Sinhalese people
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (Greater than 16 Million) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Sri Lanka 15,173,820 (74.88%)(2012) |
|
 United Kingdom
|
~150,000 (2010) |
 Australia
|
More than 100,000 |
 Italy
|
More than 80,738 (2008) |
 Canada
|
More than 70,000 (2016) |
 US
|
More than 100,000 (2016) |
 Singapore
|
60,000 (2016) |
 Malaysia
|
25,000 (2016) |
 New Zealand
|
30,257 (2016) |
 India
|
At least -55,000 |
| Languages | |
| Sinhalese · English | |
| Religion | |
 Theravada Buddhist majority Christian/Catholic
|
|
The Sinhalese (Sinhala: සිංහල ජාතිය Sinhala Jathiya, also known as Hela or Sinhale) are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group native to the island of Sri Lanka. They constitute 75% of the Sri Lankan population and a number greater than 15 million. The Sinhalese identity is based on language, historical heritage and religion. The Sinhalese people speak the Sinhalese language, an Indo-Aryan language, and are predominantly Theravada Buddhists, although a small percentage of Sinhalese follow branches of Christianity. The Sinhalese are mostly found in North central, Central, South, and West Sri Lanka. According to Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa, written by Buddhist monks of the Anuradhapura Maha Viharaya in Sri Lanka, around the 3-5th century, an ancient treatise written in Pali, the Sinhalese are descendants of the settlers who came to the island in 543 BCE from Sinhapura in India, led by Prince Vijaya.
From the Sanskrit word Simhala, meaning literally "of lions". Other Sanskrit meaning is 'Sinha' (lion) + 'la' (blood or heart).
The Mahavamsa records the origin of the Sinhalese people and related historical events. It traces the historical origin of the Sinhalese people back to the first king of Sri Lanka, Vijaya, who is the grandson of Sinhabahu (Sanskrit meaning 'Sinha' (lion) + 'bahu' (hands, feet), the ruler of Sinhapura. According to the Mahavamsa, Sinhabahu was the son of princess Suppadevi of the Vanga, who copulated with the king of the beast, a lion (there is no clear reference in the original text whether it was a lion or a man with lion-like features), and gave birth to a daughter called Sinhasivali and to a son, Sinhabahu, whose hands and feet were like the paws of a lion and who had the strength of a lion. King Vijaya, lineage of Sinhabahu, according to the Mahavamsa and other historical sources, arrived to the island of Tambapanni (Sri Lanka), and gave origin to the lion people, Sinhalese.
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Wikipedia