The History of Ancient Sri Lanka- Its External Trade and Cultural Contacts (From Earliest Times to 1200 A.D.)

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This book Presents a very systematic examination of the ancient Sri Lanka's external Trade and Cultural Contacts till 1200 A.D. The Marvelous records of the ancient writers who expressed directly or indirectly about Sri Lanka are also very meaningful in this context. The trade and commerce, trade centers. Terms of export and import and cultural exchange between Sri Lanka and other countries as India, Groeco-Roman world, Arabs, China and Southeast Asia is critically assessed by the careful examination of the sources and the archaeological material, Besides these this book also consists of maps and plates.

Manisha Tyagi born in 1980. At present she is teaching in History Department, Meerut College, Meerut as a Assistant Professor (Guest faculty), UP, India.

She completed her higher education from MJP Rohilkhand University Bareilly, (India). She has her interest in the Indo Sri Lankan studies and Sri Lanka's relation with other countries in past.

She has credited more than 15 research papers. (In International, National and state level books and proceedings). She is also member of Uttar Pradesh History Congress, Indian History Congress, Indian Society for Greeks and Roman Studies (ISGARS).

This is really a subject of proud for me that I got a chance to write on the relation of Sri Lanka with external world. As we know that Sri Lanka makes it first every type of relation with India. Indians always have a fascinating image of Sri Lanka because of Ram and Ravana's story of Ramayana. But in later period Sri Lanka's popularity in Occanic world had been increased and its reason was its gems, pearls and other miraculous production of the island. Sri Lanka came in touch with east and west and it all happens because of its central position in the Indian Ocean. That's why Sri Lanka always being a subject of interest for the historians and learners.

This is actually a main objective of this book is to find out some possibilities and connectivity of Sri Lanka with other countries like India, Perso-Arabics, Graeco Roman world, Far east and with South east Asia. The chosen topic of Ancient Sri Lanka's external Trade and cultural contacts is true in this context.

I hope the future scholars of this field will defiantly get benefitted from this book. This work is in descriptive form. They could fetch maximum queries at one place. Chapterization is clear and understandable. I took all care in writing and tried to make it more correct as possible.

The study of the long distance commerce of ancient Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean is a task almost as vast as the Ocean itself. History of Sri Lankan trade and culture for over two thousand years is of multifurious interest and value to the historians and archaeologist of the past as well as present. Śrī Lanka came into existence as a trade power into the world's map, we can say this fact with the help of archaeological evidences that are coming to light through the excavations at different sites of Sri Lanka. So this work is also an effort in this direction to explore Sri Lanka's trade, cultural and religious relations with the other countries i.e. India, Graeco-Roman world, Arab, Persia, Southeast Asia and China.

Geographically Sri Lanka falls to the South-East of India. This lush tropical island lies approximately, between six and ten degrees to North of the equator. Its total area is 24581 miles. Sri Lanka is separated from the southern extremity of the peninsula of India by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, the width of the intervening sea at the narrowest point (Adam's Bridge) being about 20 miles.

**Contents and Sample Pages**