Buddhism
About 70.2% of the citizens of Sri Lanka the Theravada Buddhists while there are about 8,000 Buddhist monasteries in Sri Lanka with over 15,000 monks who have devoted their lives to serve and preach Buddhism. Sri Lanka remains pure Theravada Buddhism.
Buddhism is the official introduction of the 2nd century BCE by Venerable “Mahinda”, son of Emperor Ashoka (273-232 BC) from India during the reign of King Devanampiya- Tissa (307 BC – 267 BC). Then, nuns “ Sanghamitta”, Asoka’s daughter, was said to have brought the southern branch of the original Bodhi tree, where it was planted in Anuradhapura. The Temple of the Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha, “Sri Dalada Maligawa”, where the highest religion is respected by studying cultural heritage attracts the highest respect Buddhists and other religions worldwide.
Hinduism
Hinduism has a long tradition in Sri Lanka, and Hindus make up around 12.6% of the population and almost exclusively Tamils apart from small immigrant communities of India and Pakistan as Sindhi, Telugus, and Malayalees. In the 1915 census, they make up almost 25% of the population, which includes the labor required to British have brought. Because of emigration today they are still a sizeable minority. Hinduism dominant in the Northern and Eastern provinces, where there are mostly Tamils. Hindus also practiced in the central area (where there are a large number of people of Tamil descent India) as well as in the capital, Colombo.
Islam
In the 7th century, Arab merchants controlled most of the trade in the Indian Ocean, including Sri Lanka. Many of these traders settled in Sri Lanka, encouraging the spread of Islam. However, when the Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka during the 16th century, many of the descendants of Arab Muslims were persecuted, thus forcing them to migrate to the Central Highlands and to the east coast.
In modern times, Muslims in Sri Lanka have Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, which was established in 1980 to prevent the continued isolation of the Muslim community from the rest of Sri Lanka. Today, approximately 9.7% of Sri Lanka adhere to Islam; most of the Moor and Malay ethnic communities on the island.
Christianity
Christianity was introduced by Thomas the Apostle in Sri Lanka during the 1st century. The first evidence of Christianity in Sri Lanka is an account in the 6th century Christian Topography, which says a Persian Nestorius community living on the island. In 1980, the Christian population is mostly concentrated in northwest Sri Lanka and in the capital, where they are 6.4% of the population. These Christians, about 85% are Roman Catholics and the rest are Anglicans, Methodists, and other Protestants.