this statue back from the South Indian robbers. Then in the first Chola invasion in 946 AD, ( which was the 11th invasion) Cholas destroyed this again. Two subsequent kings, Udaya-4 and Mahinda-4, rebuilt it. Finally, It was maliciously destroyed forever in 1018 AD, along with the entire city of Anuradapura, in the 15 the Invasion by the Cholas.

286 Samadhi Pilimaya is built It was just one of the masterpieces of the Sinhala sculpture to survive the jealous destruction. This also showed just how magnificent the art must have been at that time. It was made of dolomite marble. It was one of the four such Budda statues that were around the sacred Bodi tree. The one we have secured today was the one that faced the north. 1600 years later, this statue gained publicity in South Asia as Sri Javaharlal Nehru used it's picture to meditate and found immense peace and solace while in British prison in India.

286 Sri Lanka's Most beautiful inland sea - It opened up massive trade links with South East Asia through Trinco Minneriya reservoir was built occupying 4670 acres. It's strong 15 meter tall dam holds over 20 billion gallons of water. The water arrives from Mahaveli river, 48 kms away, along the Alahara canal built by the King Vasabha. This created an irrigation paradise in the east. It was this growth in agriculture that opened up the massive trade with South East Asia through the Trincomalee harbour. From then onwards, Trinco harbour became one of the busiest in the region.

286 Archaeological proof that Lanka helped India to maintain Buddhism A Brahmi inscription dated 286AD, was found in Andra Pradesh, India. It had been written by the King Virapurushadatta who described how new large Buddhist monasteries were built by him. They were built for the monks of Lanka who were invited to teach the original Buddhism. He also recorded building of many large Dagabas in Andra Pradesh.

300 Earliest forms of Western music - Ambrosian chant During the 4th century, chanting became a traditional religious expression for the Christians. Some of these chanting music was later compiled by Ambrose, the bishop of Milan. They were called Ambrosian chant. It was one of the earliest Western music, whose influence is still noticeable.

301 End of Mahavansa - The End of the Solar Line The history very well documented by the Mahavansa, the premier Lankan chronicle, ended here. That was also the end of a powerful dynasty of rulers of the Solar Line, the descendants of those who brought the sacred Bo tree. It was under them that Lanka withstood and recovered from the damage caused by it's enemies and became a developed nation.

301 Attack on the Mahavansa The Buddhist infrastructure helped the government to reduce corruption and maximise income to develop the nation. Foreign Multi-National merchants, and their local agents, corrupt officials didn't like this. Many enemies of Lanka and the enemies of the Buddhists have attacked the credibility of the Mahavansa saying that it was a fabricated fantasy written by the Buddhist monks. Among them are Christian extremists and the Eelamists. But the international records match the Mahavansa history very well. Sometimes the international records even reveal more glorious aspects of the Lankan history, which the writers of the Mahavansa had obviously ignored. That proves the humbleness and the moderation with which the Mahavansa had been written. This also proves that the intention of the Mahavansa writers was to record the history, irrespective of whether the history was shameful to the Buddhists or the history brought pride to the Buddhists. All these prove that Mahavansa was a genuine unbiased record of the history, and that it was not a twisted propaganda.

301 Re-establishing the Theravada Buddhism After King Mahasena, his son King Sirimegavanna analysed the principles of Theravada Buddhists. Then he determined to do everything possible to re-establish the Theravada Buddhist philosophy. Only the racists ( who would lose the support of the happy minorities) and selfish corrupt elements ( who couldn't exploit the resources of the country) opposed this.

301 Disrobing the corrupt monks King Mahasen had handed over the Jethavanaramaya University complex, as instructed by the evil Sanghamitta, to a monk named Tissa. This chief monk of Jethavanaramaya was found guilty of ill-discipline and malpractices. He was disrobed along with many other bogus monks. It was not an easy task. All these corrupt monks had the support of the very influential people, including the king. But the public kept up the pressure, forcing the rulers to clean up the Sasanaya. Thanks to their efforts, true Buddhism survived.

301 Buddagaya Monastery is established in India by Lanka King Sirimegavanna even obtained permission from the North Indian king SamudraGupta to build the Buddha Gaya Monastery in India for the visitors and monks from Lanka.

303 Armenia- First Catholic Nation St Gregory managed to convert King Tiridates and the members of his court around this time. Armenia was the first nation to adopt Catholicism as the state religion. In 12 years, Roman empire would declare that Christianity was their official religion. Christianity took firm root by the translation of the Bible into the Armenian language by an Armenian monk. Today Armenia has the oldest monastic foundation in the Christian world.

306 Roman Empire tolerates Christianity Roman Emperor Constantine the Great who ruled from 306 AD to 337 AD, realised that the Roman empire lacked the power to crush the Christianity. All Roman attempts to destroy Christianity had failed. He also wanted to rally the Christians around the Roman empire against the Barbarians who didn't have a recognised religion. Now Romans were planning to use Christians rather than destroying them. He decided to grant religious tolerance to the Christians. In 24 more years, Roman capital itself would be moved from Rome to Byzantium (renamed as Constantinople) in Turkey, under immense Barbarian pressure.

310 Evidence of well-organised network of Universities in Lanka Evidence points to a network of National Universities producing graduates in sciences and technology, philosophy, Buddhism, History, Painting, Sculpture, Ivory-Timber -Rock carvings, and irrigation. That was the key to the technological advance.

310 Arrival of the Tooth Relic & Beginning of Esala Perahera to honour it King of Kalinga ( now Orissa ) who ruled from Dantepura, had the tooth relic under his custody. When his kingdom was invaded by non-Buddhist South Indian king Guhasiva, he realised that the tooth relic wouldn't survive in India for long. He ordered his son and the daughter to take the relic to Lanka, as predicted by Budda. The tooth relic was placed in the first Dalada Maligawa in Thuparamaya, Anuradapura by king Sirimegavanna ( a.k.a KitsiriMevan).

310 LovaMahaPaya is rebuilt for the 3rd time Lova Maha Paya had been destroyed three times. First the building had been destroyed in a fire. Secondly, the South Indian extremists had maliciously destroyed it during the fourth invasion in 103 BC. Thirdly, the South Indian thugs who fooled the king Mahasen in 275 AD had destroyed it again. Now King SriMegavanna, son of Mahasena, started to rebuild it again. One can only imagine the National resources wasted during this kind of burning and looting. A rebuilding project could take over 250 years. Such massive projects drained the resources of the country further.

312 How the reality dawned on the Roman Fantasy Before the Barbarian invaders came, Rome declined in many aspects. Heavy taxes and corrupt lethargic bureaucracy pocketed in and depleted the profits in business. After getting addicted to a life full of fun and self-indulgence, even the Roman citizens became selfish and too lazy to be patriotic. They were so self-centred that no one wanted to join the army. Romans had conquered nations who didn't have organised armies. By this time, they had learnt and bulit advanced armies capable of resisting Romans. That meant less income from conquered lands and more expenses to collect taxes from them. At the end, Rome had to hire mercenaries even to protect Italy and Rome. But they could hardly afford to pay them. Rome began to rely on more and more on shrewd political strategies instead of the military power. When the rest of the world also learnt of such devious political tactics, Rome could play the game no more. First, Visigoths looted Greece and Asia Minor both of which were under the Roman rule. Then by 400 AD, the barbarians roamed at will through the western Roman empire.

312 Roman emperor converts to Christianity after a victory in battle The Roman emperor Constantine claimed that he saw a vision just before the battle at the Milvian Bridge. He saw the words "in this sign you will be the victor". He won the battle, and believed it was his faith in Christianity that earned him the victory. He became a Christian. Next year he granted legal rights to Christians.

313 Roman Emperor Constantine I, recognizes the Roman Catholic Church After the death of Jesus, the surviving 12 apostles and many other disciples successfully adopted the language of the Greek-Roman world and the procedural and organizational practices of the Roman Empire to express its message. This spread Christianity from Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean within a short time. A letter written by the third Bishop ( Pope) according to the Roman Catholic church, St. Clement,(92-101) is a valuable source of information about the life, doctrine, and organization of the early Christian Church. By 160AD, characteristically Christian figure of the bishop had clearly emerged. In 313 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine recognized the Church. For next 200 years the support given by the Roman Emperors helped the Roman Catholic Church to consolidate strongly. By 450 AD, under Pope Leo 1 (440-461), Pope, with Roman help, was exercising leadership over other Churches. As the greatest administrator of the ancient Church, he joined administrative procedures with Roman law. He created a strong central government in the Church.

320 Birth of the Gupta Dynasty By 320AD, a Magadha King named Chandragupta I (ruled 320-330) had conquered the neighbouring territories in the Ganges valley. He founded a new imperial regime named the Gupta dynasty. His grandson Chandragupta II (ruled 375-413) expanded the regime by taking all of the subcontinent north of the River Narmada. Under the 160 year long Gupta dynasty, Indian culture reached new heights. The period was one of solid peace, steady economic advance, and intellectual accomplishment, particularly in art, music, and literature. Gupta empire would end under Hun invasion by 350AD.

320 Hinduism recovers by absorbing features of Buddhism Hinduism, which had long been in decline, recovered by absorbing some features of Buddhism.

320 Gupta Dynasty : India's classical age begins - Their cultural influence in Asia is like the Greek influence in Europe During their time, Indian culture spread to Burma, Cambodia, Malaya, Sumatra, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Gupta India's effects in Asia were similar to the influence of Greek Hellenism in Europe. Under their generally peaceful rule, the arts and sciences developed. They practised religious tolerance. The Gupta period is regarded as India's Classical Age or the Hindu renaissance.

325 The Council of Nicaea : The Roman Christian Council decides who Jesus is Roman Emperor Constantine I, called for this council (in today's Turkey) to settle the arguments on the nature of Jesus Christ. Jesus had been first regarded as the son of an artisan. Later it had been changed with the claim that he was the son of David. Now, after 325 years, it was decided that the official position of the Church regarding the divinity of Christ should be that Jesus was the son of God himself. 318 out of 1800 Christian Bishops in the Roman Empire attended this council. The agreements at this council led to the preparation of a statement of Christian beliefs, which are in use even today.

330 Constantinople : City of Byzantium becomes the new capital of the Roman Empire The Barbarian pressure forced the Roman emperor Constantine to move the Roman Capital city away from Rome. He chose the ancient city of Byzantium in Turkey, which was the capital of the eastern Roman Empire. He renamed this city as Constantinople. As the western Roman Empire became weaker, Constantinople inherited the Roman legacy. It would survive till 1453 AD when Ottoman Turks took the city.

337 Worlds First dedicated Medical Hospital for animals Lankans by this time had separate animal hospitals for Elephants and horses. They also had separate hospitals for the crippled and the blind. It is not known how long they had been having these excellent medical services.

337 Surgeon King Buddadasa : Physician, Surgeon and Veterinarian There is a doctor for every 10 villages. He is paid 10% of the harvest. Lankans have written Medical literature, separate hospitals for the deaf, the blind, horses, elephants, cripples. There are Maternity Homes for the pregnant mothers.

350 Panchatantra : The Oldest Collection of Fables in Sanskrit Literature This was a legacy left by the Gupta India during the Indian classical age. Panchatantra is a collection of stories (folk tales) with animal characters, that teaches moral values. These stories, or fables, are organized into five books on topics like keeping friends, losing wealth, and waging war. They were originally taught to young princes' to make them ready for leadership roles. This is also the oldest collection of fables in Sanskrit literature. It has been argued that an Indian sage named Bidpai wrote it. The Sanskrit original has been lost. But it had been translated into many languages even in Europe and in South East Asia, influencing folktales in those areas as well.

350 Aksum Kingdom ends the Nubian power The Army of the Kingdom of Aksum, in northern Ethiopia, destroyed the City of Meroe, capital of Nubians. That was the end of the Nubian power.

350 Half the world's population, are Buddhists By 350 AD, Buddhism was practised in a vast area from India throughout Asia. Half of the world's people at the time were Buddhists. High Morals, Religious Art and Crafts, Inner peace through self-discipline were the secrets behind it's popularity.

350 Huns ( Masters of Horses & Bow ) 100 year Military Supremacy begin Huns were groups of Asian warrior tribes who originated from Mongolia and then mixed the nomads in Caspian steppes, and today's Turkey into their tribe. They lived a nomadic life in primitive

350 Huns ( Masters of Horses & Bow ) 100 year Military Supremacy begin Huns were groups of Asian warrior tribes who originated from Mongolia and then mixed the nomads in Caspian steppes, and today's Turkey into their tribe. They lived a nomadic life in primitive mobile tent villages of 200-700 people, making instant forts using their wagons. The constant infighting for food and hunting territory made them aggressive and energetic fighters. They had a primitive culture. That helped them to survive with little or no supplies under any weather condition. Their rugged horses and ponies could withstand heat and cold. As the survival of the fittest was their motto, they started developing skills in the art of warfare from 220 AD. They started conquering the other Barbarians to the west from 350 AD successfully. They peaked around 447 AD under Atila, forcing Roman empire to pay 3000 pounds of gold annually. Their 100 years of military supremacy, due to superb military horsemenship and the deadly Hun's bow, the fastest and deadliest at the time, ended in 451 AD when Romans learnt to use same tactics. Romans who despised them by calling them primitive savages, soon began to avoid facing them in combat.

350 The Deadliest Weapon in the world : Hun's Bow Specially made Huns bow was the fastest and deadliest in the world at that time. It was also the furthest bending bow at the time, giving the arrow so much force that it killed even at 80 yards and seriously wounded at 240 yards. They also learnt to shoot very fast and accurately while riding. Volley after volley of powerful arrows simply decimated enemy formations. Nobody could beat the tactics based on this firepower, horsemenship and ability to withstand nature until the Roman Army adopted the same bow and tactics.

350 Huns Military Power Children learnt to ride horses from the age of 3. At 5, they get their face mark, a small sword-cut on the cheeks, and start hunting with the bow. Some analysts called this "infants from craddle to the saddle". But this long real-life, on-the-job training made them so comfortable horse-riders that some enemies actually believed that the Huns couldn't walk. With specially-made Huns Bow, they devastated enemy formations with volley after volley arrows. The skills they gathered in using ropes to catch cattle and horses, was used in combat. They carried rafts (to cross rivers), pontoons (to cross marshes) in their wagons.

358 Romans Conquer Saliens (One of the two French Tribes): They become the First Barbarian partner of the Romans Romans under emperor Julian conquered the Saliens (One of the two French tribes). As they became the first major Barbarian Partner of the Romans, they began to learn the aspects of civilisation from the Romans much ahead of other barbarian tribes. In 100 years when Romans left the Rhine, the Salians established themselves there. They occupied most of the territory north of the River Loire. As Romans vanished, they were ready to replace the Romans as the next European super power.

360 Barbarians invade Roman's Britain Barbarians invaded the Roman-held Britain in 360 AD. After 10 years of war, Roman army managed to halt their advance in 370 AD. Unfortunately, beginning from 383 AD, Romans had to withdraw the Roman Legions from Britain in order to stop the Barbarian advance in Europe. (This withdrawal was completed by 410 AD).

361 Roman emperor Julian receives Ambassadors from Lanka. Romans recorded the arrival of new ambassadors from Lanka.

365 Buddhism reaches Korea from China Since 220 AD, China was under Hun invasions and engulfed in turmoil created by powerful rich families competing for power. China would be reunited in 589 AD by the Sui dynasty.

365 Most humble king - King Upatissa-1 : Humbleness, The unique characteristic of the Sinhalese Eldest son of the king Buddadasa, King Upatissa, was the ultimate humble Sinhalese. He was virtuous and pious. He refused special Royal meals. He declared that noble leaders should eat what his most unfortunate people ate, in order to understand what more needed to be done for the land and the people. He sat down with and had meals with his countrymen at the social security offices, asking for and sharing opinions. One night, he decided to stay sleepless, when the water leaked from the roof above the bed, as he didn't want to trouble his servants or the repairmen who were sleeping.

368 The massive Dome of Gold is rebuilt for Thuparama Pinnacle The king Upatissa built a gold casing covering the pinnacle of Thuparamaya.

