Sri Lanka has a documented history that spans over 3,000 years, but there are theories to suggest that Sri Lanka had pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years.^[8] Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road^[9] through to World War II.^[10]Sri Lanka is a diverse country, home to many religions, ethnicities and languages.^[11] It is the land of the Sinhalese,Sri Lankan Tamils, Moors, Indian Tamils, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda.^[12] Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage, and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka