Some artists visited India to learn music and later started introducing light music. Ananda Samarakone was the pioneer of this attempt also composing the Sri Lankan National Anthem. Then Sunil Santha who also did not stick to Hindustani music introduced light music of his own, influenced by the Geethika (Christian hymns) tradition of Sri Lanka. Pandit Amaradeva is credited as the major contributor to the development of this genre into a truly Sri Lankan style.
It is enriched with the influence of folk music, kolam music, Nadagam music, Noorthy music and others too. Most of the musician in Sri Lanka have come out with their own creations The temple paintings and carvings used birds, elephants, wild animals, flowers and trees. The colors were made of nature. The Traditional 18 Dances display the dancing of Birds and Animals.
Mayura Wannama – The dance of the Peacock Hanuma Wannama – The dance of the Monkey Gajaga Wannama – The dance of the elephant Thuraga Wannama – The dance of the horse
The Music is several kinds. The folk music is created with few instruments only and the frequency range is narrowly. The folk songs and poems were used in social gatherings to work together. The Indian influenced Classical Music has grown to be unique.[5][6][7][8] The traditional drama, music and songs are typically Sri Lankan.