370 Barbarian advance in Britain is stopped by the Roman Army Barbarians invaded the Roman-held Britain in 360 AD. After 10 years of war, Roman army managed to halt their advance in 370 AD. Unfortunately, beginning from 383 AD, Romans had to withdraw the Roman Legions from Britain in order to stop the Barbarian advance in Europe. (This withdrawal was completed by 410 AD).

370 Goths(Swedish) are divided into Two : Ostrogoths (”Eastern Goths”) & Visigoths ( ” Western Goths”) Goths, originally from the Swedish areas, were divided into two separate groups. One of these groups was named Ostrogoths (”the Eastern Goths”) who lived in the east of the Dnestr River and on the Black Sea coast ( Today's Ukraine and Belarus). The Visigoths (”the Noble Goths”) were also called the western Goths. They lived in the area from the Dnestr to the river Danube. It was the Visigoths who would enter and destroy Rome in just 40 years.

370 Ostrogoths are conquered by the Huns When the Huns invaded Europe in 370 AD, they conquered the Ostrogoths. They became part of the Huns Army.

375 Saxons start grabbing territory from Romans the Saxons also began to invade Roman territories. By 600 AD, north-west Germany as far east as the Elbe, had become Saxon territory.

376 Visigoths, threatened by Huns, join the Roman Army In 376 AD the invading Huns threatened the Visigoths. Visigoths then consulted the Roman emperor Valens and asked for an alliance. Romans were delighted to give them permission to settle down in the Roman frontier south of the Danube. From this point onwards, the Visigoths would fight on behalf of the Romans, to stop the Huns advances into Roman territory.

378 Visigoths revolt against arrogant Roman officers: They kill the Roman emperor Arrogant Roman officers treated the Gothic soldiers very badly. This led to a rebellion by the Gothic troops in the Roman Army. In this battle in 378 AD near Adrianople (now Edirne, Turkey), Visigoths killed the Roman Emperor Valens. The victorious Goths then threatened the city of Constantinople.

379 Rome makes peace with Visigoths & keep them in the Roman army Theodosius I, succeeded Valens as the Roman emperor in the Eastern Roman Empire. He made a peacepact with the Visigoths. He absorbed Visigoth's Army into the Roman Army with respect. Then the Visigoths became an important part of the Roman Empire.

379 Visigoths learn Christianity Many of the Visigoths then settled down in the Roman territory and became farmers. Ulfilas, the Bishop of the Goths, translated the Bible into Gothic language. He was responsible for the conversion of the Goths to a form of Christianity, which was called Arianism.

383 Roman Legions are withdrawn from Britain Barbarians invaded the Roman-held Britain in 360 AD. After 10 years of war, Roman army managed to halt their advance in 370 AD. Unfortunately, beginning from 383 AD, Romans had to withdraw the Roman Legions from Britain in order to stop the Barbarian advance in Europe. (This withdrawal was completed by 410 AD).

394 Roman Emperor bans Olympic Games in Greece Olympic Games, started in Greece in 776BC, were banned in AD 394 by the Roman emperor Theodosius I. More than 1,500 years later, in 1896 AD, the modern Olympic Games were re-established in Athens.

395 Visigoths begins the Final Campaign to finish the western Rome After the death of the Roman Emperor Theodosius in 395 AD, the Visigoths broke away from the Roman Army. Claiming independence, they chose Alaric I as their ruler. In 396 AD, Alaric began a military campaign that would sweep through Greece, the Balkans, and Italy. Then they would conquer the city of Rome. That would be the end of the western Roman Empire.

395 Fate of the Greek states By 395 AD, Greece was under the Roman Byzantine Empire. They had characteristics of the Hellenic culture. But, under their rule, the Greek states had become neglected and obscure Roman provinces.

400 African Aksum kingdom become Christians The Christian Missionaries took advantage of the Roman influence in the region to convert the majority of the population in the Aksum kingdom to Christianity.

400 Buddhism becomes very popular in Northern China Since 220 AD, northern China was under Hun invasions and engulfed in turmoil created by powerful rich families competing for power. China would be reunited in 589 AD by the Sui dynasty.

400 Chinese marvel at Lankan expertise : Result of the high standards in Lankan Universities Matouan Lim who compiled a Chinese encyclopaedia, recorded that during his emperor Nyanti's reign, ambassadors from Lanka brought a jade stone statue of the Chinese emperor. It was 4 feet 2 inches high. It had been painted in 5 colours. He said, "It was of such singular beauty that one would doubt if it ever was a work of a human". With a university situated for every 12 kilometers, it was not surprising that the Lankan artists managed to create such wonderful masterpieces.

400 Gupta India : One of the World's Greatest Learning Centres The art and the literature in Rome had declined amidst the struggle to survive. In India, the Indian Gupta Emperors were encouraging the musicians, scientists, doctors, and artists to create masterpieces. Indian classical literature reached the peak under the Gupta emperors.

400 Mahabharata is completed The Mahabharata was completed around this time in Gupta India. That was the longest poem in the world. Mahabharata, was composed during the period 400 BC to AD 400 and was written down between 300AD and 400AD. Because it describe events that took place over a thousand years ago, historians are reluctant to accept the story as true.

400 Sanskrit : The Language of Wisdom in India Sanskrit, an Indo-European language, became the common language of the educated people in the whole Indian subcontinent.

400 Decimal System is developed in Gupta India. In an age of Art, Literature and Science, the decimal system was also developed in Gupta India.

400 Nalanda : Great Buddhist University The most famous Buddhist university during Gupta dynasty was the Nalanda University where monks from China and Central Asia joined the Indian monks to study various sects of Buddhism. Nalanda university was finally destroyed in 1199 AD by Muslim invaders who killed all the monks and burnt the great library. That was the end of Buddhism in North India.

400 Saranath & Ajantha :Buddhist Art flourishes in Gupta India Around this time highly refined, classical form of Buddhist sculpture developed in the Gupta India. Buddha Statues very artistically created emphasizing the amazing grace of Buddha, have been found. They are evident in Saranath and in the caves of Ajanta, which were created during this time. Learning from this, Hindu sculpture also developed to a higher level in India.

400 Death of Kalidasa (The Great dramatist and "Poet's poet") Kalidasa who lived from 340 AD to 400 AD, was the foremost Indian classical Sanskrit writer. He was called the Poet's Poet. His most famous writing was the "Sakuntala". His writings later inspired many Indian Poets, from Valmiki, to Rabindranath Tagore. When his writings reached the west in the 1900s, his works inspired many Western writers as well.

400 Ghana kingdom, which will become one of the richest countries in 350 years, appears The Kingdom of Ghana would be the first of many highly developed West African empires, which existed before the arrival of Islamic Arabs in 750 AD. They were highly developed, rich civilizations, which depended mainly on the widespread trading routes and export markets.

400 Romans are unable to stop Barbarian movements Roman empire has weakened so much that they could hardly control Barbarian movements inside many areas of the empire. Romans couldn't stop the Visigoths looting in Greece and Asia Minor. Then by 400 AD, the barbarians roamed at will through the western Roman empire. Roman leaders knew that it was just a matter of time before they fall.

400 Last Roman tactics to survive Before the Barbarian invaders came, Rome declined in many aspects. Heavy taxes and corrupt lethargic bureaucracy ruined the profits in business. After getting addicted to a life full of fun and self-indulgence, the Roman citizens became unpatriotic and too lazy. They were so lazy and selfish that no one wanted to join the army. Romans had conquered nations who didn't have organised armies. By this time, they had advanced armies capable of resisting Romans. That meant less income from conquered lands and more expenses to collect taxes from the colonies. At the end, Rome even had to hire mercenaries to protect Italy and Rome. But they could hardly afford to pay them. Rome began to depend on more and more on shrewd political strategies instead of the military power. When the rest of the world also learnt of such devious political tactics, Rome could play the game no more. First, Visigoths looted Greece and Asia Minor both of which were under the Roman rule. Then by 400 AD, the barbarians roamed at will through the western Roman empire.

402 Fa-hsien monk reaches India & then spends TWO YEARS IN LANKA. Faxian was a dedicated Chinese Buddhist monk who was motivated by a desire to visit the homeland of Buddhism. He brought many important Buddhist teachings from India to China. After crossing the Central Asian plains, he reached north-western India in 402 AD. When he arrived, Gupta India was flourishing. He witnessed and recorded the state of Buddhism and various Buddhist sites. Living in Pataliputra (now Patna), he studied Sanskrit Buddhist Sutras, especially the rules on the Sangha. He then spent two years in Sri Lanka, where he continued his studies. Faxian reached home after a long and difficult voyage. He translated his valuable collection into Chinese.

402 Fa-hsien monk's writings are an invaluable source of proof to Lankans Glory Faxian monk spent two years in Lanka. During that time he wrote down his observations in detail. For Sri Lankans, his observations are invaluable in countering the enemy propaganda campaigns, which distorts the true history of Lanka. Both the Eelamists and some Christian extremists, who like to remain invisible, have branded the proud history of Lanka as a fairy tale. Their objective is to keep the Sinhalese Buddhist community suppressed and divided as they were during the British colonial times. They are very well funded in their secret campaigns and mean social strategies, which have successfully silenced the Buddhist responses.

403 Monk Fa-Hsien describes Anuradapura During his two years in Lanka, he was impressed with the planning of the city of Anuradapura. He noted that the streets were wide and very well maintained. He mentioned that the roads were amazingly smooth, and were superbly levelled. ( This is proof that Sri Lanka at the time had world-class roads when compared to roads overseas). There were four prominent city streets in Anuradapura. Of them, Mangala Veediya was the main street. It started from the South gate near Tuparamaya and extended towards the east.

403 Monk Fa-Hsien notes wealthy business community in Anuradapura Chinese monk Fa-Hsien noted the merchant community living in Lanka, who were mainly foreigners. Most of them were South Indian traders. They had heavy influence on South Indian or corrupt ministers and officials. He also noted the existence of wealthy Sinhala nobles who lived in cities. Most of them were either dedicated officials or merchants who earned their income from agriculture.

403 Monk Fa-Hsien records the role of the Good Theravada Buddhist Monks in the economic management of the country. Good Theravada Buddhist temples were the nucleus of the agriculture and economy. On the advice of the officials and ministers, the land was donated to good temples by the king. This allocation depended on the national requirements. The good pious monks in these temples allowed the locals (Tenant farmers and Agro-merchants) to cultivate them. Constant consultation between the monks and the farmers increased productivity and reduced wastage. Pious monks advised the farmers on discipline, honesty, wisdom, patriotism and which action was best suited for the future of the nation. No corrupt or selfish merchant or official was able to manipulate the resources of the country.

403 Monk Fa-Hsien reveals the secret how Lanka became a developed nation Undoubtedly, the supervision by the pious Theravada Buddhist monks, created surplus harvest. After taking what they needed, the wealthy cultivators donated the surplus income to the Buddhist temple. Buddhist temples transferred this surplus income to the central government. Then these resources were directed to the development of the nation through the king, ministers and professionals in charge of various projects. That was how such a first class infrastructure was developed in the country. That was how Lanka became a developed nation. No wonder some merchants who couldn't pocket them in, hated the national philosophy.

403 Monk Fa-Hsien records how strong Buddhism was in Lankan civilisation. He noted that there were 5000 monks residing in Abayagiri University complex. More than 3000 monks were living in Mahaviharaya. Altogether, he thought that there were more than 10,000 monks in the city of monasteries ( Anuradapura). Half of these monks received their food from the king's Royal Alms Giving's. Three main monasteries in the city are Mahaviharaya, Abayagiriya, and Jethavanaramaya. Outside the city, ChetiyaPabbata(Mihintale) was the main monastery. There were over 2000 resident monks. He noted that thousands of Lankans visited the city daily as pilgrims from "ALL parts of the country". Buddhist activities were planned out on a calendar. Indoor Buddhist activities were held in purpose-built large halls where large audiences gathered in thousands. Many large religious ceremonies, like the reciting of Pirith to bless the country, took place within the Royal palace itself. Royal palace was closely involved with the pure Theravada Buddhism.

403 Monk Fa-Hsien mentions the Royal Alms Hall The Government fed at least 6000 people daily in the Royal Alms Hall in Anuradapura. Civilians in need, pilgrims, visitors went there to have their free meals. They took various foods home in large bowls.

403 Monk Fa-hsien describes the Abayagiri monastery Abhayagiriya was situated near the North Gate of the city. It was a huge Dagaba, over 400 feet tall, decorated with gold and silver, studded with all kinds of jewels. Abayagiriya Monastery had at least 5000 residing monks. It had an Image house decorated with gold, silver and precious stones. The Giant Budda statue inside was made of green jade. It was 20 feet tall. The entire statue sparkled with seven precious substances unknown to the foreigners. Budda Statue held a priceless pearl in the hand. "The splendour of the sight was beyond description as no known words were enough to describe that wonderful sight". There was also a 200 feet tall Bo-tree. Underneath was a rest house where there was a seated image of the Budda. That place was full of pilgrims always. Such descriptions recorded by the international visitors supports Mahavansa records very well.

403 Monk Fa-Hsien notices Abayagiriya as the premier monastery Due to the relaxed discipline and the liberal attitudes, the Abayagiriya Monastery was a favourite target of the selfish corrupt elements that infiltrated and influenced the Buddhism in Lanka. At the same time, Abayagiriya monks picked up the art of missionary work from other religions. While Theravada monks practised Buddhism in isolation, Abayagiriya monks went on Missionary work competing with other religions all over the world. They attracted a lot of international connections. Abayagiri monks visited China. There is proof of Abayagiri publications been translated into Chinese by a monk named Funana in Central Java. They owned the two most important cult objects ( Tooth Relic and Alms Bowl of Budda), which the Buddhists safeguarded with respect. The monks in Abhayagiriya got the Buddhists to worship these relics like the way sacred objects were worshipped in other religions of the world. When inquisitive intellectuals from overseas visited Lanka, Abayagiriya had ready accommodation for them.

403 Monk Fa-hsien describes the Mihintale Monastery Fa-hsien recorded that the Mihintale Monastery was the Second Most Important Theravada Monastery next to Mahaviharaya. He noted that over 2000 monks resided in Mihintale caves.

403 Abayagiri Viharaya of "Sinhale", is mentioned in Indonesia An inscription found in Ratubaka plateau in Indonesia mentioned Abayagiri Viharaya of "Sinhale".

406 Assassination of the Pious King King Upatissa-1, who ruled for 42 years, was famous for observing the 10 Meritorious Practices ( Dasa-Sil). He was the one who rejected Royal food and had his meals while sitting down with the public in the Social Security centres. He was the one who spent a sleepless night with a leaking roof, as he didn't want to trouble anyone sleeping in the night. His queen murdered him. The Queen had started an affair with the king's brother who was a Buddhist monk.

406 The Last king of the Lambakarna Dynasty - King Mahanama He was a Buddhist monk who couldn't resist the temptation. He disrobed and became the king. He married the widowed Queen who had assassinated the king. He was an unpopular king. He tried his best to win the public by developing Buddhism and agriculture. They had a daughter named Sangha. He also had a son by a South Indian servant women, who would become the king after his death without the necessary upbringing, education or grooming. Such was the damage done to Lanka when weak humans became leaders.

406 Emergence of Vandals - Danish migrants in France Vandals originated from the ancient German tribe of Jutland (now Denmark). They migrated to the banks of Danube and entered Gaul ( France) in 406 AD. The word Vandals would be added to the English Language because no other existing word could describe the meaningless destructive attitude of these people. They earned this reputation by their looting and plundering, especially in Rome.

407 Arrival of BuddaGosa : The Greatest Buddhist Commentator He was a young Indian Brahmin who became a Buddhist monk. He became the Greatest writer in the Pali language. He had lived in BoddaGaya in modern Bihar state, where Buddha achieved enlightenment. He came into contact with the Sinhalese monks there. He came to Lanka as a Buddhist monk. He wrote a complete concise encyclopaedia of Buddhist teachings, with an extraordinary memory. Buddhaghosa lived in Mahavihara (Great Monastery) in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, which was famous for its Great Library. Here he compiled important Buddhist commentaries on the various parts of the Tripitaka, and composed his celebrated Visuddhimagga (The Way to Purity), a definitive compilation of Theravada Buddhist doctrine. He also recorded about the beauty of the Girihaduseya Dagaba in the Thiriyaya Buddhist Temple. He said that just looking at the Dagaba was enough to feel peace and tranquillity.

