Sri Lanka beat India by an innings and 77 runs to win the deciding third test and claim the series 2-1 today.
Sri Lanka, who had reduced India to 217 for six overnight, dismissed the tourists for 299 in their second innings 70 minutes into the fifth morning.
The home team had piled up 610 for six declared in reply to India's first innings 234 all out.
India's hopes of salvaging a draw were all but dashed when they lost four wickets for 25 runs in the final session on the fourth day.
Left-arm paceman Chaminda Vaas trapped Hemang Badani lbw for 11 in the fifth over of the last morning before Sameer Dighe (4) became the third run-out victim of the innings in the next over.
Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan then put on 48 for the ninth wicket in a final act of defiance before Harbhajan was out for 17 pulling Vaas to Marvan Atapattu at backward square leg.
Zaheer continued to flay Vaas and off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, sharing a stand of 30 for the last wicket with Venkatesh Prasad.
But he was finally dismissed for 45 when he holed out to Atapattu at long-on off the bowling of Muralitharan.
Muralitharan, who completed his sixth 10-wicket haul in a test, finished with match figures of 11-196.
It was Sri Lanka's first home series victory in four attempts.
After defeating Australia 1-0 in 1999, they lost 2-0 to Pakistan and drew 1-1 with South Africa before going down 2-1 to England early this year.
Sri Lanka won the first test in Galle by 10 wickets before India bounced back to take the second game in Kandy by seven wickets.