以往地理学家早称之为「东方之珠」的锡兰,长仅四百三十公里左右,宽仅二百二十五公里,但是人口超过八百万,其中百分之八十五从事农业。当地人大多数是僧伽罗人。锡兰岛位于欧洲和远东之间的航线上,因此在历史上它会几次成为外国征服的目标。十六世纪初期,葡萄牙人在这里建立了统治,一个半世纪后被荷兰人所取代。到十八世纪末,锡兰就沦为英国的殖民地。第一批侵略者都向当地人民发动毁灭性的战争,破坏城市,肆意屠杀。在那些日子里被破坏的庙宇和建筑的残迹,证明锡兰是有高度文化水平的。 In the past, geolocators of Ceylon, known as “Pearl of the Orient,” were only about 430 kilometers long and 225 kilometers wide but their population was over 8 million, of which 85% agriculture. Most locals are Sinhalese. Ceylon is on the route between Europe and the Far East, so it has historically been the target of foreign conquest. The early 16th century, the Portuguese established a rule here, a century and a half later by the Dutch replaced. By the end of the eighteenth century, Ceylon was reduced to a British colony. The first aggressors all started a devastating war against the people in the area, destroying the cities and wantonly killing them. The remnants of the temples and buildings destroyed in those days proved that Ceylon was highly educated.