408 Foolish Roman Extremists massacre the families of their tribal soldiers Racist and arrogant anti-Barbarian elements in Rome came to power in Rome. They refused to recognise even the loyal Barbarians who were serving Rome. They foolishly massacred the wives and the children of the nomadic tribesmen serving in the Roman army. The angry tribal warriors defected to Alaric, the King of the Visigoths. Visigoths were the largest Barbarian army at the time. They had tried twice to take on Rome without success. Next time they will.

409 Vandals invade Spain after fighting the Visigoths & Romans After fighting against the Visigoths and the Romans, the Vandals invaded Spain in 409 AD.

410 Roman withdrawal from Britain is completed Barbarians invaded the Roman-held Britain in 360 AD. In 10 years, Roman army halted their advance in 370 AD. Beginning from 383 AD, Roman Legions were withdrawn from Britain (Withdrawal completed by 410 AD) to reinforce the European frontiers.

410 Why Rome was weak long before the Barbarians came? Before the Barbarian invaders came, Rome declined in many aspects. Heavy taxes and corrupt lethargic bureaucracy ruined the profits in business. After getting addicted to a life full of fun and self-indulgence, the Roman citizens became unpatriotic and too lazy. They were so lazy and selfish that no one wanted to join the army. Romans had conquered nations who didn't have organised armies. By this time, they had advanced armies capable

410 Why Rome was weak long before the Barbarians came? Before the Barbarian invaders came, Rome declined in many aspects. Heavy taxes and corrupt lethargic bureaucracy ruined the profits in business. After getting addicted to a life full of fun and self-indulgence, the Roman citizens became unpatriotic and too lazy. They were so lazy and selfish that no one wanted to join the army. Romans had conquered nations who didn't have organised armies. By this time, they had advanced armies capable of resisting Romans. That meant less income from conquered lands and more expenses to collect taxes from the colonies. At the end, Rome even had to hire mercenaries to protect Italy and Rome. But they could hardly afford to pay them. Rome began to depend on more and more on shrewd political strategies instead of the military power. When the rest of the world also learnt of such devious political tactics, Rome could play the game no more. First, Visigoths looted Greece and Asia Minor both of which were under the Roman rule. Then by 400 AD, the barbarians roamed at will through the western Roman empire.

410 Visigoths enter Rome King of the Visigoths, Alaric I, took Rome in his third attempt in 410 AD. The defected mercenaries provided valuable information about the defences and the vulnerability of the empire. These mercenaries, whose wives and children had been murdered by the arrogant Roman racists, were seeking revenge against the Romans. They pillaged the city of Rome. Then they crossed the Pyrenees mountain range and invaded Spain.

410 New Roman Bureaucracy tries to stabilise Rome without success. After few decades, a well-planned bureaucracy stabilised Rome for a while. Public funds were used mainly to provide relief for the poor and to build up the army. Through taxation and confiscation, the bureaucracy became powerful. The Government turned to nationalisation. The government owned many of the lands, the mines, the National bank. The government factories manufactured Wool and cloth for the nation. The state decided on maximum prices and wages. Use of machinery was banned in order keep unemployment down. Even winches were not allowed to be used for hoisting large and heavy items. The Roman government funded all these projects by debasing the currency. The silver denarius became the copper denarius.

410 First Mongol Empire is founded Somewhere in the vast plains of Mongolia, a new tribe of nomads named Mongols began to master the art of war. From these humble beginnings, they will expand to become one of the largest empires in the history of mankind. 415 Visigoth power centres in Spain Visigoths, once the mightiest Barbarian army, was by this time under the threat from new Barbarian tribes. Spain will become Visigoths last stronghold.

422 Rome recognize Vandals sovereignty Roman emperor Valentinian III recognised the Vandals as a nation in order to keep them away from Rome.

428 First Half-South Indian king of Sri Lanka : King SottiSena - "King for a Day". King Mahanama was married to the queen who had murdered his brother when he was the king. He had a daughter named Sanga, by this Chief Queen. He also had a son named SotthiSena who was born to a South Indian servant woman. After the sudden death of King Mahanama, SottiSena took over the rule. On the same day, Sanga, Mahanama's daughter by the Chief Queen, assassinated him. Sanga's husband became the king. The members of the Royal family argued that someone from outside who hadn't been groomed for the task shouldn't be the king when there were Royal heirs to the throne. This didn't help the Royal family who weren't very popular among the public. This probably helped the South Indian extremists to claim discrimination on their race. They probably had a hand in the subsequent invasion, which came from the Pandyan kingdom within few months.

429 6th South Indian Invasion - Pandyan king invades Lanka with South Indian support Neglected and undeveloped under the last incapable, selfish rulers, Lanka couldn't withstand the Pandyan onslaught. As the South Indians living in Lanka supported the invaders, Lankan Army was again routed. The unhappy proud Sinhalese started to leave for Ruhuna. There was a mass exodus from Anuradapura to the south. Pandyan king's youngest son Kudaparinda ruled Lanka as a sub-king under the Pandyan kingdom.

429 Giant Overhead Dome of Jethavanaramaya is destroyed Among the heritage they destroyed, on the record, was the giant overhead dome of the Jethavanaramaya Dagaba. Today, when standing in front of this Dagaba, we can only imagine what an effort it must have been to build such a huge structure over a grand monument of that scale.

429 3 Sinhala Bikkunis arrived in Nankin, China The Chinese recorded their work. Since 220 AD, northern China was under Hun invasions and engulfed in turmoil created by powerful rich families competing for power. China would be reunited in 589 AD by the Sui dynasty. 432 Weak Romans start to pay annual taxes to the Huns Roman army couldn't match the new military skills of the Huns. To keep the Huns who were then by the river Danube, Romans agreed to pay annual taxes to the Hunnish king Roas (or Rugilas), who had a 26 year old nephew named Atila in his Huns army. This stopped any further Huns advances in the Roman territory.

434 First Chinese Ordination of women : by Lankan Bikkunis Bikkunis who arrived from Lanka did first Chinese Ordination of women. Chinese recorded these events, which remain proof to the advance civilisation Sri Lanka once was. (Since 220 AD, northern China was under Hun invasions and engulfed in turmoil created by powerful rich families competing for power. China would be reunited in 589 AD by the Sui dynasty).

435 Vandals( One of the Danish Barbarians) power reached it's peak A person named Gaiseric became the king of the Vandal's tribe in 428AD. Under him the Vandals achieved their greatest power. Their navy ruled the western Mediterranean. Vandals were followers of Arianism, and killed Orthodox Christians.

435 Vandals land in Africa The landed in North Africa and defeated the weak Roman troops there. With that, Vandals ruled what is now Algeria and northern Morocco. In 8 more years, the Vandals will take all of the Roman territory in Africa.

437 Attila becomes the co-ruler of Huns 31 year old Attila, son of a tribal leader, started sharing the Huns throne with half-brother named Bleda. He emerged as a formidable warrior by his passionate desire to unite the Huns to survive against the Roman Empire. He believed that attack was the only way to get rid of the Romans. His desire to do so led to disagreement with Bleda, resulting in his death in 8 years time. Then Atlia united all tribes by force to take on the Romans. At this stage, Romans were happy to see Attila waging war on his own tribes.

437 Invaders and collaborators hunt for Datusena using death squads Pandyan king's youngest son Kudaparinda became the sub-king for Lanka. Sometime later, the Pandyan king and all his elder sons died in South India. Spies working for the invader's intelligence services uncovered details about a Buddhist monk who was preparing to free the country from the Invaders and the collaborators. Datusena had been a young monk in Mahaviharaya University. He had been groomed to be a great leader by his uncle who was also a Buddhist monk. He was a descendant of the Maurya ancestry with Sinhalese Royal blood. Pandyans were alarmed to discover all these. They secretly deployed killer squads in the south to assassinate this monk. These killer squads managed to murder lots of followers, but missed the elusive monk Datusena.

443 Rome lose North Africa to the Vandals The invading Vandals took last remaining North African Roman territories after 8 years of war.

445 Atila kills his half-brother who was the co-king 39 year old Attila was sharing the Huns throne with half-brother named Bleda. Atila had a firm determination to conquer the Romans and to build up an empire. When his half-brother, who was more happy to enjoy what they have earned rather than improving more, was in his way, he didn't hesitate to kill him. After that Attila became the sole ruler of the Huns.

447 Atila launches Huns on Medittaranean & Black sea kingdoms After 2 years of preparations he started a campaign that peaked the Huns power while capturing the whole region between the Black and the Mediterranean seas. The men in conquered tribes and kingdoms were ordered to serve in his armies.

447 Strong City Walls protects Constantinople from Attila : Roman's Highest Ransom to Atila Huns commanded by Attila, defeated the Roman Legion armies of the Eastern Roman Empire based in Constantinople, which was under the Byzantine emperor Theodosius II. Huns didn't have the firepower to destroy the strong city walls in Constantinople. That was how Constantinople, the capital of Eastern Rome, endured the Huns siege. Romans escaped by arranging an all-time high 2000 pounds of Gold annual ransom payment from Roman empire.

450 Emergence of German Saxon tribes ( Northern Germans and Danish) Jutes were the original Germanic tribe in Denmark and northern Germany. Their land was named Jutland. Through assimilation, the Jutes gradually lost their identity as a community and emerged as Saxon tribes. ( By the 8th century the word "Jute" had almost completely disappeared from the English language.)

450 Five Super Powers in Europe devide into two camps Attila's Huns were in alliance with the Vandals and the OstroGoths (East Goths). VisiGoths(West Goths) joined the Romans. That was how two powerful sides were formed in Europe for the balance of power.

450 Roman Catholic church gain leadership over other churches with Roman help Within few decades after Jesus’ death, the surviving members of the 12 apostles and many other disciples successfully adopted the language and the procedural and organizational practices of the Roman Empire to express Christianity. This spread Christianity from Palestine to the rest of the Mediterranean within a short time. A letter written by the third Bishop(Pope) according to the Roman Catholic church, St.Clement(92-101) is a valuable source of information about the life, doctrine, and organization of the early Christian Church. By 160AD, characteristically Christian figure of the bishop had clearly emerged. In 313 AD, Roman Emperor Constantine recognized the Church. For next 200 years with the support of the Roman Emperors Roman Catholic Church consolidated strongly. By 450 AD, Pope Leo 1 (440-461), the greatest administrator of the ancient Church, joined administrative procedures with Roman law. His strong central government in the Church, exceptional belief and discipline, and links with the Roman Emperor helped Roman Catholic Church to gain leadership over other Churches using the imperial decree.

450 DARK AGES for 500 years in Europe, begin Romans had exploited the resources of the lands they conquered. Romans had manipulated those areas so much that no genuine independent patriotic leadership or an organization, except the Christian Church, was in existence. As Romans weakened, entire European territories that had been forced to depend on Rome, weakened as well. The social, economic system that had been enforced by the Roman power, deteriorated quickly. Nomadic invaders had all but won Europe. But they could not read or write. They had burnt the libraries and schools. They didn't know enough sciences or technology. Towns and Cities fell into decline as the hunting and primitive agriculture became the way to survive. Roads became too expensive to maintain and were overgrown. Trade declined as barter systems took over. Agricultural fields became neglected under demanding invaders.

450 Feudalism In Europe Due to the lack of money and trade, there was a need to cultivate the land. But there was constant danger from the invaders and greedy neighbours. The farmers couldn't cultivate, worry about the outside threats and fight at the same time. Unlike before, there were no strong kingdoms to maintain order. As the answer to these problems in Europe, feudalism, which had started in China 400 years ago, emerged. Feudal states, often consisting of a few villages, were small and self-sufficient. A lord ruled them with a group of knights who offered protection. The knights were dedicated fighting men, equipped with armour, helmet, sword, and the shield. Under their protection, their farmers produced food and clothing. They hardly traded with the outside world. Most villagers never moved more than a few miles from their homes. Generally, the villagers were not slaves, but they were not free either. They paid taxes in the form of labour and a portion from their harvest to the Lord. Most Lords lived Roman lives and ruled using brutal and cunning strategies.

450 Christian Missionaries safeguard the Greek & Roman legacy Christian missionaries had established themselves firmly under the patronage of the Roman empire. They continued their work from the established monasteries, converting more people to Christianity. It was these Christian monasteries that preserved the legacy of the Greek and Roman literature through the dark ages.

450 Japan is under aristocratic family rule Over a period of time, Japanese aristocracy families, protected by clan warriors, had been slowly taking over the land around them. They then divided Japan among themselves by breaking the land into provinces and districts. Smallest units were small villages consisting of around half a dozen peasant families. They had to pay taxes to the aristocracy family. The aristocracy families adopted the Confucian bureaucracy from China without allowing the freedom of speech and opinions ( which were enjoyed in China). Japanese aristocracy families knew that a bureaucracy based on merit, would endanger the survival of the aristocracy family.

451 Rejected by Roman church, Ethiopian Aksum kingdom establish their own church Christian Church of the Ethiopian Aksum kingdom followed the Coptic Church in Egypt. Therefore the Bishops of Rome and Constantinople refused to recognise the Christian Church of the Ethiopian Aksum kingdom. In return, the Missionaries from Egypt and Syria reached Ethiopia about AD 500. They made the Coptic Church a key tradition within the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Ethiopian Orthodox Church still follows the honorary primacy of the Coptic patriarch.

451 Atila invades Goal By this time Huns, Vandals and OstroGoths were in alliance with eachother against the Romans and Visigoths. With the help of Gaiseric, king of the Vandals, Attila invaded Gaul (France) with his own Huns and OstroGoth armies. Roman General Flavius Aetius, with Theodoric I, king of the Visigoths struggled to stop them until the Great Battle of Chalons. There Atila was faced with a Roman Army carrying Huns bows and trained in skills and tactics similar to those of Huns.

451 Atila meets the Roman Army trained in Hun's skills and tactics For sometime, Roman empire has been studying the secrets of the Huns military success. Specially made Huns bow

was the fastest and deadliest in the world at that time. It was also the furthest bending bow at the time, giving the arrow so much force that it killed even at 80 yards and seriously wounded at 240 yards. Huns also had learnt to shoot very fast and accurately while riding. Volley after volley of powerful arrows simply decimated enemy formations. Nobody could beat the tactics based on this firepower, horsemenship and ability to withstand nature. Children rode horses from the age of 3, and started hunting with the bow at 5 which was called "infants from craddle to the saddle". But this long real-life, on-the-job training made them so comfortable horse-riders that some enemies actually believed that the Huns couldn't walk. With specially-made Huns Bow, they devastated enemy formations with volley after volley arrows. The skills they gathered in using ropes to catch cattle and horses, was used in combat. They carried rafts (to cross rivers), pontoons (to cross marshes) in their wagons.

451 Battle of Chalons : European World War : Huns & OstroGoths under Attila, are defeated by Romans & VisiGoths in Gaul In the night before the battle, Atila saw a bad omen during an animal sacrifice the Huns made. After 100 years, Huns were faced with an army that had the same skills and used the same tactics. After 100 years, Huns noticed that the enemy was not withdrawing. Roman General Flavius Aetius, with Theodoric I, king of the Visigoths, defeated the Huns in the great Battle of Chalons, in today's France. Roman Historians claimed over 200,000 Attila's men were killed. It is believed now that they exaggerated the number in order to glorify Rome. (Atila had enough military power left to almost conquer Rome the following year if not for the intervention of the Pope). Many of the dead were Ostrogoths who were serving the Huns. It has also been discovered that the Roman General Aetius allowed the Huns to withdraw to avoid further Roman casualties. However, this battle was one of the costliest battles in history. That was also Atila's Greatest and the last battlefield defeat.

452 Pope saves Rome from Attila Recovered from the defeat, Attila in the following year invaded Italy. Like the Visigoths 42 years ago, Attila destroyed all the cities on the way and advanced on Rome. To save Rome, Pope Leo I, the greatest administrator of the Roman Catholic Church, requested a meeting with Attila. Pope managed to impress Attila with his religious presence. Rome was saved as Attila agreed to turn back.

