Sri Lanka and the Maldives

From a few centuries BCE, Indian traders sailed to Southeast Asia in search of gold and other treasures. They visited Java, Sumatra and Malaya so often that these places came to be called Suvarṇabhūmi ('golden land') or Suvarṇadvīpa ('golden island').

In 1985 several neighbours formed SAARC, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, to work together for shared progress. Members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. But political tension between some members has often stopped it working well.

Sri Lanka is an island nation southeast of India, separated by a narrow strip of sea called the Palk Strait. At the closest point they are only about 32 km apart.

Buddhism was taken to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BCE by Mahendra and Sanghamitrā, the son and daughter of Emperor Aśhoka. Hinduism travelled there too, especially through the two Epics.

The relationship has not always been smooth. Sri Lanka had a civil war from the mid-1980s to around 2010, mainly between the Sinhalese majority (who speak Sinhala) and the Tamil minority, who have close ties with India. Many Tamil families fled to south India, especially Tamil Nadu.

The Maldives is made of over 1,100 islets (small islands), only about 130 km from Minicoy in India's Lakshadweep. It is an important neighbour for trade and for security in the Indian Ocean. Buddhism reached it early (ancient temples and inscriptions have been found), and influences from Tamil Nadu and Kerala brought language, food and arts: Maldivian coconut curries and roshi taste of South India, and the Boduberu dance echoes Tamil folk rhythms.

Even the Maldivian language, Dhivehi, shows it. Raajje (king) and mas (fish) echo Sanskrit rājā and matsya; dhoni (boat) and kukulhu (chicken) share roots with Tamil and Malayalam; and filmu came in through Bollywood!

India was one of the first countries to recognise the Maldives when it became independent in 1965, and helped quickly during the 2004 tsunami, the 2014 water crisis in Malé and the COVID-19 pandemic — earning a name as the region's trusted 'first responder'. As a low island nation, the Maldives is very exposed to rising seas, which could reach 1 metre by the end of this century and partly drown many islands. In 2009 its president and ministers even held a cabinet meeting underwater, 4 metres down, to draw the world's attention. The Maldives is a member of the International Solar Alliance, an Indian initiative.