Reconstructing the population history of the Sinhalese, the major ethnic group in Śrī Laṅkā

• DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107797
• Publication Date: 2023-09-01T07:04:15Z
• Authors: Prajjval Pratap S...; Sachin Kumar; Nagarjuna Pasupuleti; P.R. Weerasooriya; George van Driem; Kamani H. Tennekoon; Niraj Rai; Gyaneshwer Chaubey; R. Ranasinghe
• Keywords: Tamil

The Sinhalese are the major ethnic group in Śrī Laṅkā, inhabiting nearly whole length and breadth of island. They speak an Indo-European language Indo-Iranian branch, which is held to originate northwestern India, going back at least fifth century BC. Previous genetic studies on low-resolution markers failed infer genomic history population. Therefore, we have performed a high-resolution fine-grained study population and, broader context, attempted reconstruct Laṅkā. Our allele-frequency-based analysis showed tight cluster Tamil populations, suggesting strong gene flow beyond boundary ethnicity language. Interestingly, haplotype-based preserved trace North Indian affiliation Overall, South Asian Laṅkān groups genetically more homogeneous than others.