452 Beginning of Venice As Attila turned back without capturing Italy, some of the displaced native refugees of north-eastern Italy, continued to live in the islands, marshes, and lagoons where they took chelter from Attila. This settlement grew connecting 120 islands created by the 177 canals by 400 bridges. By 991, this independant republic of Venice became the greatest commercial centre for trade with the East due to the Venetian policy of trading with the Muslim powers rather than fighting them. In 1204, the weakening of the Byzantine Empire made Venice politically the strongest European power in the Mediterranean. By 1400AD, Venice was the leading maritime power in the Christian world. Through the 15th century, Turkish invasions ended the Venetian supremacy. By 1500, discovery of sea route to India was crippling blow. In 1508 the Holy Roman Empire, the pope, France, and Spain together captured Venice. In 1797 the Venetian Republic was captured and ended by Napoleon.

452 Huns invade North India This time the Huns turned eastwards. Their advance was stopped in North India. Like the way a general named Chandragupta faced Alexander when he advanced on North India in 326BC, a general named SkandaGupta defeated the Hun invasion.

452 SkandaGupta becomes the Indian Emperor Like Chandragupta, SkandaGupta also became the Indian Emperor after the invasion was over.

453 Datusena goes on an assassination spree Buddhist monk Datusena finished his training and the preparation to liberate the country. He had acquired worldly wisdom and the statecraft during his training. He abandoned the monk's life to free the country from the evil selfish rule. His liberation army started military campaigns to free areas from the invader. Within 2 months, He met the ruling king of invader in battle, and killed him. In another 3 years he met the replacement in battle, and killed that one as well. In another 7 months, next one was also killed in battle by Dhatusena. Then he liberated the country from the invading Pandyans.

453 With Attila's death, the Huns collapse After the death of Attila, the military power of the Huns crumbled. Many Huns joined the Roman army as well-paid Mercenaries. Others joined other Barbarian armies. They even met eachother in battle while serving in opposing armies.

453 Ostrogoths settle down in Hungary, northern Croatia, Serbia, and eastern Austria When Huns were weakening, Ostrogoths broke away. They went on an independent path. They compromised with the Romans. With the permission of Rome, they settled in Pannonia, an area now including western Hungary, northern Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia, and eastern Austria.

456 Mahawansa is written in Lanka King Datusena invited the Buddhist monk Mahanama, who was his uncle, to write down the history of Lanka. Mahavansa would be more than what Mahabarath was to India. Mahavansa remains one of the most powerful historical accounts written in the history of mankind. The history written down in the Mahavansa is regarded as the Second-most remarkable history in existence of an ancient and cultured civilisation and their dynasty. It is second only to the records maintained by the Shu Chinese emperors. It is very unfortunate that anti-Buddhist, power hungry and religious extremists from Sri Lanka have engaged in a powerful and a well-funded propaganda campaign to destroy the credibility of Mahavansa in a very shrewd manner. The motive of these conspirators and their powerful sponsors is to keep the Buddhists suppressed, weakened and destroyed. But many independent genuine analysts, who were not on anybody's payroll, have accepted the true nature of the Mahavansa. Genuine research carried out have uncovered that all international records fully support the history of the Mahavansa.

456 Record of Sinhala monks & Buddhist Sculptors going to China As recorded by the Chinese, these educated Lankan professionals started to design and build temples and images of Budda in China. This was a good opportunity for the graduates of Lankan Universities to serve overseas. Since 220 AD, northern China was under Hun invasions and engulfed in turmoil created by powerful rich families competing for power. China would be reunited in 589 AD by the Sui dynasty.

456 Sinhala nun NANDI in Chinese capital Chinese records show that a Sinhala nun named Nandi arrived from Lanka in the capital city Sung with a batch of Sinhala nuns to promote Bikkuni Sasanaya in China.

456 Sinhala nun Devasara in Chinese capital, after the first batch above. Chinese records show again that a Sinhala nun named Devasara from Lanka arrived in the capital city Sung with a second batch of Sinhala nuns to promote Bikkuni sasanaya.

459 Datusena( of Maurya Royal blood) ends 27 years of South Indian rule. Sinhalese return from Ruhuna. But the evil waits their turn to destroy the system again. He restored both the Buddhism and the infrastructure, which had been destroyed and neglected by the invaders, the traitors and the selfish, greedy elements. He Built 18 reservoirs including 4 major reservoirs. Those irrigation projects were so well-located and done that he earned a God's status among the villagers whose lives improved with the agriculture. Even today the villagers of those areas speak of him as a super human God. He punished those who committed crimes against the Sinhala civilisation. Sinhala people returned from Ruhuna, back to the North. But he was then a target of the selfish, greedy, corrupt merchants and the officials who lost their opportunity to exploit the people and the resources of the land. These evil elements thrived on the poverty and the helplessness of the people and the land. They pocketed in what the country had to offer, ALL to themselves. They would wait for their opportunity to destroy the beautiful system again.

460 Racist South Indian Death Squads, are punished for crimes against the Nation. With his brother's help, King Datusena hunted down all members of South Indian death squads and military mafia who had ravaged the land. Everyone who collaborated with the power-hungry South Indian racist individuals for personal gains, were punished for the crimes committed against Lanka. Their properties were taken over by the state. Eelamists who have ignored the unpatriotic conspiracies, which destroyed the nation, quote this as”discrimination on the South Indian population" today.

460 Datusena takes steps to protect Lanka : Selfish corrupt elements start to plan to destroy him Sinhala people returned from Ruhuna to live and work again in the lands of the north. Warriors, regardless of ethnicity, who dared to fight the brutal enemy to free the country, were rewarded. Fortresses were built islandwide to stop any further invasions and conspiracies by South Indian racists.

460 Kalaweva is built by Datusena With a dam 8 km long and 12 meters tall, it contained 18 sq.kms of water, which helped irrigate 466 sq.kms of land.

460 JayaGanga ( Gona canal) is built. One of the most brilliant achievements of irrigation engineering in Lanka, was the elevation achieved here This was a massive project to link Kalawewa to TissaWeva(which supplied water to Anuradapura) in Anuradapura. This canal was 12 meters wide & 86 kms long. On it's way, it fed over 66 reservoirs & irrigated 180 sq.miles of agricultural land. Engineers warned about the difficult task as Kalaweva was of higher elevation than Anuradapura. One of the most brilliant achievements of irrigation engineering in Lanka, was the elevation achieved here. It was a precise 10 cm to a Kilometre. First 27 Kms of this canal was named "Yoda Ela"(Giant's canal") for the superhuman effort that went in to build it. By the year 2002 AD, this brilliant piece of ancient technology would be threatened by the Eppawala Phosphate project, which the Sri Lankan politicians and officials wanted to give to an American mining Company.

460 Yoda Ela ( Giants canal ) The first 27 kms of the JayaGanga( Gona canal) was named Giants Canal because of the massive superhuman effort that took to build it. It has a great technological feature of all time, because of it's precise gradient of 15 cm slope for every 1.6 km ( 6 inches per mile )

460 Yoda wewa is built- impossible in the terrain : The topography of the Mannar district didn't support such a project. King Datusena handed over this challenge to a project group of brilliant engineers to design this difficult task. They blocked a canal from MalvatuOya and built a dam 11 kms long. Then they carefully designed a network of canals with precision low gradient. These distributed water to many villages in the area of low rainfall.

460 Aukana ( Sun-eating) Statue - 2nd tallest Budda statue in Lanka This statue was 13 meters tall. It was carved out of sheer rock. It was built with such precision, that a drop of water dripping from the tip of the nose, fell exactly between the two feet.

461 Clovis ( Creator of France) becomes the king of the Franks In 461 AD, Clovis became the king of the Franks, who were Germanic tribes who occupied France, Belgium and Germany. He had only a small area under his rule in Belgium. But his desire to conquer the land and to build an empire through military power was very strong. First he would conquer other Frank’s tribes within 14 years. Then he went on a 22 year campaign to free today's France from the Roman Governor, Alamanni tribes from Germany and from the Visigoths. Clovis converted to Christianity in 496 AD after God helped him to win one of his most decisive battles. He died in 511 AD after establishing the modern state of France. With the help of the Christian Church, the Franks were the first to create a new European state after the fall of Rome. Out of all European barbarian tribes they were the first to do so.

463 Korean Buddhist migration to Japan helps Japan to develop Beginning from 463AD, until 588AD, Japan received an influx of Buddhist monks, astrologers, architects, bridge-builders, pharmacists, and painters from the flourishing Buddhist Korea. They helped the Japanese to rise up to an advanced state of civilisation. Japanese would gradually and slowly become Buddhists for 88 years. In 551 AD, Japan recognised Buddhism as the main religion.

473 King Datusena against the Army Commander : Classic example to show how the good Sinhala system was manipulated by the corrupt elements. Senapati, the Lankan Army commander was married to King Datusena's daughter. He was not a practising Buddhist and history indicates that he associated with the corrupt elements of the country. He was also a wife beater. She left him after a severe beating and complained to the king. Army Commander fled in fear of punishment. Unable to get the Army Commander Senapati, King took the mother of the Army Commander hostage. King announced that if he didn't surrender by a certain date, the Army Commander's mother ( king's own sister), would be burnt alive. Unfortunately, the Army Commander, who obviously had more reasons than wife-beating to be afraid of, didn't surrender. On the due date, King had to carry out the order. This event was in direct contrast to the good Buddhist way the country had been governed so far. These were the sorts of orders issued by the kings of other countries who saw nothing wrong with such cruel orders. Any history analyst today is puzzled as to why he didn't grant mercy to the mother ( his own sister).

473 Conspiracy of murdering King Datusena : Foolish Son of a lesser Queen, kills the father King as the Chief Queen's Son escapes to India Angry Army commander, duly supported by the corrupt merchants and officials, approached Kassapa, one of two sons of the king who was born to a lesser queen. They told him that he would never be the king, unless he took this opportunity to be the king. Together they executed a coup to oust the king and make Kassapa the new king. Then the Army Commander Senapati got Kassapa, a self-indulging soul in a bad company of friends, to plaster the king alive on the Dam of the Kalawewa reservoir. Moggallana, king's son born to the chief Queen, managed to flee to India.

473 Sigiri Kassapa - The most erotic Lanka king Kassapa was a self-indulgent man of worldly pleasures, in the company of corrupt friends who were not religious. They lived a lifestyle full of pleasure and fun, while the selfish merchants and corrupt officials made their wealth unopposed by the king and the Theravada monks. The country could withstand this kind of selfish rule for a while, thanks to the infrastructure built by the hard-working good king Datusena and the previous good kings.

474 Loveliest Royal city ever built on an unscaleable rock - Sigiriya Because of his qualities and activities, Kassapa had very little support from the public and the Theravada Buddhist system. Activates of the merchants and the officials who supported him and thrived under his rule, made him more unpopular. He knew that he would not survive for long. The Royal Engineers were consulted to create a place of protection for the king. The great Engineers and architects of the time, designed and made Sigiriya the Most beautiful fortress Royal city ever built on an unscaleable rock by the mankind. Kassapa moved from the city of Anuradapura to Sigiriya and lost himself in a world of fantasy. Meanwhile, in Anuradapura, corrupt officials and merchants continued reaping the benefits of the civilisation into their pockets. Kassapa was now in constant fear of the return of Moggallana. He knew that, as always had happened, the Sinhalese would fight to free the land at any cost.

474 Oldest landscaped gardens in Asia The beautiful parkland surrounding the Royal city is considered to be the oldest landscaped gardens in Asia. The water fountains, which used the natural pressure system, started to work automatically in January 1994 AD after the area was flooded with the monsoon rain. That was 1500 years after the Sinhala engineers built it.

476 Official End of the Original Roman Empire The end of the 675 year old Western Roman Empire ( The original Roman Empire) came in 476 AD, with the death of their last emperor, Romulus Augustulus. The Christian Church had by this time become a separate institution. They were able to survive on their own.

476 Western Roman Empire disappears as Rome falls Rome fell to the victorious Barbarian armies permanently. That was the end of the 675 year old Roman Empire. But the eastern Roman empire based in Constantine in Turkey continued. They called themselves the new Rome.

476 German Chief rules Rome & Italy German barbarian General Odoacer took control of the Roma and Italy. It was announced that he was the king of Italy.

477 Vandals plunder Rome savagely They looted and plundered Italy, including Rome. Weakened Roman Army couldn't save Rome. Even the Pope couldn't convert the Vandals.

477 Vandal power declines after the death of their best King Their power began to decline after the death of King Gaiseric in 477 AD.

480 End of the 160 year Gupta Dynasty Gupta dynasty began in 320 AD as a Magadha king named Chandragupta I (reigned 320-330), founded a new imperial regime. His grandson Chandragupta II (reigned 375-413) expanded the regime taking all of the subcontinent north of the River Narmada. Under the Gupta dynasty, which lasted for 160 years, Indian culture reached new heights. The period was one of sustained peace, steady economic advance, and intellectual accomplishment, particularly in art, music, and literature. Equally importantly, Hinduism, which had long been in decline, experienced a robust renaissance through absorption of some features of Buddhism. By 450 AD, Hunnish invaders, often referred to as the White Huns, pushed into India from central Asia. The Gupta Empire broke up under the attacks of these invaders. They dominated north India for nearly a century. Weakened by the Turks in 565, finally Huns power in India collapsed. Tribal groups of Rajasthan state and the powerful kingdom founded in northern India in 606 by Harsha, the last Buddhist monarch in Indian history are all descendants of the Huns.

484 Huns kill the Persian Emperor Invading Huns armies killed the Iranian king.

485 French (Saliens) conquer the Gaul from the Roman Army Since Clovis I became the king in 461 AD, the military power of the Franks (Saliens) had increased. They managed to overrun the weak Roman armies ruling in the Gaul. Clovis defeated Syagrius, the last Roman governor in Gaul. That was the end of the Roman occupation of Gaul. Then Saliens (Franks) would go on a 22 year campaign to conquer the other tribes in the area. In 22 years they will unite the modern French people under one rule. In 11 years, Clovis would be converted to Christianity in 496 AD. That would also be the beginning of a close connection between the Frankish king and the papacy ( Catholic church led by the Pope). The Pope would help the Franks to become the next European super-power.

490 Birth of the English race : Saxons chase the true Britons to the Wales Saxons, an invading migrant German tribe was, by this time, permanently living in Britain. Jutes (from Denmark) were also a migrant barbarian tribe whose territory in Britain bordered that of the Saxons. The Angles were also a Germanic tribe who had migrated to Britain from the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. These 3 Barbarian migrant armies, Jutes, Angles and Saxons, settled in the eastern Britain. They together drove the native Britons westward into present-day Wales. The land of these Anglo-Saxons later became known as “Englaland” and thereby England, and the people of that land as the English.

491 Legendary King Arthur frees Britons from the Saxons The famous legend of the King Arthur belongs to this period of time. British people were waiting for a prophecy to come true. The last British warrior Uther Pendragon who tried to unite the British tribes against the Saxons, was killed in battle. Before he died he placed his magic sword into a rock, wishing that only the true king of Briton should be able to draw the sword out. Arthur was his infant son who grew up in secrecy as a peasant boy. Arthur managed to draw the sword out. As the King Arthur, he united most of the Britons in the south and waged war against the Saxons in the north under their king Aelle. He couldn't chase the Saxons completely out of Britain. But he managed to free most of the north from the Saxons. Saxons couldn't harass the Britons in the south under king Arthur. Arthur ruled from a city named Camelot. Arthur had a Roundtable where he sat with his legendary 140 Knights to talk about the problems in the country.

491 Moggallana defeats Kassapa Moggallana, true heir to the throne returned from exile in India. Kassapa and his administration were unpopular in Lanka. Kassapa and Moggallana battled eachother until Kassapa lost the dual and committed suicide.

491 King Moggallana - The First Lankan Navy King Moggallana re-established the Theravada rule. He also passed the death sentence on many selfish individuals who had helped Kassapa to murder his father. Most of them were corrupt elements that lived selfish lives. Realising the fact that he had made these corrupt elements very angry, King Moggallana raised a coastguard Navy. He knew that these angry Lankans would seek help from South Indian warmongers to overthrow the Theravada rule in Lanka.

495 Duruthu Poya Festival King Moggalalana initiated this ceremony, which continues even today, as a massive alms-giving festival.

