Let's wank Sri Lanka!

pa_dutch

Sri Lanka: A huge, populous island right off the coast of India and smack-dab in the middle of very profitable Indian Ocean trade routes, from the Swahili Coast and the Persian Gulf all the way to the East Indies. Occasionally conquered by Tamil powers based in southern India and often divided between various competing kingdoms... But why was there never a unified Sri Lanka? Imagine an Sri Lankan analogue to Britain or Japan, ruling the seas and bringing in trade from as far as China, Zimbabwe, and the Mediterranean. Slowly building its own empire, with trade posts throughout the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and maybe as far as Africa and Arabia and Australia.

The Chola Dynasty in southern India managed to build quite a large empire, but maybe from a more defensable position such as the island of Ceylon, it can have a lasting colonial success. Possible or ASB?
 

Alt History Buff

This may be close to ASB. Population-wise, Sri Lanka dominating India would be like Ireland conquering all of Europe.

Unless they have some sort of technological advantage like Britain taking India from 1759 to 1830 (along with a massive amount of luck), this isn't likely to happen.

Maybe some smaller butterflies, like dominating a region of India (Tamil Nadu) and parts of East Africa coastline or Indonesia (wealthy spice trade?).
 

XanXar

Basically, if you create a Chola equivalent some time between the 4th and 13th century, but have either the ruling dynasty or capital be placed in Sri Lanka, there you go. A large naval power the Indian Ocean and dominant in the spice trade.
It would be interesting if you had the empire begin before the rise of Islam and have Hinduism/Buddhism spread to Oman, tying the regions culturally.
But, these spice trade empires never tend last long, nor do South Asian dynasties in general. But it is possible that the location of Sri Lanka itself develops due to this original empire to the point it creates successor states.
 

Benevolent

Banned
I don't think it's possible for them to sack Great Zimbabwe or much of Africa when you have Somali and Kilwa controlling Sofala and the Southeastern Coast.

Abd al-Aziz of Mogadishu having brought Islam and unity to Maldives would probably be very helpful in bringing on the consolidation of Sri Lanka through conversion, make trade unite the natives?
 

XanXar

Benevolent said:
I don't think it's possible for them to sack Great Zimbabwe or much of Africa when you have Somali and Kilwa controlling Sofala and the Southeastern Coast.

Abd al-Aziz of Mogadishu having brought Islam and unity to Maldives would probably be very helpful in bringing on the consolidation of Sri Lanka through conversion, make trade unite the natives?
Click to expand...

There isn't a limit on the POD, so this Sri Lankan empire could easily thrive before Islamic dominance of the Indian Ocean.

An Islamic Sri Lanka would be very similar in terms of culture, government, technology level etc to the Islamic states within the South East Asian archipelago, and to me that's not really a "wank".
 

Benevolent

Banned
XanXar said:
There isn't a limit on the POD, so this Sri Lankan empire could easily thrive before Islamic dominance of the Indian Ocean.

An Islamic Sri Lanka would be very similar in terms of culture, government, technology level etc to the Islamic states within the South East Asian archipelago, and to me that's not really a "wank".
Click to expand...

If there is no limit what makes this any different than an ASB ah? I don't know the difference?
 
ramones1986

ramones1986

XanXar said:
An Islamic Sri Lanka would be very similar in terms of culture, government, technology level etc to the Islamic states within the South East Asian archipelago, and to me that's not really a "wank".
Click to expand...
Islamic Sri Lanka? Smells like OTL Maldives, especially the language...
 
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