Two fields separated by a golden border: the smaller hoist-side field has only two vertical halves of green and orange and the larger fly-side field is the dark red field depicting the golden lion holding a kastane sword in its right fore paw in the center and four bo tree (bodhi tree) leaves on each corner, and the golden border around the entire flag extends in between the two separate fields, all bordering together.
A defaced sky-blue ensign with the flag of Sri Lanka in the canton and Air Force roundel.
Theflag ofSri Lanka (Sinhala:ශ්රී ලංකාවේ ජාතික කොඩිය,romanized: Sri Lankave jathika kodiya;Tamil:இலங்கையின் தேசியக்கொடி,romanized: Ilankaiyin teciyakkoṭi), also called theSinha Flag orLion Flag, consists of agoldenlion holding akastane sword in its right fore-paw in amaroon background with four goldbo leaves, one in each corner. This is bordered by gold, and to its left are two vertical stripes of equal size ingreen andorange, with the orange stripe closest to the lion.
The lion and the maroon background represent theSinhalese race, while the saffron border and four bo leaves represent the concepts ofmeththa,karuṇā,muditā andupecka respectively. The stripes represent the country's two largest minority ethnicities, with the orange stripe representing the Tamils inhabitants—namely theSri Lankan Tamils and theIndian Tamils of Sri Lanka—and the green stripe representing theSri Lankan Moors (Muslims of Sri Lanka). The golden yellow border is a catch-all representing the various minority communities of the country.
As depicted on a mural in Cave no. 2 atDambulla Viharaya, KingDutugemunu on his campaign againstElara (an invading South Indian ruler in 162 BC) is depicted with a banner containing a lion figure carrying a sword in its right forepaw, a symbol of the Sun and one of the Moon.[1] This flag was known as the only ancient representation of the lion flag of the Sinhalese but in 1957, the lion figure on it was defaced by a vandal.[2]
As the independence movement in Sri Lanka gained strength in the early 20th century,E. W. Perera andD. R. Wijewardena discovered the original Lioness Flag in Chelsea.[3] A photo of it was published inDinamina, in a special edition marking a century since the loss of self-rule and Sri Lankan independence.[3] The flag provoked much interest from the public who, for the first time since the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom, had seen its actual design.[3]
Member of Parliament forBatticaloa,Mudaliyar A. Sinnalebbe, suggested in Parliament on January 16, 1948, that the Lion Flag should be accepted as the national flag.[4] In 1948, the flag was adopted as the national flag of the Dominion of Ceylon, undergoing two changes: one in 1953 and a redesign in 1972.[3] A notable feature of the 1972 adaptation of the Kandyan standard was the replacement of the four spearheads at the flag's corners by fourbo leaves, a design choice made under the direction ofNissanka Wijeyeratne, Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Chairman of the National Emblem and Flag Design Committee.[3][5]
According to the BuddhistMahavamsa chronicle, the Sinhala Buddhists are descended from Prince Vijaya, whose fatherSinhabahu was the son of a lion and a human princess. This myth is reflected in the national flag, with its lion symbolizing the Sinhala race.[6]
The national flag of Sri Lanka represents the country and its heritage as a rallying device. Most symbols in the flag have been given distinctive meanings.[7][8]
Symbol
Represents
The Lion
The Sinhala ethnicity and the strength of the nation
The bo leaves
The four Buddhist virtues of loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity
The colors of the national flag are specified in the document "SLS 1: 2020: Specification for the National Flag of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka".[9]
^Seneviratna, Anuradha (1983).Golden Rock Temple of Dambulla: Caves of infinite Buddhas. Central Cultural Fund. p. 9.
^Godakumbura, C.E. (1969).History of archaeology in Ceylon. Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series (Vol XIII). p. 36.We all agree with Deraniyagala when he considers that the defacing of the lion depicted upon Dutugemunu's flag in the famous Dambulla frescoes as a national loss. This, so far as we know, is the only ancient representation of the lion-flag of the Sinhalese.
^Sriskanda Rajah, A. R. (2023).Tamil nationalism in Sri Lanka: counter-history as war after the Tamil Tigers. Routledge contemporary South Asia series. London New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group. pp. 53–59.ISBN978-1-003-30167-7.
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