SLAS | Sri Lankan Association in Scotland is a community group initiated by those with Sri Lankan roots now living in Scotland.
Our primary objective is to help each-other, no matter what you are, where you are in Scotland, where in Sri Lankan you are coming from, what faith or belief you have, what language you speak - we are now living in Scotland with Sri Lankan roots! So let us help each-other, feel Sri Lankan and be proud!
We have plenty of information collated in to this website to make it a 'one stop shop' for any Sri Lankan who is planning to come to Scotland for either settlement, studies or even for a tour. We got most (if not all) of the information you would need to start your journey towards Scotland. Have a loot at Life in Scotland section for a wealth of information. From finding a house, your next job, a course at a Scottish University, school for children, where to shop for Sri Lankan food & grocery, getting in touch with other Sri Lankans in your area and many more.
Our information portal has helpful tips not only for those Sri Lankans new to Scotland, they will be helpful to some of you who are already in Scotland, so worth having a look.
However, if you think the information you are after is not available within our website, please drop us a message by visiting the Contact Us page, we will be very pleased to assist in anyway we could.
Sri Lanka (Sinhalese - ශ්රී ලංකාව), officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and known from the beginning of British colonial rule until 1972 as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia near south-east India.
Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest. Its documented history spans over 3,000 years, with evidence of pre-historic rich human settlements dating back to at least 125,000 years. Its geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to World War II.
Sri Lanka is a Sinhala Buddhist country with a diverse and multicultural society. Sri Lanka is home to many religions, ethnic groups, and languages. In addition to the majority Sinhalese, it is home to large groups of Sri Lankan and Indian Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda. Sri Lanka has a rich Buddhist heritage, and the first known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, the Pāli Canon, dates back to the Fourth Buddhist council in 29 BC.
Scottish links to the tropical island of Sri Lanka go back at least 200 years, when it was known as Ceylon.
Three European powers – the Portuguese, Dutch and British – dominated Sri Lankan political life from the 17th to the mid 20th centuries. The Portuguese arrived in 1505 and established control over some of the island's rich, narrow coastal plains but the Dutch ousted them in 1650. Both were attracted to Ceylon by the lucrative spice trade and left behind their own distinctive cultural marks on the island. But the most distinctive imprint on Ceylon's society and economy came when the British replaced the Dutch in 1795-6 when British power was being reconsolidated in South India.
Some notable Scots played a prominent role in this takeover. Lachlan Macquarie, who was born on the Isle of Mull and went on to become Governor of New South Wales in Australia, led the mainly Scottish 73rd regiment to victory over the Dutch. The British came to control the whole island in 1815 and change the fate of Ceylon for ever.
