Aamir2580 at 15:24, 25 March 2026

2026-03-25T15:24:05Z

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{{short description|none}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox flag
| Name = Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
| Image = Flag of Sri Lanka.svg
| Nickname = ''Sinha'' Flag Lion Flag
| Morenicks =
| Use = 110100
| Symbol = {{FIAV|110100}}
| Proportion = 1:2
| Adoption = 22 May 1972
| Design = 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.
| Designer = [[Don Stephen Senanayake]]
| Image2 = Government Ensign of Sri Lanka.svg
| Nickname2 =
| Morenicks2 =
| Use2 = Auxiliary ensign used by merchant ship commanded by reserve naval officer
| Symbol2 =
| Proportion2 = 1:2
| Adoption2 = 1972
| Design2 = A blue field with the flag of Sri Lanka in the canton.
| Designer2 =
| Image3 = Sri Lankan Army Flag.svg
| Nickname3 =
| Morenicks3 =
| Use3 = [[Colours, standards and guidons#Sri Lanka|President's Colour]]
| Symbol3 =
| Proportion3 = 1:2
| Adoption3 = 1972
| Design3 = A defaced flag of Sri Lanka with the [[Emblem of Sri Lanka]]
| Designer3 =
| Image4 = Naval Ensign of Sri Lanka.svg
| Nickname4 =
| Morenicks4 =
| Use4 = 000001
| Symbol4 = {{FIAV|000001}}
| Proportion4 = 1:2
| Adoption4 = 1972
| Design4 = A white field with the flag of Sri Lanka in the canton.
| Designer4 =
| Image5 = Civil Ensign of Sri Lanka.svg
| Nickname5 =
| Morenicks5 =
| Use5 = 000100
| Symbol5 = {{FIAV|000100}}
| Proportion5 = 1:2
| Adoption5 = 1972
| Design5 = A red field with the flag of Sri Lanka in the canton.
| Designer5 =
| Image6 = Air Force Ensign of Sri Lanka.svg
| Nickname6 =
| Morenicks6 =
| Use6 = [[Air force ensign|Air Force ensign]]
| Symbol6 =
| Proportion6 = 1:2
| Adoption6 = 2010
| Design6 = A defaced sky-blue ensign with the flag of Sri Lanka in the canton and Air Force roundel.
| Designer6 =
}}

The [[national flag]] of [[Sri Lanka]], also called the '''''Singha'' Flag''' or '''Lion Flag''' ({{langx|si|සිංහ කොඩිය|translit=singha kodiya}}, {{langx|ta|சிங்கக் கொடி|translit=ciṅkak koṭi}}), consists of a [[Gold (color)|golden]] [[lion]] holding a [[kastane|''kastane'' sword]] in its right fore-paw in a [[maroon]] background with four gold [[Bo tree|bo]] leaves, one in each corner. This is bordered by gold, and to its left are two vertical stripes of equal size in [[green]] and [[Orange (color)|orange]], with the orange stripe closest to the lion.

The lion and the maroon background represent the [[Sinhalese people|Sinhalese race]], while the saffron border and four bo leaves represent the concepts of ''[[mettā|meththa]]'', ''[[karuṇā]]'', ''[[Mudita|muditā]]'' and ''[[Upeksha|upecka]]'' respectively. The stripes represent the country's two largest minority ethnicities, with the orange stripe representing the Tamils inhabitants—namely the [[Sri Lankan Tamils]] and the [[Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka]]—and the green stripe representing the [[Sri Lankan Moors]] ([[Islam in Sri Lanka|Muslims of Sri Lanka]]). The golden yellow border is a catch-all representing the various minority communities of the country.

==History==
===Monarchical Sri Lanka===
As depicted on a mural in Cave no. 2 at [[Dambulla cave temple|Dambulla Viharaya]], King [[Dutugemunu]] on his campaign against [[Ellalan|Elara]] (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.<ref>{{cite book | last=Seneviratna | first=Anuradha | title=Golden Rock Temple of Dambulla: Caves of infinite Buddhas | publisher=Central Cultural Fund | year=1983 | page=9}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite book|title=History of archaeology in Ceylon|publisher=Journal of the Ceylon Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series (Vol XIII)|last=Godakumbura|first=C.E.|date=1969|pages=36|language=en|quote=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.}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" widths="150px" heights="80px" caption="Flags of Sri Lanka (Until 1815)">
Image:Flag of King Dutugemunu.svg|{{FIAV|historical|}}Flag of [[Dutugamunu]], [[Anuradhapura period]]
Image:Flag of the Kingdom of Raigama.svg|{{FIAV|historical|}}Flag of [[Kingdom of Gampola]]'s flag, {{circa|1341}}–1408
Image:Flag of Kotte.svg|{{FIAV|historical|}}Flag of the [[Kingdom of Kotte]]'s flag, {{circa|1412}}–1597
Image:Flag of Sitawaka Kingdom (1521 - 1594).png|{{FIAV|historical|}}Flag of [[Kingdom of Sitawaka]]'s flag, {{circa|1521}}-1594
Image:King of Kandy.svg|{{FIAV|historical|}}Standard of [[Sri Vikrama Rajasinha|Sri Vikrama Rajasinha of Kandy]], used as the [[Kingdom of Kandy]]'s flag, {{circa|1798}}–1815
</gallery>

