1956 The rise of Sinhalese was a historic awakening of a civilization pushed to the margins in its own homeland. After centuries of colonial rule that weakened the Sinhalese language, Buddhist values, and indigenous identity, the Sinhalese -Buddhist masses rose with dignity to reclaim cultural and civilizational space. Through the Sinhala Only Act, S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike challenged the colonial linguistic hierarchy and restored governance to the language of the people, breaking the dominance o