This is the fascinating story of the island from shadowy primitive man to the stark reality of the present. Continued migration from the mainland in ancient times displaced the Stone Age culture and established a hydraulic civilization based on an intricate system of irrigation. This civilization flowered for over a millennium and then disintegrated within a few centuries not only due to invasion from South India but also to internecine battles that allowed a decadent and divided society to develop. The weakness was soon exploited by western nations seeking wealth and power. The Dutch followed the Portuguese and were, in their turn, ousted by the British. Sri Lanka became an integral part of the British Empire. The euphoria of Independence from Britain in 1948 was soon marred by a self-inflicted ethnic problem that continues to devastate the country and demoralise its people.