Long before the arrival of Prince Vijaya, there were five recognised isvarams of Siva in Sri Lanka which claimed adoration of all India their situation close to these ports cannot be the result of accident and was probably determined by the concourse of a wealthy mercantile population whose religious wants called for attention-(1956: 10-12). Over time, these discussions have taken on the character of nationalist historiographies. .
British Colonisation.
Before Great Britain arrived in Sri Lanka, both Portugal and Holland attempted colonisation. Both were not interested in full colonisation, but merely ruled over the Jaffna Kingdom. However, their presence is still strongly evident with regard to religion: the Portuguese and Dutch introduced Catholicism and Protestantism which led to 250,000 converts within Sri Lanka (Diessen, 1986: 22-24). .
Although the Portuguese and Dutch both influenced Sri Lanka, it was Great Britain that introduced the concept of absolute colonialism to Sri Lanka. In 1795, the British captured the port of Trincomalee and other territories that were in the hands of the Dutch. The Kandyan kingdom had remained an independent unit during Portuguese and Dutch rule; but for ease of administration, in 1815, the British combined the two separate ethnic groups into a single nation with Colombo as its capital. For the first time the island was unified by a common administration, presided over by provincial government agents. A judicial system and a system of law binding reinforced the process of unification (Diessen, 1986: 39-42). .
In the nineteenth century, the British administrators did not see Ceylon in terms of the "Ceylonese", but rather in terms of Low Country Sinhalese, Tamils, Kandyan Sinhalese, Malays, Muslims, etc. When unofficial members had to be appointed to the newly created Legislative Council in 1832, they were chosen on the basis of communities. This communal representation obviously reinforced ethnic identities.