495 Shaolin temple is built in China The legendary Chinese Buddhist temple was built in 495. In another 32 years, in 527 AD, Bodhidharma ( Darma or Da ma), a Buddhist monk, who is believed to have come from Conjeeveram, near Madras in today's India arrived. He is said to be 28th in the line of transmission from the Buddha's disciple Kasyapa. He spends 9 years in meditation in the caves above the temple. The daily exercises he developed would be evolved into Shaolin Kungfu in another 41 years, in 536 AD. ( Since 220 AD, northern China was under Hun invasions and engulfed in turmoil created by powerful rich families competing for power. China would be reunited in 589 AD by the Sui dynasty.)

507 Battle of Vouille : Visigoths (Spanish) lose to Franks all except Spain Franks led by Clovis I, defeated the Visigoths led by Alaric II, in the Battle of Vouille. During this battle, Clovis met King Alaric II of the Visigoths in combat and killed him. This was the end of the 22 year military campaign of the Franks to unite France under one rule. As Franks grabbed this territory from the Visigoths, the Visigothic kingdom was confined almost entirely to Spain.

507 Boundary of the Modern France is established The victory in the Battle of Vouille helped the Franks to establish the boundaries of modern-day France.

507 Beginning of the Decline for the Visigoths As Franks grabbed Frankish territory from the Visigoths, the Visigothic kingdom was confined almost entirely to Spain. This marked the beginning of the decline of the Visigoths, one of the most powerful Barbarian tribes.

508 King who died for Friendship - King Kumara Datusena : Another example of Sinhalese Bestfriend tradition Son of Moggallana, was a smart and a beautiful prince who did a lot of work to develop Buddhism. When his best friend died of a sickness, he decided to sacrifice himself on the funeral pyre. His best friend, Kalidasa was the son of the first minister. They had grown up and studied together. They had been best friends since the early childhood. The two graves are found today in Matara. Sinhalese continued to uphold the tradition of best friends. Even today, many Sinhalese who have safeguarded true original values, has Best friends whom they trust without any doubts, without any limits. There are several records of Kings having best friends. The Royal Best Friends would rule the land on behalf of the king, and would fight alongside the king in battle, and would die for the king. Such was the bond of Friendship defined in true Sinhalese ways.

511 Death of Clovis : First French King Clovis became king in 461 AD in a Frankish tribe in Belgium. Franks were Germanic tribes who lived in today's France, Belgium and Germany. He conquered other Frankish tribes uniting them under one rule. As the Romans fell, he conquered and expanded his rule across Gaul defeating the last Roman Governor in France, Visigoths from Spain, and Alamanni tribes from Germany. Clovis converted to Christianity in 496 AD after a battle. His partnership with the Pope and the Christian Church, was a mutually beneficial deal. When he died in 511 AD, the today's France had been established. Out of all European barbarian tribes, he made Franks the first to create a new European state.

511 Beginning of the French Language The Franks who didn't have a powerful language, had adopted the Latin language from the Gauls. French language was slowly developed from that Latin dialect.

517 Thopa Weva - The predecessor to Parakarama Samudraya This was a beautiful large reservoir in the thick untouched green wilderness. With it's water reflecting all the colours of the peacock's wing at the sunset, this was a major tourist attraction at that time.

518 2nd Major rebellion by the Selfish Corrupt elements in Lanka : "Silakala Conspiracy" A disrobed monk, who had fled to India with Moggallana, had a son named Silakala. He had become a Buddhist monk in South India. Well aware of the patronage paid to Buddhism by the Royalty and the public of Lanka, he came back to Lanka with Budda's hair relic. He wanted to establish a shrine for the hair relic. Once in Lanka, he got friendly with Moggallana's sister. Then he became a civilian to marry her. Through her, he very cunningly became popular among the Sinhalese in Mayarata( The Hill country). He built up a network of conspirators among the selfish elements. Then he rebelled for power with an army raised in Mayarata. Lankan King Upatissa -2's heroic son, Kassapa and his 12 heroic bestfriends beat him in 8 battles. Yet he kept on trying, with the help of merchants and officials who supported a selfish rule.

518 Peace Lobby wants Peace….. Finally, regretting the death and destruction caused by the war, and under pressure from the "peace lobby" about "a prolonged war that affected the economy", Kassapa advised his father to hand over the throne to Silakala. Pressurised by the sinister Peace Lobby, King handed over the power to the greedy elements. Such was how the selfish corrupt elements took advantage of the principles of the deeply religious Sinhalese Buddhists.

518 "Friends to the last man" - Royal Family is assassinated while the "Peace Lobby" is silent…. Only then they realised that the secret supporters to Silakala had been the good old "selfish and corrupt merchants and officials". Then they feared for their lives. They fled to Mayarata, but having no one brave enough to help them, lost their way. Silakala, who was waiting for a suitable time to kill the Royal descendants, hunted them down. In a fierce final battle, Kassapa's 12 best friends sacrificed their lives one after another, volunteering to protect their friends with bravery and honour. The Royal elephant that charged at the state sponsored thugs, was also killed. Refusing to surrender, Kassapa, undoubtedly a gallant honourable Sinhalese, committed suicide in the field. His father, the true king of Lanka, died of grief upon hearing the news.

518 Similarity between the Peace Lobby then & Now…… This event resembled the incidents of the Eelam Guerrilla War of 1980-2002 AD. The peace lobby, comprising of selfish corrupt elements, and mostly funded by the Eelamists, were very loud in their propaganda when it was advantageous to the enemies of Sri Lanka. But when the Enemies waged war or when they murdered the patriots, they were dead silent. The Eelamists had an ethnic cleansing plan. Under that plan they massacred one Sinhalese village after another. They destroyed the Buddhist heritage in the North and the east. Using the traitors, they made almost all military operations unsuccessful and killed so many soldiers caught up in these military blunders. When the peace lobby was silent, many proud young Sinhalese soldiers chose to commit suicide rather than surrendering to the barbarian militants. Upon hearing the news about their sons, their parents also committed suicide in grief.

518 Looting begins Once in power, the South Indian thugs began to loot the Sinhala heritage. On the record was the destruction of Thuparamaya. All relic chambers of the Dagabas in this university complex, were broke open to collect the treasures. The Image house was also looted and destroyed.

520 Plato Academy in Athens is ordered to close for being anti-Christian 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 was 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.

521 End of Maurya dynasty as King Kittisena is assassinated The King Datusena in 459AD founded Maurya dynasty. As Datusena's grandson Kittisena was killed that dynasty came to an end. Maurya dynasty was one of the most important dynasties in Lankan history under whose rule Lanka joined the developed world again.

526 Ostrogoths disappear They mixed into emerging new tribes such as the Alani, Vandals, Franks, and Burgundians.

527 Zen Buddhism is developed in Shaolin temple by Monk Bodhidharma The legendary Chinese Buddhist temple was built in 495. In another 32 years, in 527 AD, Bodhidharma ( Darma or Da ma), a Buddhist monk, who is believed to have come from Conjeeveram, near Madras in today's India arrived. He is said to be 28th in the line of transmission from the Buddha's disciple Kasyapa. In 520 at Canton, his saying that good deeds were useless for gaining enlightenment, impressed the Chinese Liang dynasty emperor Wudi. He believed the path was in meditation and went to extremes to gain enlightenment. At a monastery near Luoyang he spent nine years staring at a wall and once cut off his eyelids after falling asleep during meditation, and meditated for so long that it is said that his legs fell off. He spent 9 years in meditation in the caves above Shaolin temple. The daily exercises he developed would be evolved into Shaolin Kungfu in another 41 years, in 536 AD. (Since 220 AD, northern China was under Hun invasions and engulfed in turmoil created by powerful rich families competing for power. China would be reunited in 589 AD by the Sui dynasty).

529 Monte Cassino- the First Modern Christian Monastery Saint Benedict of Nursia was an Italian monk. He established the Monte Cassino, the prototype of the Western Christian Monastery. He also established the Rules to govern the monastery. He said “We are establishing a school of the Lord's service in which we hope to introduce nothing harsh or burdensome”. He allowed for human weaknesses in the rigorous life of prayer, study, and manual labour. The Monte Cassino monastery peaked between 1000 AD and 1300 AD. During World War II Monte Cassina was almost destroyed as the Allied forces took the town of Cassino occupied by the Germans.

531 Why Monasteries became popular in Europe Europeans were suffering from the oppression. They needed spiritual guidance during this dark age. Monasteries became popular and spread throughout Europe during the dark age. They were often the only places of culture and piety. In a Europe engulfed in power hunger and selfishness, Christian Church was the most powerful force that talked about the justice, fairness and the elements of civilization in Europe. Monks conducted Christian schools. From old manuscripts, Monks rewrote histories, and built libraries.

531 Sons of the corrupt King fight for power When Silakala died, his greedy second son DataPabutu killed the youngest brother to grab the throne. The eldest son Moggallana was in charge of the eastern province. He arrived with an army of his own and challenged him for a dual. DataPabutu lost the fight and committed suicide even when Moggalana-2 asked him not to. Such was the tragic chaos that surrounded the short lived regimes of the ill-disciplined, corrupt rulers.

531 Deadly Results of the Selfish rule The regimes under the ill-disciplined, corrupt rulers were short-lived. But the problem was such selfish, and corrupt rulers dragged the whole country and the people also into misery. There were selfish power-hungry enemies living in Lanka. There were greedy merchants living in Lanka. Majority of these unpatriotic elements were foreigners living in Lanka. During such fun-filled reigns, these enemies who wanted to destabilise Lanka became powerful and stronger. These selfish rulers did absolutely nothing to strengthen the country or the economy. When the invaders arrived later, Lanka couldn't face them effectively because of the unpreparedness and the weaknesses left behind by these selfish rulers. This sad tale of the Sinhalese in Sri Lanka continues even today.

534 Vandals are finally conquered by the Byzantine Romans Roman General Belisarius from the eastern Roman Empire in Byzantine, finally conquered the Vandals.

535 Attacks by White Huns destroy the Gupta dynasty in India. For nearly 100 years, the Gupta Empire was attacked by Mongolian invaders, and then by Huns called White Huns. These invasions weakened the Empire. Provincial Lords broke away as the Empire had no strength to annex them. By 535 AD, the Gupta empire collapsed. A new Indian empire under King Harsha of Kanauj emerged. They were also a powerful kingdom, which promoted learning and the arts.

536 Shaolin Kungfu is developed The legendary Chinese Buddhist temple was built in 495. In another 32 years, in 527 AD, Bodhidharma ( Darma or Da ma), a Buddhist monk, who is believed to have come from Conjeeveram, near Madras in today's India, arrived. He is said to be 28th in the line of transmission from the Buddha's disciple Kasyapa. He introduced Zen Buddhism. He spends 9 years in meditation in the caves above the temple. The daily exercises he developed would be evolved into Shaolin Kungfu in another 41 years, in 536 AD. Since 220 AD, northern China was under Hun invasions and engulfed in turmoil created by powerful rich families competing for power. China would be reunited in 589 AD by the Sui dynasty.

536 Hardest Training of Mind & Body in Histiory : Shaolin KingFu Novice monks exercised and practiced in rain, snow, and hot son everyday until their fists were like iron and body could break a stick and they could kill a man with their palm. They also learnt history in order to learn from the lessons in the past. After 5 hand-to-hand, and self-defence techniques, they started learning to use sticks with which they were expected to fight 12 men at a time. They were trained in fighting using sword, axe, hammer, and daggers and were taught to use any object as a weapon. Their most famous missions were in 621 AD, when 12 monks rescued Emperor's son who was taken hostage by a warlord, and also in 1553 AD, when they saved China from a Japanese warlord army.

536 Padaviya Reservoir is built King Moggallana -2, eldest son of Silakala was a wise king. Realising that the standards of the Lankan civilisation was crumbling all around him, he re-established the Theravada system again. He became a very religious king who developed the irrigation and the agriculture again. He built the Padaviya reservoir, which irrigated the whole Polonnaruwa area using the water from this great reservoir. ( Unfortunately, the Eelamists of the 20th century refused to accept Sinhala farmers there. They claimed that the area belonged to a Tamil kingdom). Whole Country began to prosper under Moggallana-2 again.

536 Nachchaduva as supplier to Nuwaraweva : Last irrigation project under MalwatuOya This was another massive project carried out under the king Moggalalana-2. It was a great reservoir of 4408 acres. Main canal, bringing water from the Jayaganga, was over 6 miles long. Another 5 miles long canal supplied water of Nachchaduwa to Nuwaraweva. It was a brilliant way to maintain the water levels of Nuwaraweva.

551 Half of European Population dies Half of the European population perished as a deadly plague spread.

551 Buddhism is very popular in Japan Beginning from 463AD, until 588AD, Japan received an influx of Buddhist monks, astrologers, architects, bridge-builders, pharmacists, and painters from the flourishing Buddhist Korea. They helped the Japanese to rise up to an advanced state of civilisation.

551 Queen Mother sends country into chaos again When the good King Moggalana-2 died, his selfish Queen poisoned all his relatives. Then she made her young son, Kitsirimega, the king. This Queen Mother interfered in almost every aspect of the administration. The country was again in total chaos. The powerful exploited the poor. Bribery and corruption became the main income of many rich people. No sooner, a famine plagued the country.

570 Muhammad is born in Mecca Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca.

573 Maurya Dynasty returns after 52 years : Country is rebuilt. After 53 years, by popular demand, Maurya dynasty returned with the king Mahanaga in 573 AD. His Nephew Aggabodi who was of great qualities, would build many Great temples and reservoirs to catch up with the damage done under the selfish rulers.

575 Overhead Dome is rebuilt for Ruwanveli Maha Seya An umbrella ( an overhead Dome) of stone was built over the Ruwanvelimahaseya. The original one had been destroyed by the invaders and the collaborators before. This new one was built on the orders of the king Aggabodi-1.

575 Temple of Tooth Relic is decorated with very expensive jewels Aggabodi-1 decorated the Temple of the Tooth Relic in the citadel of Anuradapura with valuable jewels. Unfortunately, 75 years later, South Indian thugs led by Evil South Indian Minister Dathopatissa would loot and burn it down forever.

576 Tanni Murippu Kulam reservoir in Mullaitivu is built Great King Aggabodi built this reservoir in Mullaitivu. Following the last ethnic cleansing of the Sinhalese in the area by the South Indian racists during 1956-1990, only the South Indian farmers would use these great Sinhalese creations.

576 Giants reservoir ( Kurundu reservoir) in Mannar is rebuilt. Great King Aggabodi re-built this reservoir, which had been in ruins due to years of neglect by selfish corrupt rulers.

576 Minipe Dam is built on Mahaveli river

576 Sinhalese Grand Irrigation system Over 1300 years later, during the British times, R L Brohier said, "It cant be said that we have found enough of ancient irrigation works around the great buried cities. Yet it leads to a higher estimate of the state of enlightment of the old Sinhalese than that of all their works."

576 a Long canal to take water from Minneriya reservoir to Kantale reservoir is built This is also considered a masterpiece in irrigation technology.

589 Sui dynasty begins in China : After 400 years, China is united As a son of an aristocrat, Yang Jian( 541 AD- 604 AD) began his political career in the Royal household of one of China's many regional kingdoms in the north. Learning court politics quickly, he installed a child as the puppet emperor and then seized power himself. He proclaimed himself as the emperor in 581 AD. he was also a superb administrator. He repaired the Great Wall, made deals with invading gangs of Turks on his borders, and built a new capital at modern Xi'an, near the old Qin and Han capitals. With his power established in the north, he conquered the rest of China to establish the new Sui dynasty. After the decline of Han dynasty in 220 AD and rise of powerful local families, China was united under him. He re-introduced many of Han dynasty's traditions.

589 Buddhism becomes the Main Religion in China Under Yang Jian, the founder of the Sui Dynasty, Buddhism became the main religion in China.

589 Chinese Emperor follows the Lankan King's example Following the example set by the Good Sinhalese kings in Lanka, Yang Jian also portrayed himself as a Buddhist monk king. The efficiency of his government, lack of corruption, and the prosperity achieved were the direct results of his pious rule.

589 Superb Public Administration of the Chinese Yang Jian, First Emperor of the new Sui dynasty, was an outstanding administrator. He re-established the exams needed to enter the public service.