===British colonial period===
This basic design continued to be in use until 1815, when the [[Kandyan Convention]] ended the reign of the country's last native monarch, [[Sri Vikrama Rajasinha]], replacing his royal standard (used as the Flag of the [[Kandyan Kingdom|Kingdom of Kandy]]) with the [[Union Flag]] as the nation's accepted flag.<ref name="sundaytimes">{{cite news|title=The Sri Lankan National Flag|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/180204/funday-times/the-sri-lankan-national-flag-279417.html|access-date=27 April 2018|agency=The Sunday Times|publisher=sundaytimes.lk|date=4 February 2018}}</ref> The colonial government of [[British Ceylon]] later established its own flag, while Sri Vikrama Rajasinha's standard was taken to [[England]] and kept at the [[Royal Hospital Chelsea]].<ref name="sundaytimes"/>

<gallery class="center" caption="Flags of Sri Lanka (1815-1948)" widths="150px" heights="80px">
Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg|{{FIAV|historical|}}Colonial flag of [[British Ceylon]], 1815–1875
Image:Flag of Ceylon (1875–1948).svg|{{FIAV|historical|}}Colonial flag of British Ceylon, 1875–1948
</gallery>

===Sri Lanka (since 1948)===
As the independence movement in Sri Lanka gained strength in the early 20th century, [[E. W. Perera]] and [[D. R. Wijewardena]] discovered the original Lioness Flag in Chelsea.<ref name="sundaytimes"/> A photo of it was published in ''[[Dinamina]]'', in a special edition marking a century since the loss of self-rule and Sri Lankan independence.<ref name="sundaytimes"/> 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.<ref name="sundaytimes"/>

Member of Parliament for [[Batticaloa]], [[Ahamed Lebbe Sinne Lebbe|Mudaliyar A. Sinnalebbe]], suggested in Parliament on January 16, 1948, that the Lion Flag should be accepted as the national flag.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2004/02/04/ind09.html|title=The proposer of the lion flag: Mudlr. Sinnalebbe|newspaper=[[Daily News (Sri Lanka)|Daily News]]|date=4 February 2004|access-date=12 January 2018}}</ref> 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.<ref name="sundaytimes"/> A notable feature of the 1972 adaptation of the Kandyan standard was the replacement of the four spearheads at the flag's corners by four [[ficus religiosa|bo leaves]], a design choice made under the direction of [[Nissanka Wijeyeratne]], Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Chairman of the National Emblem and Flag Design Committee.<ref name="sundaytimes"/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://flaggenlexikon.de/fsrilank.htm |title=Sri Lanka (Ceylon) |access-date=2003-09-07 |author=Volker Preuß|language=de}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" caption="Flags of Sri Lanka (since 1948)" widths="150px" heights="80px">
Image:Flag of Ceylon (1948–1951).svg|{{FIAV|historical|}}Flag of the [[Dominion of Ceylon]], 1948–1951
Image:Flag of Ceylon (1951-1972).svg|{{FIAV|historical|}}Flag of the Dominion of Ceylon (similar to current), 1951–1972
</gallery>

==Symbolism==
According to the Buddhist [[Mahāvaṃsa|Mahavamsa]] chronicle, the Sinhala Buddhists are descended from Prince Vijaya, whose father [[Sinhabahu]] 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.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Sriskanda Rajah |first=A. R. |title=Tamil nationalism in Sri Lanka: counter-history as war after the Tamil Tigers |date=2023 |publisher=Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group |isbn=978-1-003-30167-7 |series=Routledge contemporary South Asia series |location=London New York |pages=53–59}}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web|title=National symbols of Sri Lanka|url=http://www.labour.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=192%3Anational-symbols-of-sri-lanka&catid=69%3Asri-lanka-facts&lang=en|website=gov.lk|publisher=Government of Sri Lanka|access-date=27 April 2018|archive-date=28 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428093704/http://www.labour.gov.lk/web/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=192%3Anational-symbols-of-sri-lanka&catid=69%3Asri-lanka-facts&lang=en|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Karunarathne|first1=Waruni|title=Controversy Over Flag At Demo|url=http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2015/04/26/controversy-over-flag-at-demo/|access-date=27 April 2018|agency=Sunday Leader|publisher=thesundayleader.lk|date=27 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326043703/http://www.thesundayleader.lk/2015/04/26/controversy-over-flag-at-demo/|archive-date=26 March 2016}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
!Symbol
!width=450|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 sword of the lion
|The sovereignty of the nation
|-
|The curly hair on the lion's head
|Religious observance, wisdom and meditation
|-
|The eight hairs on the lion's tail
|The [[Noble Eightfold Path]]
|-
|The beard of the lion
|Purity of words
|-
|The handle of the sword
|The [[classical elements]] of water, fire, air and earth
|-
|The nose of the lion
|Intelligence
|-
|The two front paws of the lion
|Purity in handling wealth
|-
|Orange stripe
|The [[Sri Lankan Tamil people|Tamil]] ethnicity (including the [[Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka|Hill Country Tamils]] of Indian ancestry)
|-
|Green stripe
|The [[Sri Lankan Moors|Moor]] ethnicity
|-
|Saffron border
|Buddhism and unity among the people
|-
|The maroon background
|The [[Sinhalese people|Sinhala]] ethnicity
|-
|The golden yellow border
|Other minority communities of Sri Lanka, such as the [[Sri Lankan Malays|Malays]], the [[Burgher people|Burghers]], the [[Vedda|Indigenous Veddas]], the [[Sri Lankan Kaffirs|Kaffirs]] and, the [[Chinese people in Sri Lanka|Sri Lankan Chinese]], who migrated to Sri Lanka during the 17th–19th centuries.
|}

