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| History of Sri Lanka | ||||||||||||||||
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This is a list of wars involving the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and its predecessor states.
| Conflict | Sri Lanka and allies | Opponents | Results | Sri Lankan commanders | Sri Lankan losses | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | General | SL forces | Civilians | ||||
| Battle of Vijithapura (162/161 BCE) |  Anuradhapura Kingdom |  Chola dynasty | Victory | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Anuradhapura invasion of Chola (120) | Anuradhapura Kingdom | Chola dynasty | Victory | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Anuradhapura invasion of Pandya (862) | Anuradhapura Kingdom |  Pandya dynasty | Victory | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Anuradhapura invasion of Pandya (917) | Anuradhapura Kingdom | Pandya Dynasty | Unknown | Unknown | |||
(946) | Anuradhapura Kingdom | Pandya dynasty | Unknown | Unknown | |||
| Chola invasion of Anuradhapura kingdom | Anuradhapura Kingdom | Chola dynasty | Victory
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Invasion of Anuradhapura by Rastrakuta empire | Anuradhapura Kingdom | Rashtrakuta dynasty | Victory
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Chola conquest of Anuradhapura (992–1017) | Anuradhapura Kingdom | Chola dynasty | Defeat
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Conflict | Sri Lanka and allies | Opponents | Results | Sri Lankan commanders | Sri Lankan losses | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | General | SL forces | Civilians | ||||
| Polonnaruwa–Pagan War (1165–1181) | Polonnaruwa kingdom Angkorian Empire | Pagan Kingdom Chola dynasty (in Pegu) | Victory
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Pandyan Civil War (1169–1177) | Polonnaruwa kingdom Pandya dynasty (Parakrama Pandyan I) | Chola dynasty Pandya dynasty (Kulasekhara Pandyan) | Victory
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| 1173 Polonnaruwa invasion of Chola (1173) | Polonnaruwa kingdom | Pandya dynasty Chola dynasty | Victory
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Conflict | Sri Lanka and allies | Opponents | Results | Sri Lankan commanders | Sri Lankan losses | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King | General | SL forces | Civilians | ||||
| Ming–Kotte War (1410 or 1411) |  Kingdom of Kotte Ming Dynasty | Alagakkonara dynasty | Victory | Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Kotte conquest of the Jaffna kingdom (1449–1454) | Kingdom of Kotte |  Kingdom of Jaffna  Vanni chieftaincies Supported by: | Victory
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Kotte invasion of Vijayanagar (1456) | Kingdom of Kotte | Vijayanagar Empire | Victory | Various | Various | Unknown | Unknown |
| Sinhalese–Portuguese War (1518–1658) |  Kingdom of Sitawaka  Kingdom of Kandy Kingdom of Jaffna Principality of Raigama  Dutch East India Company |  Portuguese Empire | Victory
| Various | Various | Unknown | Unknown |
| Portuguese conquest of the Jaffna kingdom (1560–1619) | Kingdom of Jaffna Kingdom of Kandy Supported by: | Portuguese Empire | Defeat
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Dutch–Portuguese War (1602–1663) | Kingdom of Kandy  Dutch Republic  Kingdom of England (until 1640)  Johor Sultanate  Kingdom of Kongo Kingdom of Ndongo Rio Grande Tupis Nhandui Tarairiu Tribe |  Kingdom of Portugal Supported by: | Treaty of Hague
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| First Kandyan–Dutch War (1670–1675) | Kingdom of Kandy  France | Dutch Republic | Defeat
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Second Kandyan–Dutch War (1764–1766) | Kingdom of Kandy | Dutch Republic | Defeat
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Vanniyar Rebellion (1782) | Vanni chieftaincies Kingdom of Kandy | Dutch Republic | Victory
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Kandyan Wars (1796–1818) | Kingdom of Kandy Vanni chieftaincies |  British Empire Kandyan Opposition | Defeat
| Unknown | Unknown | ||
| Conflict | British Ceylon and allies | Opponents | Results | Governor(s) | British Ceylon losses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| British Ceylon forces | Civilians | |||||
| Matale Rebellion (1848) | British Empire | Kandyan rebels | Victory | |||
| Second Boer War (1899–1902) | British Empire |  Orange Free State Foreign volunteers from: | Victory
| |||
| World War I (1914–1918) | The Allies | Central Powers and Allies | Victory
Treaties of Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Trianon:
Russia pulls out in 1917
Creation of League of Nations:
| |||
| World War II (1931–1945) | The Allies | Axis Powers | Victory
| |||
| Easter Sunday Raid (1942) | British Empire |  Empire of Japan | Defeat | |||
| Cocos Islands mutiny (1942) | British Empire |  Ceylonese mutineers | Victory | |||
| Conflict | Ceylon and allies | Opponents | Results | Ceylon commanders | Ceylon losses | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head(s) of Government | Defence Minister(s) | Ceylonese forces | Civilians | ||||
| 1971 JVP insurrection (1971) |  Ceylon Military support: |  Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna Supported by: | Victory
| 53 | 1,200 | ||
| Conflict | Sri Lanka and allies | Opponents | Results | Sri Lankan commanders | Sri Lankan losses | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head(s) of Government | Defense Minister(s) | SL forces | Civilians | ||||
| Sri Lankan Civil War (1983–2009) |  Sri Lanka  India (1987–1990) |  Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Supported by: | Victory
| 28,708 | 60,000–100,000 | ||
| 1987–1989 JVP insurrection (1987–1989) | Sri Lanka India Pro-government paramilitaries: Eagles of the Central Hills | JVP Supported by: | Victory
| ||||
| Operation Prosperity Guardian (2023–present) | Sri Lanka  United States United Kingdom  Australia  New Zealand  Canada  Denmark  Greece  Netherlands  Norway  Bahrain  Singapore Supported by: |  Supreme Political Council | Ongoing
| ||||
| Conflict | Sri Lanka and allies | Country | Results | Sri Lankan commanders | Sri Lankan losses | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Head(s) of Government | Defense Minister(s) | |||||
| United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (1978–present) | Sri Lanka |  Lebanon | Ongoing | Various | ||
| United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (2004–present) | Sri Lanka |  Haiti | Ongoing | Various | ||
| United Nations Mission in the Central African Republic and Chad (2007–2010) | Sri Lanka |  Central African Republic  Chad | Ended | |||
| United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (2013–present) | Sri Lanka |  Mali | Ongoing | 3 [4] [5] | ||
SLNS Vijayabahu (P627) is an Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Sri Lanka Navy. The ship is named after King Vijayabahu I, the warrior king of the medieval Sri Lanka who founded the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.
