Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|
.svg) |
Thenational symbols of Sri Lanka are the national anthem, flag, emblem, flower, tree, bird, butterfly, gemstone and sport. They represent the country and its people withinSri Lanka and abroad as well as traditions, culture, history and geography. Several other symbols do not have official acknowledgment as national symbols but are considered national symbols at the local level.[1][2]
TheConstitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka sets out thenational flag, thenational anthem, the national day and the national language.[3] The constitution was promulgated by theNational State Assembly on 7 September 1978. On 14 November 1987 theSri Lankan Parliament passed theThirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka, which made bothSinhala andTamil the national languages.[4]
| Title | Symbol | Media | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| National anthem | "Sri Lanka Matha" | The national anthem of Sri Lanka "Sri Lanka Matha" is believed to have been written byRabindranath Tagore[5] and later composed byAnanda Samarakoon in 1940 before the island nation's independence from theBritish. In 1951, it became the national anthem of Sri Lanka.[6][7] Firstly, it was written inSinhalese and translated toTamil. The first performance of the anthem was held in the fourth anniversary of independence day on 4 February 1952.[1] | |
| National flag | Flag of Sri Lanka |  | The national flag of Sri Lanka consists of a lion holding a sword in its right fore paw by representing theSinhalese people andfirst king. Dark red/maroon background representsBuddhist symbol. Four golden-yellowbo leaves, one in each corner representFour Sublime States. Around the background is a yellow border that representsBuddhist monk's community. On the left side, two vertical stripes in green and saffron representMoors andTamil communities.[8] The current flag was adopted in 1950.[2] |
| National emblem | National emblem of Sri Lanka |  | The national emblem of Sri Lanka used by Sri Lankan government is in connection with the administrative purpose and government of the country. The current republican emblem was adopted in 1972 after the country was declared as a republic state.[1] The emblem has a lion, holding a sword in its right fore paw on a maroon background encircled with petals of ablue lotus. Also it features a bunch ofpaddy, grain vase (punkalasa),dhammachakka, sun and moon.[9] |
| National language | Sinhala /Tamil |   | The national languages of Sri Lanka areSinhalese andTamil.[10] As per Chapter IV (Language), Article 19 ofConstitution of Sri Lanka Sinhalese and Tamil have been recognised as national languages.[11] |
| National flower | Blue water lily flower (Nymphahea Stellata) | .jpg) | The blue water lily was declared the national flower of Sri Lanka on 26 February 1986.[12] It is found in all parts of the island and grows mainly in shallow water. The flower is considered a symbol of truth, purity and discipline. It has connections withBuddha and was used as ceremonial flower in Sri Lanka throughout history.[13][14] |
| National tree | Ceylon ironwood (Mesua ferrea) |  | Ceylon ironwood (naa) was declared the national tree of Sri Lanka on 26 February 1986. It was chosen as the national tree due to its endemism in Sri Lanka, utility, historic & cultural importance, exterior posture, wide distribution, colour and nature and ability to draw and sketch easily.[2]Theravada Buddhism considers this tree for achieved enlightenment.[15] The tree has been utilised for various purposes since ancient times.[16] |
| National bird | Sri Lankan junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii) | _Male.jpg) | The Sri Lankan junglefowl is the official national bird. The colourful bird isendemic to Sri Lanka and commonly found in national parks, jungle and dense scrub. It is an endemic bird of Sri Lanka.[17][18] |
| National butterfly | Sri Lankan birdwing (Troides darsius) |  | Sri Lankan birdwing is endemic to Sri Lanka and was declared as the nationalbutterfly with a connection to the butterfly conservation action plan. The largest Sri Lankan butterfly was categorised as flagship species due to its wide distribution. It has glossy black and bright yellow colours and an attractive pattern.[19][20] |
| National gemstone | Blue sapphire |  | The blue sapphire was declared the nationalgemstone of Sri Lanka in October 2003. A postage stamp worth LKR 4.50 was issued on 2 October 2003 to mark the announcement. Sri Lanka is famous for blue sapphires, especially known for their size.[21] |
| National sport | Volleyball |  | Volleyball was officially recognised as the nationalsport of Sri Lanka in 1991.[22] The sport was introduced in 1916 to Sri Lanka. However, there is an opinion that Sri Lankans played a similar sport before its introduction.[23]Elle had recognition as a national sport before volleyball.[24] |
Here are list of national symbols that have no official status.
| Title | Symbol | Media | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| National animal | |||
| Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) |  | There is no official national animal in Sri Lanka even though theelephant, lion, andGrizzled giant squirrel are locally considered as such. Lions are the most celebrated animal forSinhalese people, symbolising heraldry. TheSri Lankan lion is a prehistoric subspecies of lion.[25] | |
| Lion (Panthera leo) |  | ||
| National monument | Independence Memorial Hall |  | Independence Memorial Hall is an iconic structure commemorating the independence of Sri Lanka from theBritish rule. Named "Magul Maduwa" (Celebration Hall), its structure is based on the Royal Audience Hall of theKingdom of Kandy, the last kingdom that fell to colonial occupation in the island. It also known asIndependence Commemoration Hall andIndependence Commemoration Hall.[26][27] |
| National dress | Sarong and shirt (men) Osariya (women) | -1.jpg) | Sri Lanka does not acknowledge any national dress since there are threemajor communities and a few minor communities. Commonly, men's traditional dress is the sarong/dhoti and shirt and women's traditional dress is a sari. The three major communities (Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims) have significant differences in their regional dress although the majority of them wearWestern dress today.[28][29] |
| National dish | Rice and curry |  | Rice and curry is a popular dish in Sri Lanka. The dish has cooked rice with various curry dishes of vegetable and/or meat.[30][31] |
Sri Lanka topics | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overviews | |||||||||||||
| History |
| ||||||||||||
| Government |
| ||||||||||||
| Politics | |||||||||||||
| Geography | |||||||||||||
| Economy | |||||||||||||
| Society |
| ||||||||||||