589 Most influential law code in east Asia Yang Jian, First Emperor of the new Sui dynasty, also introduced a highly sophisticated and a reasonable law. All public officials had to study this detailed Law codes and face an exam to prove their competency. This Law became the most influential law code in east Asian history. He reorganized the local governments so that they were bound by law to stay loyal to the central government.

589 China achieve a Budget Surplus The Chinese government under Yang Jian, First Emperor of the new Sui dynasty, was so successful that China even achieved a budget surplus. Considering the status of all other countries in the world at the time, this was a rare and a magnificent event in the world at the time.

600 Game of Chess Game of Chess was invented in India.

600 Windmills Windmills are used for irrigation in Persia ( Iran).

600 South Indian Hindus create a kingdom in Southern Sumatra This was the beginning of the Hindu population in the south East Asia, including Bali, Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia.

600 Mahayana monks ( Vaitulyans ) are defeated by Theravada monks again The selfish and greedy merchants and officials were sick of the Theravada rule. Again the corrupt monks infiltrated into the Mahayana Buddhism. Again they challenged the Theravada Buddhism. Theravada monks agreed for an open public debate. A well-learnt Monk named Jothipala led the Theravada monks successfully against the arguments and criticism forwarded by the Non-Theravada monks. Ashamed of having lost the arguments and also ashamed of being exposed to the public, Adipada Dathapabuti, a Mahayana monk even raised his hand to strike Thero Jothipala in anger. ( Ironically, he died of an ulcer in the hand later).

600 7th Invasion -by the Pallava King- is beaten off by King Aggabodi Although no further details have been recorded, someone obviously didn't like the Mauryan king redeveloping the country based on Theravada principles. It is also interesting to note that this invasion followed the debate between the Theravada and Non-Theravada monks. ( This proves the existence of the anti-Buddhist elements and the selfish corrupt elements in Lanka as far back as 600 AD). Pallava kingdom and the Pandyan kingdom were the two most powerful kingdoms in South India. The invaders came from the Pallava kingdom. Fortunately, the Mauryan Sinhalese King was powerful enough to defeat the invaders. ( and probably he pardoned the prisoners and allowed them to live in Lanka, and probably found them jobs in the Lankan Army too. )

600 Mayans at their peak By 600 AD, Mayan culture dominated Guatemala and Honduras in South America. The Mayans did not build great cities like Teotihuacan, which thrived in Mexico in the other civilisation during this period. The Mayans built temple sites, large plazas, courts for sports, and stone carvings.

600 Popularity of Buddhism peaks in China The popularity of Buddhism peaked in China at this time.

600 Christian Missionaries in Europe become very successful during the Dark Ages During these Dark Ages, the Christian Church was the most powerful force that safeguarded the elements of civilization in Europe. The Christian Church produced enthusiastic and dedicated missionaries. 71 years ago, Saint Benedict of Nursia, had founded the Christian community at Monte Cassino. Many Europeans, oppressed and helpless, found comfort in Christian Missionary culture. Monasteries spread throughout Europe, becoming centres of culture and piety during these dark ages in Europe.

601 Anglo-Saxons conquest Britain Over 100 years after the death of the Legendary king Arthur, the Anglo Saxons in the north of Briton invaded the south again. They conquered the whole of Britain by 600 AD. The true Britons were driven to Welsh where they would struggle to survive.

605 Buddhist Sui Dynasty is ruined by the selfish Corrupt elements Yangdi, who ruled China from 605 AD to 618 AD, was not a true Buddhist as the earlier emperor who had established a great China and a great dynasty. He soon fell into the hands of the corrupt elements. He became notorious for his extravagance and, when the public protested, for his cruelty. He built expensive canals. though these helped China in the following centuries, they were too costly for the corrupt system maintained during his time. The treasury was further drained by unnecessary wars, including the Chinese conquest of Korea. By 610 AD, Turks on the border gained control of Sui posts in central Asia. Provincial lords rebelled for power across China. In 617 AD, a Chinese rebel named Li Yuan, helped by Turks, took the Sui capital at Chang'an. They would establish the Largest Empire in history. In 618 AD, unpopular Yangdi was assassinated by his own bodyguards.

606 King Harshavardana : Last Buddhist King of India ( One more revival in 750 AD before the end in 1199 AD) The Buddhism which, along with Gupta empire, that the invading Huns had crushed by 535 AD, made a revival under King Harshavardana (606-647 AD). He and Tang dynasty emperor Taizong in China had ambassadors in eachother's court. With international help he revived the Buddhsit learning in India. Many Chinese monks visited India. Among them would be Xuang Xhang who spent 16 years in the sub-continent. Unfortunately the revival was short-lived. The good administration and the arts under his short-lived 41 year empire were equal to that of the Gupta period. Through military campaigns he expanded his rule in North India as far as Assam. Harsha became a devout follower of Buddhism as his rule expanded in North India. It was a period of high culture and flourishing Buddhist schools. The university of Nalanda was at its pinnacle of grandeur, attracting over 10,000 students from all over the Buddhist world. The City of Kanauj became a great cultural centre until the Mughal empire destroyed the Buddhist heritage later. Harsha was a scholar who composed poetry and wrote plays.

607 First Buddhist temple in Japan is built

607 Royal Family of Kalinga arrives in Lanka to become monks Disturbed by the war-torn lands around him, the king and the queen of the Kalinga state in South India, and also a powerful minister, left Kalinga state for Lanka. They became Buddhist monks and spent the rest of their lives in peace in Lanka.

607 Last Buddhist Emperor couldn't take South India because of Chalukyas During this time 3 strong Dravidian powers dominated South India. They were Chalukyas in south west, Pandyans in south, Pallavas in South East. The rulers of these kingdoms tolerated various sects of Buddhism as those monks didn't try to correct bad governance. These South Indian rulers didn't give the Royal patronage to Buddhism like in north India. Harsha Siladitya's attempt to expand southwards to the Deccan valley was halted by the Chalukyas who lived at the entrance to the South India. Pulakeshin II, ruler of the militarily powerful Chalukya kingdom, defeated him. (The brutal Cholas, a new South Indian community who would surface in another 350 years, would conquer legendary Chalukyas).

608 Nagadeepa Temple is built by Aggabodi-2 Aggabodi-2 was the nephew of the King Aggabodi who re-established Great Maurya dynasty. He was also the third king of the second Sinhala Maurya dynasty. Evidence shows that He built 6 new Temples, including the Rajayatana temple built in Nagadeepa in the north.

608 Kantale reservoir & the Giritale reservoir are built by Aggabodi-2 Two of most important reservoirs in the east even today, were completed by the Great Mauryan Sinhalese King. Unfortunately, the Sinhalese could lose them forever as they are located within the so-called Tamil Homeland in the year 2000 AD.

610 Muhammad discovers Islam At the age of 40, Muhammad claimed that God had selected him to be the prophet of "the one true religion". "There is no other God but Allah, and I, Muhammad, is the Prophet of Allah," became the motto of Islam. With the spread of Islam, a distinctive culture and a civilization was introduced to the world as Muslims. As time passes, this strength of the Muslims would be the only force that was strong enough to face many sinister power-hungry attempts planned in other parts of the world. Muslims would be the only well established force that was strong enough to counter the propaganda and to resist the brain-washing attempts of the world super powers.

614 Corrupt Army commander's Betrayal in a rebellion for power A greedy General named Moggallana had rebelled for power unsuccessfully. When he ungratefully launched his second rebellion, the corrupt Army Commander pretended to be sick. The King Samghatissa -2, with his son, went to battle the rebels. Then the treacherous Army commander, who was obviously part of the conspiracy, rallied the Army units he had stationed elsewhere. He came and attacked the king's army from behind. King's Army was surprised and was wiped out. King fled to the jungle with his son and his Most Faithful and Loyal Minister. They were finally captured at Mihintale. The rebel leader who had then become the king as Moggalana-3, ordered the king and his son to be beheaded at Sigiriya and the Minister to be sent to Anuradapura to continue his public service.

614 "You cant take away the shadow of a slain man " - The most faithful Royal Minister in history When the captured king, his son and the minister were taken to Sigiriya, the son requested his head to be cut first. When the guards tried to take the minister away, the faithful minister objected. He insisted that he be beheaded with his king. He knelt down before his king, touching his feet, and said "I cannot serve another master, even if my master is beheaded and dead. After you have slain a man, how can you take his shadow away ? Alas, how ignorant you are !". He was referring to the obvious inability of the selfish corrupt elements to understand the honourable principles of the good Sinhalese. The guards beheaded him before his king was beheaded. Such was the noble and honourable Sinhalese way, which the selfish outsiders to the Sinhalese culture, who lived for their lifetime at the expense of other people, couldn't understand.

617 Buddhist Sui dynasty ruined by the selfish and the corrupt, is replaced by Tang Dynasty Yangdi, who ruled China from 605 AD to 618 AD, was not a true Buddhist as the earlier emperor who had established a great China and a great dynasty. He soon fell into the hands of the corrupt elements. He became notorious for his extravagance and, when the public protested, for his cruelty. He built expensive canals. though these helped China in the following centuries, they were too costly for the corrupt system maintained during his time. The treasury was further drained by unnecessary wars, including the Chinese conquest of Korea. By 610 AD, Turks on the border gained control of Sui posts in central Asia. Provincial lords rebelled for power across China. In 617 AD, a Chinese rebel named Li Yuan, helped by Turks, took the Sui capital at Chang'an. They would establish the Largest Empire in history. In 618 AD, unpopular Yangdi was assassinated by his own bodyguards.

618 The largest empire ever - larger than Rome at it's highest- Chinese Tang dynasty : Most Inventive People in the world One of the rebels, Li Yuan, removed the Sui dynasty, which was under a corrupt rule. He established the Tang dynasty, the largest empire on earth, ever. China took Tibet, Afghanistan, North Vietnam, and invaded India. The Chinese became the Most Inventive People in the world during the Tang dynasty. They developed the printing press. They became the first to reproduce Buddhist scriptures. Then they produced dictionaries and almanacs. Other inventions included the magnetic compass, gunpowder, and the abacus. One of the Most Startling evidence of Sinhalese glory came from the Tang Empire who recorded that Sinhalese ships, which were longer than 100 feet, and which were manned by over 600-700 men, were the largest ships known to the Chinese. This was something the writers of Mahavansa had ignored because at that time there was nothing unusual about Sri Lankans developing the World’s Best standards.

621 8 th invasion- Srinaga's South Indian Invasion : A Proof of how much the Sinhalese trusted the South Indians in Lanka SriNaga was a South Indian General in the Lankan Army under the King Silamegavanna. He had gone back to south India. He came back with a mercenary army and landed in the north. He threatened to rule the north by force. The Lankan king defeated the invaders in battle. The South Indian prisoners begged for mercy. The King spared the lives of these mercenaries and allowed them to live in Lanka peacefully. King even found them jobs (as they had no agricultural experience) as workers in the religious places, most of which were Buddhist temples. This is another example to show the trust Buddhists had on the South Indians. Manytimes even the honour of guarding the sacred Tooth Relic was bestowed upon these South Indian migrants.

621 Shaolin's Most Famous Mission In China, warlords who defied the Emperor had started fighting eachother. One of the warlords took Emperor's son as a hostage. Shaolin monks supported the Emperor for his good governance and decided to help him with a rescue mission. Only 12 monks sneaked into the warlords territory. One monk was assigned to take Warlord's General as a hostage to be used in the getaway. Monk found him in a house of pleasure. None of his blows even hit the monk who moved too fast to avoid them. With the General as a prisoner, monks escaped with Emperor's son. They joined the Emperor's Army units who were waiiting at a pre-arranged location. They defeated the warlord's troops who came after them.

621 Shaolin temple earns Royal Patronage After the rescue mission, Shaolin temple earned the emperor's sponsorship. Chinese emperor paid for 500 monks to be trained at all time. He also held exhibitions of Shaolin Kungfu in the Royal palace to astonished, silenced audiences.

622 Power of the corrupt Bhikkus is exposed in the crack-down on the bad monks As requested by a young pious Bhikkus named Bodi from Abayagiri Viharaya, the king tried to disrobe the corrupt Bhikkus and introduce regulations to discipline the corrupt monks. The disrobed corrupt monks assassinated the good monk Bodi when he meditated in isolation. The angry king punished the disrobed monks who were responsible. Some powerful corrupt Buddhists in the country, who used to maintain these disrobed corrupt monks, were unhappy. As usual they would wait for their opportunity to destroy the Theravada Buddhism.

628 Ex-King retakes the throne with a mercenary army King JettaTissa came to power after defeating king Aggabodi-3 in a rebellion. Aggabodi-3 fled to South India. Within 5 months, he returned with a mercenary army of South Indians. King Jettatissa realised that he would lose the battle. Before he lost the battle, he despatched his closest minister back to his Queen, advising her to become a monk. Both the queen and this minister became monks, and committed suicide regretting the damage done to Lanka in their hunger for power. Jettatissa's main minister, Dathasiva escaped to India. He would return with a South Indian mercenary force to take the throne in 11 years. Under him the world-class religious and social infrastructure of the Sinhalese, would get destroyed.

629 Xuanzang, makes the famous pilgrimage to India and Simhala (Sri Lanka) Another famous Chinese Buddhist monk, Xuanzang, made his famous pilgrimage to India. Instead of taking the famous direct sea route from North India to Lanka, he travelled to Sri Lanka through South India. He recorded astonishing details about Lanka (which was called Simhala at the time).

629 Xuanzang writes about a 1000ft Budda Statue in Afghanistan XuanZang confirmed visiting the 1000 feet Statue of the sleeping Budda in Afghanistan, which he said was 12 leagues away from the famous Bamiyan statues(-destroyed in 2000 AD by the Islamic extremists Taliban rulers). This 1000 feet statue was last recorded 1000 years ( around 1001AD) before the Taliban destroyed the Bamiyan, says Times magazine(27/5/01). It is believed that this giant statue was buried in sand storm. He also wrote about witnessing a miracle of the Budda image, along with other monks around him, on the eastern wall after worshipping the giant statue 200 items. According to his writings, Budda's robe became reddish yellow. It stayed in that colour for "half a meal time". Five out of six inside the chamber witnessed it. The other person couldn't see it.

631 Hiuen Tsiang sees the construction of MahaBodi Viharaya in India, by Lankan king Megavanna While in north India, Huien Tsiang wrote a lot about Sri Lanka. When he was in Boddha Gaya, he witnessed the famous Mahabodhi Viharaya which had been built by the Lankan King Megavana. His impressions of the Sri Lankan monks in Boddha Gaya was, "The Simhala monks of this monastery number more than a thousand. They carefully make sure that the Dhamma Vinaya and their conduct ( Discipline and behaviour ) is pure and correct".

632 Hiuen Tsiang, the Chinese monk describes the curiosity of the South Indians about the interesting Simhala Nation. He chose to travel through South India, to Simhala. He took the advice of the Simhala monks in North India that the quicker sea route from northern India to Sri Lanka was too dangerous. He paused in the coastal city of Charitra in Orissa state. He described that this town was full of sailors and merchants who brought back with them interesting tales about Simhala. They explained legends and wonders of the Simhala nation which was beyond the sea to the curious South Indians. They also described the exotic places in the Simhala land to the locals.

632 Hiuen Tsiang, the Chinese monk describes the radiance of Gold, Gems and Diamonds fixed on the Dagabas of Anuradapura, visible to Orissa in India. It was here that he wrote about the bright red lights that could be seen in the evening sky off the coast of Charitra. They were the shinning invaluable gems and diamonds fixed on tall buildings of Lanka. "Every night when the sky is clear and without clouds, can be seen at a great distance the glittering rays of the precious gem placed on the top of the Temple of the Tooth in Simhala. It's appearance is like that of a shining star in the midst of space". Obviously the fame of the tall buildings and their fabulous Precious Stones had spread far and wide. No wonder some South Indians thought of invading, for there was so much to be looted from these very peaceful, religious, unsuspecting and hospitable people.

632 Proof of Buddhism in Pallava kingdom, South India Monk Hiuen Tsang recorded that Pallava ruler Narasimhavarman-2, was a practising Buddhist Scholar. Buddhism was the Royal religion in Pallava kingdom. He had learnt Chinese and translated Buddhist teachings into Chinese. Small Chola kingdom was at this time under the Pallava kingdom. Within 300 years, the Cholas would develop a powerful military force. They would destroy all these.