The Sea Tigers was the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was founded in 1984. The Sea Tigers had a number of small but effective suicide bomber vessels. During its existence it had gained a reputation as a capable adversary for the Sri Lankan Navy. During the civil war, the Sea Tigers had sunk at least 29 Sri Lankan small inshore patrol boats, 20 Dvora-class fast patrol boats, 3 gunboats, 2 Large surveillance command ships, and one freighter.
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is the naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography. It is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its interests. The role of the Sri Lanka Navy is to conduct operations at sea for the defence of the nation and its interests and conduct prompt and sustainable combat operations at sea in accordance with the national policies.
SLNS Gajabahu (P626) is an Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel of the Sri Lanka Navy. The ship is the second ship named after King Gajabahu I, the warrior king of the medieval Sri Lankan Kingdom of Anuradhapura.
SLNS Samudura (P621) is a Sri Lanka Navy Offshore Patrol Vessel. Originally commissioned by the United States Coast Guard in 1968 as the medium endurance cutter USCGC Courageous, she was donated to Sri Lanka in 2004 and commissioned on 19 February 2005.
Admiral Wannakuwatta Waduge Erwin Clancy Fernando VSV, USP, MNI was a senior Sri Lanka Navy officer. He served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1 November 1991 to 16 November 1992, when he was assassinated by the LTTE he was the most senior officer in the Sri Lankan armed forces to be killed in the line of duty.
The Bay class is a class of eight armed patrol boats, built by Austal and used by the Customs Marine Unit of the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service. They entered service during the late 1990s and early 2000s, and are primarily used on border protection duties.
SLNS Sagara(Sagara meaning: Sea) is an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) of the Sri Lanka Navy. It was formerly the ICGS Varaha (41), a Vikram-class offshore patrol vessel of the Indian Coast Guard, leased to Sri Lanka in 2006 and was handed over to the Sri Lanka Navy in 2015.
The Ultra Fast Attack Craft, commonly known as the UFAC or Colombo class, is a Sri Lankan ultra high-speed class of patrol boats meant for a variety of naval missions from off-shore coastal patrol missions to high-speed, high-maneuver littoral warfare. They are based on the Shaldag boats made by Israel.
The Cedric class, formerly known as Arrow class, is a series of fast patrol/assault speed boats constructed by the Sri Lanka Navy for use by its littoral warfare units, the elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) and the Rapid Action Boat Squadron (RABS).
The Saryu class of offshore patrol vessels (OPV) are advanced patrol ships of the Indian Navy built at the Goa Shipyard Limited. These vessels are capable of ocean surveillance and monitoring and can maintain control of shipping lanes. They can also be deployed to provide security to offshore oil installations, and other naval assets.
The Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) is a Sri Lankan non-ministerial government department tasked with coast guard duties within the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. It comes under the purview of the Ministry of Defence and its members are all naval personnel. The current Director General of the SLCG is Rear Admiral Pujitha Vithana
SLNS Sayurala (P623) (Sayurala meaning: Sea waves) was an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) of the Sri Lanka Navy. It was named as the CGS Vigraha (39), a Vikram-class offshore patrol craft of the Indian Coast Guard. She was in service in Sri Lanka from 2009 during the Sri Lankan Civil War, before being returned to India in 2011.
SLNS Sayurala pennant number P623 is the flagship and an advanced offshore patrol vessel (AOPV) of the Sri Lanka Navy. It is the sister ship of SLNS Sindurala.
SLNS Sindurala pennant number P624 is an advanced offshore patrol vessel (AOPV) of the Sri Lanka Navy. It is the sister ship of SLNS Sayurala.
SLNS Parakramabahu (P351) was a Type 037 corvette class submarine chaser of the Sri Lanka Navy. The ship was named after King Parakramabahu I with warrior king of the ancient Sri Lankan Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. Purchased from the People's Liberation Army Navy, she served as the flagship of the fleet from 1996 to 2000.
The bombing of SLNS Sooraya and SLNS Ranasuru was an attack carried out on 19 April 1995 by LTTE suicide frogmen of the Sea Tigers, who attacked and sank two Sri Lanka Navy gun boats moored in the harbor of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka by planting explosives on them.
SLNS Parakramabahu (P625) is a Type 053H2G class frigate of the Sri Lanka Navy. The ship is the second ship named after King Parakramabahu I, the warrior king of the medieval Sri Lankan Kingdom of Polonnaruwa. Gifted by the People's Liberation Army Navy, she was commissioned in August 2019, classed as an Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel.
Attack on Colombo Harbour was a suicide attack carried out by six Black Sea Tigers of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Colombo Harbour, which is the primary commercial port in Sri Lanka.
