The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

The Lion Flag

Vijaya arrived from India in 486BC, and he used a banner with a lion. This marked the introduction of the lion as  a symbol of Ceylon. It was used by all the Kings of Ceylon, with the legendary King Dutugemunu engaging in a campaign to oust the Tamils from the north of the island, using a banner with a lion holding a sword.

The banner was used all the way through to 1815, when the British Union Jack replaced it, with the Kandy declaration making King George II the new King of Ceylon. This saw the lion lose its place in Ceylon life, and replaced with the British Blue Ensign. It was charged with the new coat of arms of Ceylon on the fly. The coat of arms features a temple, and an elephant within a red ring, with gold stars.

During the 20th Century, the independence movement grew in strength, and saw the return of the Lion as the symbol of Ceylon. Then, in 1947, Ceylon become a dominion. In other words, it became self-governing, with Britain's involvement being limited to tax, foreign affairs, and defence.

The first flag of the Dominion featured the Ceylon Lion holding a sword, on a crimson background with a yellow border. Then, later, 4 spearheads where added in the corners.

In 1948, along with India, Ceylon gained its independence.

In 1951, the flag underwent another change. The flag was elongated to allow for more space on the hoist side of the flag, where 2 vertical strips where added. The Lion has always represented the Sinhalese majority on the island, but they wanted to represent the minorities that make up the population. The green represents the Muslim community, and the Moors, and the orange represents the Tamil community.

Then, in 1972, the country became a republic, and took the name Sri Lanka, and swapped the spearheads fo leaves off the Bo tree.

The Sri Lankan flag is full of symbolism and representations.

The Lion: The Sinhalese majority, and strength of the nation.

The Bo Leaves: Represent Buddhism, and for the 4 virtues of kindness, friendliness, happiness, and equanimity.

The sword: The sovereignty of the nation

The curly hair on the lions head: Religious observance, wisdom, and meditation.

The beard of the lion: Purity of words

The handle of the sword: The 4 natural elements of fire, water, earth, and air.

The nose of the lion: This represents intelligence

The front paws: Represents the purity of the people handling the nations wealth

The orange and green stripes: Represents the Tamil and Muslim communities

The yellow border: This represents the other cultures in Sri Lanka

The crimson: Represents the colonial history of the nation, as well as the background of the country.