632 Lankan Monks teaching in South Indian Buddhist Universities Monk Hiuen Tsang recorded that there were over 100 Lankan Buddhist Monasteries in Kanchi alone. He mentioned discussions with over 300 Lankan Buddhist monks who were working as teachers in South India. In 300 years, the Cholas would destroy all these.

632 Hiuen Tsiang hears about the Royal Alms-hall in Lanka in Kanchi city in India, He recorded about the Royal Alms Hall, which was situated next to the Royal palace in the citadel in Anuradapura. He noted that 8000 monks and civilians were fed daily.

632 Death of the Prophet Muhammad

638 Muslims allow Christians to visit the Holy Land For hundreds of years pious Christians made pilgrimages to the Holy Land. They visited the places where Jesus Christ had lived and preached. By 638 AD, the people of the region became Islamic Arabs, named Muslims. But they continued to allow the Christian pilgrims to visit the Holy land as they had been doing that since the beginning of Christianity.

639 Ex-minister, Dathasiva returns with a South Indian mercenary army King Aggabodi-3 fled to India again in his 12th year of ruling, after losing to Dathasiva's Mercenary Army.

642 Middle East becomes Islamic Arab leaders saw the advantage the new religion Islam presented to them. Under Islam, people would unite. That meant loyal and disciplined societies who wouldn't rebel for power. They exploited this to the maximum by extending their political rule further by conquering and converting more people to Islam. Muslim Arab armies swept across the Middle East and the North Africa. Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia (Iraq), Persia (Iran) became Muslim nations. The whole Middle East region became one united religious nation under the common religion "Islam". Then they planned to enter Europe through Spain.

642 Buddhism becomes popular in Tibet

642 Destruction and pillage of Buddhist Monuments : Total destruction of the social and religious infrastructure. Dathasiva, who become king as Dathopatissa, let his South Indian Ministers and Officials loose. Relic chambers of temples were forced open to get the valuable treasures inside. Golden images were carted away. On the record are, the robbing of the Crowning ornament on the Thuparamaya, Total destruction of the overhead dome that covered Thuparamaya to obtain the invaluable Diamonds, Gems, and Gold decorations fixed on it, Handing over the equipment( including the giant rice boats) in Social Security Centres for South Indian residents for their use. It was enough to indicate the total destruction of the social and religious infrastructure. South Indian thugs burnt down the Palaces of the patriotic Lankans who had objected to corrupt officials and merchants. They also burnt down the relic chambers after grabbing the valuables that were inside.

643 Recorded Destruction of the Grand Thuparamaya Evil Dathasiva broke open the Relic chamber of Thuparamaya himself, to pay for his South Indian mercenaries. All Crowning ornaments on Thuparamaya were robbed. The giant Overhead Dome over Thuparamaya, a masterpiece in Sinhala Architecture, was smashed down to get the Diamonds, Gems, and Gold decorations fixed on it. The Thuparamaya we see today is nothing like the original grand building.

643 Recorded End Of Dakkina Monastery The King DutuGemunu had built Dakkina Monastery about 780 years ago. It was one of the largest universities of the country. Evil Dathasiva personally led the robbing of Dakkhina Stupa, which was drilled open to get the treasures out. As some of the patriotic monks and the students dared to protest, the whole Monastery was destroyed and burnt. The protesters were pushed into the fire and were murdered. That was the end of one of the top five universities of Lanka.

643 700 year old Royal palace is destroyed This Royal palace had been built after the patriots regained the country from the corrupt Anula Devi. South Indian thugs sacked and burnt this 700 year old Royal palace built by the King Kutakannatissa in 45BC. It was the second Royal palace built in Lanka. The king Pandukabaya built the first one.

644 Evil Dathasiva try to win Buddhists back After robbing the treasures of Lanka, the evil king Datasiva realised that he had to win the people back in order to rule Lanka. The massive damage to the Sinhala heritage had made the Sinhalese very angry. His corrupt Buddhist supporters were also angry because they couldn't face the public. Datasiva also realised that he had created an absolute hatred of the foreigners among the patriotic Singhalese. But the damage had been done. Sinhalese would never forgive him for what he and the selfish corrupt class destroyed. What they had destroyed, was irreplaceable. He pretended to rebuild some temples that had been looted and destroyed. But no one could rebuild great buildings built over hundreds of years by the best of the best in the country. He spared no money to rebuild these great buildings. The robbers didn't return what they robbed either.

645 Monk Xuanzang returns to China & Buddhism flourishes in China again He returned to China in 645 AD as a sad Buddhist monk who recorded the destruction in Lanka. He lived in Chang'an ( This Chinese capital city was the Largest City on earth at the time) determined to do whatever he could to safeguard Buddhism. He became the greatest Buddhist leader in China at the time. He translated 74 Buddhist literatures from Sanskrit to Chinese. He gained the Imperial patronage of the powerful Tang dynasty to spread Buddhism in China. Chinese villages were dotted with Buddhist places, which included Temples, and huge carved images of the Buddha on rock cliffs. Buddhist monasteries became one of the most important educational institutions in China. Monasteries ran oil presses, loaned money, lodged travellers, and educated children. In many aspects they were similar to the large Christian monasteries in Europe.

645 Buddhist university of Nalanda is at it's peak Nalanda in Bihar State, India, had been an ancient Buddhist University since the Buddha's period. It reached the height of its splendour during this reign of Harsha of Kanauj. Over 2,000 teachers taught 10,000 students who studied free of charge. The revenue collected from local villages funded this huge university. The Villagers also donated food. This would be totally destroyed by the invading Turks in 1199AD. That would be the end of 17 centuries of magnificent tradition of Buddhist learning in India.

647 Last Buddhist Emperor of northern India dies ( Last revival in 750 AD before the end in 1199 AD) The Gupta Dynasty in North India had ended after the Huns attack by 535 AD. Harshavardana Siladitya of Kanauj replaced the Gupta empire and ruled from 606 AD to 647 AD. The good administration and the arts under his short-lived empire (ruled only for 41 years) were equal to that of the Gupta period. Through military campaigns he expanded his rule in North India as far as Assam. Harsha became a devout follower of Buddhism as his rule expanded in North India. It was a period of high culture and flourishing Buddhist schools. The university of Nalanda was at its pinnacle of grandeur, attracting over 10,000 students from all over the Buddhist world. The City of Kanauj became a great cultural centre until the Mughal empire destroyed the Buddhist heritage later. Harsha was a scholar who composed poetry and wrote plays. One of them, named Nagananda, based on a Buddhist legend, is very popular today. Harsha had diplomatic links with the Tang dynasty emperor Taizong in China. They had ambassadors in eachother's court.

647 Last Buddhist Emperor couldn't take South India because of Chalukyas During this time 3 strong Dravidian powers dominated South India. They were Chalukyas in south west, Pandyans in south, Pallavas in South East. The rulers of these kingdoms tolerated various sects of Buddhism as those monks didn't try to correct bad governance. These South Indian rulers didn't give the Royal patronage to Buddhism like in north India. Harsha Siladitya's attempt to expand southwards to the Deccan valley was halted by the Chalukyas who lived at the entrance to the South India. Pulakeshin II, ruler of the militarily powerful Chalukya kingdom, defeated him. (The brutal Cholas, a new South Indian community who would surface in another 350 years, would conquer legendary Chalukyas).

647 Why did Harsha's Empire Collapse after his death ? His empire was held together mostly by his military capability and the close personal supervision of the administration. He died without placing a powerful leader in charge to replace him. After his death, his vast empire rapidly collapsed as regional warlords claimed independence.

650 Dathopatissa is beaten to India Kassapa, a younger brother of Aggabodi-3, become the king after defeating the evil Dathopatissa. Dathopatissa fled to South India.

650 Last Buddhist State Lanka by this time was the last remaining peaceful heaven for the true Buddhists. Buddhism in all other countries didn't have a society based on Buddhist principles. Buddhism in South India, was vanishing. In all other countries, the actions of the non-Buddhists jeopardised the survival of the true Buddhists in the society. A true Buddhist simply couldn't survive in those societies. Buddhists wanted a society where they could be Buddhists without being let down or cheated by the non-Buddhists who took advantage of the principles of the Buddhists. Lanka was the last place on earth for the true Buddhists. It is, even today. In no other predominantly Buddhist country Buddhists can live in a society based on Buddhist principles. This is probably why the sinister anti-Buddhist elements are destroying that very Buddhist society in Sri Lanka.

650 Power of the Tang empire : The Largest Empire ever on Earth. By this time, almost 100 Asian communities and countries were under the Chinese Tang rule. The Tang empire covered more territory than Rome at its height. Taxes on land, commerce, manufacture, and sales made the empire very rich. Merchants like Tea businessmen, Bankers, and Salt dealers became very rich. With flourishing commerce, China came into the biggest ever contact with the outside world. Arab traders were common in the markets. Persian businessmen owned restaurants and wine shops in the cities. Korean traders were prominent on the northern coast. Neighbours like Japanese found the Chinese culture so impressive that they would follow the Chinese culture for the next 200 years. This explained the Chinese influence on the Japanese civilization.

650 The largest city on earth : Chinese capital Chang'an Chang'an, the Chinese capital, was the largest city on earth at the time. Over 2 million people lived in the city. That was far greater than that of any city in Europe at the time. An inner citadel within the city included the Royal palace, Audience halls, and government offices. Just outside the city walls, the Tang Emperors had hunting parks and elaborate gardens for their entertainment.

650 Thuparamaya relic chamber is closed New king Kassapa-2 repaired and closed the relic chamber of Thuparamaya. (It had been broke open by evil Dathopatissa). But he couldn't replace the treasures that were inside. They had been robbed and taken to South India.

650 A Buddhist Sri Vijaya Kingdom in Sumatra Around this time a new Buddhist Kingdom of Sri Vijaya appeared in the island of Sumatra. After establishing firm control on the Sumatra island, they took the Malay Peninsula. That gave them access to and control over the Strait of Malacca. They dominated the sea trade in South East Asia for 500 years. Sri Vijayan merchants were famous for their busy and lucrative trade between China and India. This helped them become a very powerful Buddhist Malay kingdom. These Merchants even established Buddhist temples on the Coromandel Coast of West India so that they could attend Buddhist temples even when they are on business. They reached their peak in 1000 AD. By that time they controlled large parts of Java and western Borneo. But the Cholas from South India invaded and destroyed their power in 1025 AD. As the Sri Vijaya kingdom was weak, the kingdom of Java- their number one rival, under Airlangga, king of East Java, managed to become independent and strong. As Sri Vijaya kingdom declined, other smaller Java kingdoms conquered them.

652 Kassapa-2 kills the evil Dathopatissa in battle Evil Dathopatissa came back with a South Indian mercenary army again. Kassapa-2 led the small Lankan Army very carefully for Lanka couldn't afford many resources for the war. Somehow, clever Kassapa-2 defeated the invaders, and killed the evil Dathopatissa in battle.

659 Evil Dathasiva's Henchmen take revenge : South Indian uprising Kassapa-2 had only three little children. When Kassapa-2 died, as he had requested, his sister's son Mana in Ruhuna ruled Lanka. The selfish corrupt elements were planning the usual game for power. One day when Mana was away, a band of South Indian mercenaries who had come with the evil Dathopatissa and were pardoned to live in Lanka, grabbed power. The rebels invited Hattadata, (son of Dathopatissa's sister who had fled to South India when Dathopatissa was killed ) to come and take the throne as revenge. Mana and his father Dappula ( king of Ruhuna) realised that Lanka didn't have an organised military power capable of crushing the rebels. The rebels had enough funds donated by the greedy merchants in Lanka, and enough support from the selfish corrupt officials in Lanka. Therefore, Mana and his father Dappula ( king of Ruhuna) decided to make a tactical treaty with the South Indians rebels, allowing Hattadata to rule Anuradhapura as Dathopatissa-2.

662 Afghanistan turns Islamic invading Islamic Arabs took Kabul around this time. This was the beginning of the Islam and the end of Buddhism in Afghanistan.

662 Liberation Struggle is crushed by Dathopatissa-2 ( Nephew of Datasiva) While ruling the East, Mana raised a large army, which he thought, was powerful enough to liberate the country. With the army his father had raised in Ruhuna, he challenged the selfish corrupt rule of Dathopatissa-2. But his liberation army was not trained enough to battle international mercenaries or their tactics. Mana was killed in battle. His father, king of Ruhuna, died of grief. Lanka was again leaderless.

663 Battle between Dathopatissa-2 and Theravada Monks Corrupt Dathopatissa-2 tried to win the Buddhist monks and the Buddhists through propaganda and bribes. But he failed to bribe the Theravada monks. Theravada monks led by the Mahaviharaya, protested to the new corrupt regime. He then ordered new temples to be built on the premises of Theravada temples. The sinister motive behind this act was to place corrupt Buddhist monks in charge of these temples. Again, Theravada monks resisted. Dathopatissa-2 did that by force, using thugs to murder the key Buddhist monks who protested. Then Theravada monks refused the patronage of the corrupt regime. Dathopatissa-2 launched a propaganda campaign to discredit these Theravada monks. Helped by the corrupt elements, that was partly successful as some members of the public began to criticise Theravada monks as troublemakers, racists and extremists. Fortunately, evil Dathopatissa-2 died of a disease.

664 Unsuccessful attempt by the son of the last king to liberate Lanka The patriots in Lanka had taken Manavamma, one of the 3 young sons of the last good king Kassapa-2, to the king Narasiha of the Pallava kingdom in South India. This is considered as the beginning of a close relationship between the Sinhala kings and the Pallava kings. Manavamma grew up, and returned with a Pallava army. But he lost the battle as some Lankans, including some South Indian residents and corrupt selfish elements, refused to help him. He had to withdraw to Pallava kingdom again.

667 Selfish Regime recognises Buddhism which they had destroyed After the death of selfish Dathopatissa-2 ( Nephew of Datasiva), his youngest brother became the king of Lanka as "Aggabodi-4". He was not the typical power-hungry South Indian living in Lanka who hated the Buddhist ways. He probably managed to understand the destruction caused to the Buddhist Lanka by his uncle. He had realised that the only way to hold on to power in Lanka was to follow the example of the good Lankan kings who ruled under a Buddhist philosophy. Therefore this new "King" became a Buddhist. There are indications that during this period the regime understood the need to uplift Buddhism and to respect the Buddhists. May be it is because they knew that the patriots would bounce back in strength if they continued to denounce Buddhism. Like Dathopatissa, he would also die of an incurable disease.

667 South Indian General builds Buddhist monastery for monks A South Indian General in the Sinhala army, during this period even built Sirisanghabodi Pirivena near Jetavanaramaya. He offered that temple to the monks in a Buddhist religious ceremony. It is hard to determine the motive or the genuineness of these actions. There is no doubt that good South Indian officials and merchants lived under both the corrupt and the good regimes. But their image has been tarnished by the activities of the power-hungry, racist South Indians who took advantage of the qualities of the Buddhists and destroyed the once mighty civilisation.

667 Dathopatissa's younger brother also dies of disease Like the way Dathopatissa ( Nephew of evil Datasiva who destroyed the Sinhala Buddhist heritage) died, his younger brother who ruled as Aggabodi-4, also died of an incurable disease. He had tried hard to impress the Buddhists. Before his death, he advised all of his officials, including all South Indian Officials and Ministers to be pious and never to jeopardise the Buddhist rights. This angered the selfish corrupt elements that supported his regime. By the time he died, he had earned some respect from the Buddhists for admitting the destruction caused to the Sinhalese civilisation.

683 Selfish Corrupt elements place an evil South Indian Minister to rule Sri Lanka Before his death, Aggabodi-4 had recognised the dilemma of the Sinhalese Buddhists. He had even advised the serving ministers and the officials , including his deputy, to respect and to recognise the Buddhist way of Government. After Aggabodi-4 died, the selfish, corrupt elements were worried about the return of the Theravada system. They quickly arranged a South Indian Minister named Pottakuta to rule the country. This evil Pottakuta placed the deputy king in the prison fearing that he would become the king. Evil Pottakuta placed two pawns as the kings of Lanka and ruled to the great satisfaction of the selfish corrupt elements. Again the country and the people went nowhere while only the corrupt selfish elements and their families flourished.

