1. On irrigation: “Neither in the lands of their (i.e. of the Indo-Aryan settlers) origin nor in South India did there develop an irrigation system of the magnitude or complexity of that which the Sinhalese afterwards constructed in Ceylon; nothing comparable and contemporaneous (i.e. 1st century A.D.-12th century A.D.) with the ancient dam, canal and tank system of Ceylon , mingling the waters of rivers flowing in different directions is known in continental India” (A Short Account of the History of Irrigation Works, C.W. Nicholas, JRASCB 1960, 43-69).

2.On architecture: “The constructive and artistic genius of the Sinhalese race proceeded in the following century (i.e. 2nd century B.C.) to develop the design to an extent not found elsewhere. The most important examples erected in Ceylon are comparable with the greatest pyramids of Egypt. The two largest dagabas at Anuradhapura surpass in contents, and three exceeded in height all but the two enormous pyramids Khufru and Khafra at Gizeh” (Ancient Ceylon, H. Parker, 262).

3. On literature: “One of the greatest contributions of the Sinhalese people to the cultural development of South and South East Asia and to world literature is the creation of a historic literature. It is well- known that on the Indian sub-continent before the invasion of the Islamic conquerors virtually no historic literature had developed. …Sri Lanka tells a different story. In the Dipavamsa and Mahavamsa and in various other Sinhalese texts, we are given an account of the political and cultural history of the island from earliest times until the present time.” (Wilhelm Geiger-His Life and Works, Heinz Bechert, 2nd ed., 69). Even the identification of Emperor Asoka was made possible by the Mahavansa; so is the dating of the history of South India.

4. On being colonized: “The Sinhalese voluntarily surrendered their Island to the British Sovereign with full reservation of their rights and liberties. They may thus claim to be one of the few ancient races of the world who have not been conquered.” (Sketches of Ceylon History, Ponnambalam Arunachalam, 1906)