Until 1972 it was Ceylon
But, 
unlike India and Pakistan, it retained dominion status only until 1972 when the... [DOC] [TLE] Sri Lanka - New World Encyclopedia [PAR] Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, known as 
Ceylon before 1972, is a predominantly Buddhist island nation in South Asia,... [DOC] [TLE] Sri Lanka erases colonial name, Ceylon - BBC News - BBC.com [PAR] Jan 1, 2011 ... Sri Lanka's government decides to change the names of all state ... derived from 
an earlier Portuguese one, was dropped in 1972 when the... [DOC] [TLE] A Brief History of Sri Lanka [PAR] According to tradition Buddhism was introduced into Sri Lanka in 260 BC by a 
man ... and continued to exist uneasily beside the Dutch colony until 1760 when 
war ...