683 Only woman ever to rule China- Empress Wu : From Concubine to Emperor with political talent Empress Wu was the only woman ever to rule China and one of the most powerful rulers in Chinese history. She had entered the Royal palace as a concubine to the Emperor T'ai Tsung. In 683 AD, she became the unofficial ruler of China after assassinating the rival to the throne. Immediately, she invaded Korea. She was naturally talented in politics. She manipulated and humbled all her rivals in politics. For seven years she unofficially ruled China through several puppets. When the time was right, she claimed the title of emperor in 690 AD. She held power until she died in 705 AD, at the age of 80.

684 Manavamma finally liberates Lanka & then redevelops the infrastructure With massive personal help from the Pallava king Narasinhavarman, Manavamma finally liberated Lanka from the evil clutches of the selfish corrupt elements. He had to rebuild the economy almost from the beginning. The selfish corrupt rule had neglected the proper maintenance of the infrastructure. The selfish corrupt ministers, officials and merchants had only reaped the benefits in to their pockets. New good king improved agriculture. He built eight reservoirs. He re-established the Theravada Buddhism again. He built seven Theravada Buddhist Universities in order to train more good Theravada monks.

690 Egypt becomes Islamic Invading Muslim armies took Egypt. People embraced the new religion quickly. Arabic became the official language in Egypt.

690 North Africa becomes Islamic As Muslim Armies took Tunis and many North African areas, the people embraced the new religion quickly. People liked this new religion as all the people in the region were united under this religion. Christianity in some parts of North Africa, which had been established by the Christian Missionaries, ended.

690 First Material Evidence of Islam in Middle East Although the Islamic Arab leaders had conquered the Middle East region by this time, some critics refused to accept that the Islam was in existence in the Middle East. The oldest material evidence uncovered which silenced these critics, belonged to this year. This proof came in the form of new coins introduced in the Middle East by the new Muslim administration. Also, the building of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem by the Muslims was another proof, which belonged to this same year. It was enough to prove that the development of the new religion and the culture in the Middle East by this time.

691 Muslim Armies invade Spain Arab leaders saw the advantage the new religion Islam presented to them. Under Islam, people would unite. That meant loyal and disciplined societies who wouldn't rebel for power. They exploited this to the maximum by extending their political rule further by conquering and converting more people to Islam. After marching their armies across North Africa and the Middle East, Muslim Arab leaders conquered Spain. Then they were ready to enter Europe.

692 Muslims establish Pakistan Muslim Arab leaders who brought their armies to the east, established an Islamic state named Sind. In 1948 AD, when the British left India, they formed Pakistan in this area.

702 The Last Recorded Lankan Trade mission to China The neglected infrastructure in Lanka had affected the trade with China. It is believed that from this time, North Indian states dominated the trade with China from the region of South Asia. In another 300 years, the new Chola kingdom in South India would use their Navy to establish trade contacts with the Chinese. But the Lankans under the good kings would work hard to revive their trade back to normalcy.

703 Proof of Lankan Gold Coins Archaeologists have uncovered evidence that Lanka was using gold coins as currency. Within another 600 years, thanks to the invaders and the rebels, Lankans would be too poor to use Gold coins.

711 Last Visigoth ( Spanish) king is killed by the Muslim invaders Arab leaders saw the advantage the new religion Islam presented to them. Under Islam, people would unite. That meant loyal and disciplined societies who wouldn't rebel for power. They exploited this to the maximum by extending their political rule further by conquering and converting more people to Islam. The Last Visigoth king, Roderick, was defeated and killed by the invading Muslim armies in the Battle of Río Barbate. Victorious Muslim armies would take Spain and enter Europe. No one in Europe was able to stop them for 21 years, until the French stopped them in France.

719 Islamic Arab invaders enters France In 719, after taking Spain, the Muslim armies had crossed the Pyrenees. Then they were in French territory. French were determined to stop them. French kept on studying them in order to formulate a plan to destroy the invaders.

724 Law that no living creature should be killed for food King Kassapa-3, a very religious king, banned killing animals for food. Again the non-Buddhists who were Not Vegetarians, would view this as a nuisance. They failed to understand that they were living in the only place on the earth where the Buddhists could practise their principles in the society. This lack of understanding continues even today.

730 Printing starts in China Chinese were the first to start printing. This helped develop poetry, literature and maintain national unity.

730 "A King must be the last to eat, Even then he must ensure that none of his Countrymen are Starving" King Mahinda, who was the younger brother of the previous good king Kassapa-3, refused to eat until all the poor people in the country had their meals. The Social Security Centres in the country had fixed meal times to provide meals to the needy and the sick. King had his meal only after that time, knowing that none of his countrymen were starving. This was how the Sinhalese Kings earned respect from the people, while other kings demanded the respect from the people simply because of the title. Even today, Sinhalese have the habit of assessing the capability, sincerity, and the intentions rather than respecting anybody's title. Sinhalese, unlike most people in the world, refuse to respect the authority gained and maintained through dishonesty, injustice, and corruption.

730 Tradition of Bestfriends : King Mahinda loses Bestfriend Nila In another example for the Sinhalese tradition of Bestfriends, King Mahinda had a Bestfriend named Nila. When this Bestfriend Nila died, King Mahinda was in such permanent grief, that he refused to be crowned and refused the luxuries enjoyed by a king. He spent the rest of his days in permanent sadness, living a simple life.

732 Franks (French) meets the advancing Moors Arab leaders saw the advantage the new religion Islam presented to them. Under Islam, people would unite. That meant loyal and disciplined societies who wouldn't rebel for power. They exploited this to the maximum by extending their political rule further by conquering and converting more people to Islam. When the Moors stepped into the French territory, Charles Martel ( named “Charles the Hammer”) was the ruler of the Franks ( French). He was the fourth son of Colvis, the first French king who initiated a close relationship with the Christian Church in the Vatican in Rome. Both the Franks and the Pope knew the importance of the battle. Franks Army met the invading Moors at Tours in today's France.

732 Battle of Tours : How did the French win the battle ? In order to deprive the Muslim invaders of the advantage in the numbers, French king Martel formed a tight square with his army, and called it “a belt of ice frozen together”. Whole day the Moor troops tried to break through the tight French square. In close combat, Moors couldn't match the Franks. As they frantically threw themselves upon the French, many Moors, including their leader Abdul Ar Rahman, were killed in the fighting. As the night fell, demoralised Moors withdrew. Moors would never be able to advance on Europe again. This is considered one of the most decisive battles in the history of the western Europe.

732 Battle of Tours- Most decisive for the survival of Christianity in Europe Battle of Tours was also the most important battle in the history of Christianity in Europe. The victory in this battle helped the Pope and the Christian Church to survive in Europe. This also helped them to convert more terrified Europeans into Christianity.

733 Cousins of trust : Honesty, Trust, Selfless Patriotism and Principles startled the non-believers of the Theravada system : Another classic example for the Theravada Buddhist Philosophy When King Mahinda passed away, his son Aggabodi ( Governor of Ruhuna) was in Anuradapura. Although he could've taken over the throne easily without any blame, he sent for king's deputy, Aggabodi( son of kassapa-3) who was the Governor in the east. He invited him to be the King for he would be a better King than him to the country and the people. Deputy King Aggabodi became king as Aggabodi-6. He made Aggabodi, King Mahinda's son, the new Deputy king. This kind of honesty, trust, selfless patriotism and principles startled the non-believers of the Theravada system. Such amazing qualities were not normal in other parts of the world, where being power-hungry was treated normal. In Lanka, finest Theravada System kept all of them together under one national philosophy. When the king needed a break, this deputy looked after the administration, advising the king to take a break and to enjoy life. This was the uniqueness of the Lankan's golden Philosophy. As usual, many conspirators tried to break the friendship and the trust, unsuccessfully. But they survived.

750 Last Buddhist Revival in India Beginning of Pala Dynasty in Magadha and Orissa from 750 AD, signifies the last Buddhsit revival in India. Buddhism had become weakend since the end of King Harshavardana, the last Buddhist king of India, in 647 AD. Pala dynasty established Buddhist universities. Buddhist monks disappeared from the northwest and concentrated in central india. But in 1199AD, Muslim invaders ended Buddhism in India with the massacre of the monks and the burning of Nalanda University.

750 End of Teotihuacan - Earliest City in the western hemisphere. Teotihuacan civilisation in the valley of Mexico, had developed around 50 AD. This civilisation, which was based on irrigation, agriculture, statecraft, industries, trade, and large cities, is regarded as a textbook example of a formation of a civilisation. Their City of Teotihuacan, which, in 118 AD had a population around 100,000 in an area of 8 Sq.miles, was abandoned around this time. Archaeologists and historians haven't been able to find out why. But this civilization definitely influenced the Aztec civilisation before they disappeared.

750 Arab Muslim empire peaks : Muslim traders get more opportunities Arab leaders saw the advantage the new religion Islam presented to them. Under Islam, people would unite. That meant loyal and disciplined societies who wouldn't rebel for power. They exploited this to the maximum by extending their political rule further by conquering and converting more people to Islam. Arab Muslim empire peaked around this time. That extended from Spain, Morocco, and North Africa to the borders of India and China. This opened up more opportunities to the traditional Arab Traders who had by this time become Muslims. Using their experience, they expanded trade between Sahara, China and Europe.

750 New Islamic kingdom emerge from Baghdad : Abbasid Caliphate - The Most Powerful Islamic Kingdom The large Islamic empire soon broke into smaller local Islamic kingdoms. They were named "caliphates". The most powerful caliphate was the one based in Baghdad. In the previous year, the Abbasid family (descended of Abbas, the uncle of Muhammad) had taken over the rule from the Umayyad family in Baghdad. (One last survivor of the Umayyad family fled to Spain. In 6 years, he became the Muslim ruler in Spain, starting a new Muslim Dynasty in Spain). The Abbasid rule in Baghdad would last for almost 500 years. Even from the beginning, Baghdad was the centre of intellectuals, scholars, human knowledge and new inventions in China.

750 Islamic World gathers and shares the knowledge of the humans : Chinese Knowledge is received in the Middle East. Muslim caliphates became the centres of human knowledge. Scholars, philosophers, poets, inventors, scientists and doctors gathered in cities like Baghdad to study at the “Houses of Knowledge” ( Universities). They translated Greek classics into Arabic, studied Indian mathematics, learnt about new inventions from China, and studied the Buddhist philosophy. It was these intellectuals who collected all the knowledge discovered by the human kind so far into one place. Arab scholars throughout the Muslim world from Cordoba ( Capital city in Spain) to Cairo ( in Egypt) shared this knowledge with each other. In another 500 years this knowledge would end up in Europe.

750 West and North Africa, Specially Ghana, become very wealthy through trade with Muslim Merchants As Arabs conquered North Africa, Muslim traders flooded the region. As they frantically bought trade goods, which were in high demand in Europe and Asia, commerce flourished in the region. Merchants in Ghana who acted as local partners and middlemen, became very wealthy. Ghana became a wealthy kingdom by exporting gold, ivory, nuts, and slaves. These African rulers suddenly became very rich by charging taxes on trade goods. They had tax stations along the trade routes. Long trade caravans with over 4000 camels, moved through these routes. African rulers used their armies to maintain peace and to provide security for trade. These wealthy Ghana socialites held extravagant parties, which were full of splendour. Thousands of guests participated in these parties. Until the gold was discovered in the Americas in the 1450 AD, West Africa was the supplier of gold to the Europe and to the Middle East.

751 Battle of Talas : Chinese lose to the Muslim Arabs - Islam arrives in Central Asia By this time Chinese Tang Dynasty had extended their rule in the territory deep in Central Asia just north of today's Pakistan. Chinese had to fight constant battles against the Turks, Tibetans, and other tribal armies to rule the area. In 751 AD, in the battle of Talas, the Chinese lost to the Arab Muslim army who had advanced under an alliance with the Prince of Tashkent in Russia. The weakened Chinese army units were so decisively defeated that they withdrew from the region. That was the start of the spread of Islam in the Central Asia. The withdrawal of the Chinese Army from the Central Asia started a collapse that saw the end of the mighty Tang dynasty in China.

754 Birth of the Papal States ( State Under Pope and Roman Catholic Church) In 754 AD, the Italian lands offcially handed over by Pepin the Short, king of the Franks, to Pope Stephen II came under direct rule of the Pope. These lands were called Papal States, or States of the Church or Pontifical States. Pope, with the help of regional powers like the Franks, continued to annex more territories by gifts, purchases, and conquests until the Papal States included nearly the whole of central Italy. These areas reached their greatest extent in the 16th century. In 1797, Napoleon Bonaparte took much of the territory. In 1815, after the allied forces defeated Napoleon at Waterloo and restored Papal rule back in these areas under Austrian protection. But in 1870, Italian King Victor Emmanuel II annexed all Papal states including Rome and limited the Pope's jurisdiction to the Vatican. In protest, each Pope thereafter considered themselves as prisoners under Italian occupation. In 1929, in the Lateran Treaty, Italian king Victor Emmanuel III recognized the full independance of the Vatican City under Pope.

755 4 years after the defeat to Arabs at Talas, Tang dynasty is under threat Withdrawal of the Chinese Army from the Central Asia was a clear indication of the weakness of the Tang dynasty. This led to many uprisings. In 755 AD, a General named An Lushan started an 8-year bloody rebellion against the Tang Dynasty. As the central Tang government became weaker, military commanders and Warlords set up independent kingdoms under them. That was how the end came to the largest empire ever on earth.

755 End of Buddhism in China : Paranoia takes over Tang rule Desperate Tang rulers became ruthless in order to crush rebellions. Daoism replaced the Buddhist tolerance. Emperor Wuzong who was a Daoist, brutally suppressed Buddhism. He closed over 40,000 Buddhist temples. he chased out over 260,000 monks and nuns out of these Buddhist temples. Monastic lands were confiscated and were sold to merchants in order to win them over to the government side. Graduates, nuns, and monks from Lanka had been migrating to China over a period of 300 years establishing these Buddhist sites. All that handwork was destroyed in this panic.

756 Islamic rule established in Spain for the next 700 years In Muslim Spain a separate Umayyad Islamic dynasty was established in 756 AD. The only survivor who escaped from the Abbasid dynasty in Baghdad established this. In 929 AD, Abdul Ar Rahman III became the Caliph ( King) and took over the Baghdad's leadership of the Muslim world.

756 How Christian Europeans benefited from the Muslim Spain Muslim Spain was a centre of learning and knowledge. It was this knowledge that strongly influenced the Christian Europe to advance. Spanish capital city Cordoba had a library of 400,000 books. Al Hassan, a Spanish Muslim, pioneered the study of the human eye. Abu Kasim wrote the first illustrated text on surgery. Medical education finally reached Europe from the Muslim Spain.

763 General Rebellion ends Tang power Since the height of Tang splendour, the central government has been facing rebellions by regional Generals and Ministers. One of the Most disastrous rebellion by a frontier general named An Lushan was crushed in 763 after immense loss of life and the sacking of both capitals. Thereafter, the Tang dynasty was no longer able to control its frontier military governors if they defied the central government. When invasions came Tang dynasty couldn't face them effectively. By 907 AD, as Tang dynasty fell, China would disintegrate. In 960 AD, the troops who chose the Commander of the Palace Guards as the new King introduced the Great Song dynasty.

772 "Unbelievable trademarks of the fine Theravada system" : King's son gives throne to the Prince Aggabodi After the death of King Aggabodi-6, his son volunteered to give the throne to the Deputy King Prince Aggabodi. This Deputy King became the king as Aggabodi-7. King's son went to Mannar as the Governor of that province. After 6 years, when the king died, he returned to be the king. Again the lack of power-hunger and the evident lack of selfishness, were just unbelievable trademarks of the fine Sinhalese society, which was based on the pure Theravada system.

772 French-German Competition begins When they had no Roman Army, Visigoths or Muslim Army to fight with, they fought among themselves for supremacy. Saxons dominance through migration and colonisation threatened the ambitious Franks who wanted to be the European super power. Frankish king Pepin the Short, started attacking the Saxons in Germany. The long history of the French-German competition for the dominance in Europe thus began.

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