The colonial power that left the greatest mark on Sri Lanka was England. Both Portuguese and Dutch occupation of the country was partial. Traces of their influence are found
in the languages and the culture of the country. Portuguese influence was mainly in the field of the Catholic religion. Both the Portuguese and Dutch occupation was restricted to
the coastal areas of the country. Their principal interest was commerce and trade. They did try to annex the independent Kandyan kingdom but their various attempts were doomed
to failure. The Dutch involved themselves more with the civil affairs of the country. Examples of such involvement are its influences in the field of administration and justice.
The Roman Dutch law imported by the Dutch still prevails in Sri Lanka in some measure. The Dutch never had the same religious impact on the local population as did the Portuguese. Catholicism was accepted by a larger sector of the population than Dutch Protestantism.The former became the religion of the masses while the latter remained the religion of an elite. The British conquest of Sri Lanka was total. This was achieved with the annexation of the Kandyan kingdom in 1815. And so the country became a crown colony coming underthe political and administrative jurisdiction of the British Crown.
The immediate result was that English became the principal language of administration and education. The Christian and Catholic religions, mainly the latter, thrived under the British. This was quite normal for that time considering that Christianity as a whole had a Western base and was subject to Western influences. Buddhism and the Sinhalese language were relegated to the rural areas. The local languages received the name 'vernacular'. The purpose of the British was to form elite who would take over the political administration of the country once they left. The language of the elite was English. Thelanguagewas therefore meant to be the principal binding force between the two countries and wouldaffect and influence mutual collaboration in all fields, especially commerce. One of the hallmarks of those times isthatthe leading Srilankan families converted themselves to the Christian faith, becoming either Protestant or Catholic.
This enabled them to curry favour with the rulers and to receive benefits from them. One of the principal benefits was in the field of education. The chldren of the elite families received their education in British universities and schools of higher education. The most wanted profession of the period was the legal profession. So did British laws influence the courts and also the acts of parliament. So too it was with the British language and culture. They infiltrated into the country, and affected the outlook and the ways of life of those who were destined to lead it in the post colonial era.
