Hey there, I’m Suhas Dissanayake, and if you’ve been following my projects, you know I love diving into ideas that spark a bit of curiosity, whether it’s a meme app or a music player born out of pandemic boredom. This time, though, it’s something closer to home: a passion project that’s all about the stories that shaped the island I call home. Let me take you through the journey of creating Ceylon History, a site that’s basically my tribute to Sri Lanka’s wild, millennia-spanning history.
It all started a couple of years back when I stumbled upon this old Reddit post in r/srilanka. something titled “Timeline of Sri Lankan History in Javascript” by u/keheliya. Man, I was hooked from the first scroll. It was this interactive timeline, zooming through ancient kingdoms, colonial battles, and independence vibes, all wrapped in clean code. As a history buff who’s always geeking out over Sigiriya’s engineering feats or the Mahavamsa’s epic tales, I thought, “This is gold. Everyone needs this.” But then… heartbreak. The site was totally broken. Images missing, timelines glitching, the whole thing just gathering digital dust. I tried poking around the code on GitHub, but it was clear: no updates, no life left in it.
That’s when I decided, no way was I letting this die. I forked the idea, rebuilt it from scratch, and launched my own version: “Sri Lankan History Timeline”. Open-source, vanilla JS, mobile-friendly, and 100% ad-free. It was simple but powerful, scroll through 2,500+ years of Lankan history in one smooth motion. From Vijaya’s arrival in 543 BC to independence in 1948, every major event had its place. I shared it on GitHub, posted it back on r/srilanka, and watched people use it for school projects, trivia nights, and just pure curiosity. It felt good. Real good.
But time moves fast, and so did web standards. The site started showing its age, clunky on new phones, missing depth, and honestly, I had outgrown the original vision. I wasn’t just satisfied with a timeline anymore. I wanted context. I wanted stories. I wanted to know who ruled when, why a king built a 100-foot Buddha statue, or how a tiny island held off three colonial empires for centuries.
So in 2025, I shut down the old site and began a full renovation. The result? CeylonHistory.com, a complete reimagining.
Here’s what’s new:
- The Interactive Timeline – Still the heart of the site, now smoother, faster, and fully responsive.
- The Kings Catalog – Over 100 rulers, from legendary founders to the last Kandyan kings. Each has a dedicated card: reign dates, achievements, family tree, notable events. Ever wonder how many Parakramabahus there were? Now you’ll know.
- In-Depth Articles – Dozens of long-form pieces I wrote and curated. Topics range from the hydraulic genius of ancient Lanka to the fall of Jaffna, the role of Buddhism in statecraft, and the cultural survival of Kandyan arts. Maps, sources, and zero fluff.
- Clean, Fast, Private – No ads, no trackers, no bloat. Built with modern HTML/CSS/JS, optimized for Sri Lanka’s always shitty mobile networks.
This wasn’t a weekend project. It was months of evenings, cross-referencing the Mahavamsa with archaeological reports, scraping Wikipeda, and debugging date logic across BC/AD transitions. But every late night was worth it when I saw the impression on my friends faces.
Ceylon History isn’t just a website, it’s a living archive. A place where a student in Matara can learn about her heritage, a traveler in Ella can understand the ruins they’re photographing, or a Sri Lankan friend in abroad can feel a little closer to home.
And it’s not done. More articles are coming. Interactive maps? Maybe. 3D Models? Dreaming big.
So if you love history, code, or just good storytelling, head to ceylonhistory.com. Start with the timeline, get lost in the kings, and let me know what you want next which era you want explored next (just DM me on Discord).
Because some stories deserve more than a footnote.