INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUE IN SRI LANKA
Keywords:
INTER-RELIGIOUS DIALOGUEAbstract
Sri Lankan society is basically multi-religious and multi-ethnic. It has a population of over 17 million. Four major world religions are present in Sri Lanka, namely, Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. The division of population according to religions is as follows. Buddhists 69%, Hindus 15%, Muslims 7% and Christians 7.5%. The main ethnic group is Sinhalese who are the descendants of Vijaya an Arian, who came to Sri Lanka from the region of Vangas (Bengal) about 3000 years ego, as it is recorded in Mahawamsa, the Great Chronicle of Ceylon', Then there are Tamils, Muslims and Burghers whose presence in Sri Lanka dates backto hundreds of years. A historical study about the emergence of the ethnic groups is not the purpose of this article. in the present context all these races have become part and parcel of the Sri Lankan society and they have their own contribution to make in the formation of a typically Sri Lankan ethos.
References
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