==Colours==
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".<ref>{{cite web |title=SLS 1:2020 |url=http://www.slsi.lk/images/Advertisements/Natinal_Flag/SRI_LANKA_STANDARD_1_2020-min.pdf |publisher=Sri Lanka Standards Institute |access-date=7 April 2022 |archive-date=18 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221018123755/https://www.slsi.lk/images/Advertisements/Natinal_Flag/SRI_LANKA_STANDARD_1_2020-min.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
! [[File:Flag of Sri Lanka.svg|40px]] Colours scheme
!style="background:#F7B718"| Yellow
!style="background:#941E32; color:#FFFFFF;"| Maroon
!style="background:#DF7500"| Orange
!style="background:#005F56; color:#FFFFFF;"| Teal
|-
| [[CMYK]] || 0-26-90-3 || 0-80-66-42 || 0-48-100-13 || 100-0-9-63
|-
|[[Web colors|HEX]]
|#F7B718
|#941E32
|#DF7500
|#005F56
|-
|[[RGB color model|RGB]]
|247-183-24
|148-30-50
|223-117-0
|0-95-86
|-
|[[Pantone]]
|14-0957 TCX
|19-1863 TCX
|16-1164 TCX
|18-5322 TCX
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
Ambasada SRI LANKI 03.jpg|Flown at the Embassy in [[Warsaw]]
Flag of Sri Lanka on the North East Stand, Headingley Stadium, Leeds during the second day of the England- Sri Lanka test (21st April 2014) 001.JPG|Displayed outside a stadium, in [[Leeds]], UK
Jayanthi Kuru Utumpala waving the Sri Lankan flag on the summit of Mount Everest on 21st May 2016 (cropped).jpg|Mountaineer [[Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala]] with Sri Lankan flag atop [[Mount Everest]]
Vertical Sri Lankan flag near Muzium Negara.jpg|Hung vertically, along a street in [[Malaysia]]
King Street Flags - geograph.org.uk - 3082585.jpg|Displayed along other flags during the [[2012 Summer Olympics]] in [[Westminster|London]]
Flag of Sri Lanka.jpg|Used at a sports event
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|Heraldry|Sri Lanka}}

* [[List of Sri Lankan flags]]
* [[Flags of the Kingdom of Kandy]]
* [[Emblem of Sri Lanka]]
* [[Flag of Veneto]]

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{refbegin}}
*[http://www.lankalibrary.com/pro/flag.html Lanka Library]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040713093752/http://www.dailynews.lk/2004/02/04/ind09.html The Proposer of the lion Flag, Mudaliyar Sinnalebbe]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080327112704/http://www.gov.lk/info/index.asp?mi=19&xp=52&xi=54&xl=3&o=0&t= Sri Lanka Government Web Portal]
*[http://www.lankalibrary.com/pro/flag2.htm The Sri Lankan Lion Flag -how it came to be]
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|National flag of Sri Lanka}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120618005323/http://karava.org/the_lion_myth A few examples of European Heraldic Lions and the Sri Lankan national flag]
* {{FOTW|id=lk|title=Sri Lanka}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070814100316/http://www.priu.gov.lk/Cons/1978Constitution/Schedle_2_Amd.html Lion Flag as depicted in the Constitution of Sri Lanka]
{{clear}}

{{Asia topic|Flag of|title=[[Flags of Asia]]}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sri Lanka, Flag of}}
[[Category:Flags of Sri Lanka| ]]
[[Category:National symbols of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1948]]
[[Category:Flags introduced in 1972]]
[[Category:Flags displaying animals|Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Flags displaying weapons|Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:National flags]]

Flag of Sri Lanka - Revision history

Aamir2580 at 15:24, 25 March 2026