The
Sinhalese (
Sinhala: සිංහල ජාතිය
Sinhala Jathiya) are an Indo Aryan ethnic group native to the island of
Sri Lanka. They constitute 75% of the Sri Lankan population and number greater than 15 million. The Sinhalese identity is based on language, historical heritage and religion. The Sinhalese speak
Sinhala, an
Indo-Aryan language, and are predominantly
Theravada Buddhists, although a small percentage of Sinhalese follow branches of
Christianity. The Sinhalese are mostly found in North central, Central, South, and West Sri Lanka. According to
Mahavamsa, an ancient treatise written in
Pali, The Sinhalese are the descendants of the exiled
Prince Vijaya who arrived from
East India (today's
Orissa and
Bengal) to Sri Lanka in 543
BCE and early settlers from that region.