Meaning of the Sri Lanka Flag
The Sri Lankan flag has not evolved much since its ancient origins dating back before our era. Also called the Lion Flag, it is formed on a yellow background with two rectangles.
The Sri Lankan flag has not evolved much since its ancient origins dating back before our era. Also called the Lion Flag, it is formed on a yellow background with two rectangles. The one on the left, smaller, is separated by a green and an orange band. The one on the right, on a dark red background, depicts a yellow lion holding a sword in its right front paw, and a Bo tree leaf in each corner.
The lion has been a Sri Lankan symbol since the arrival in 486 BC of the island's first king: Vijaya, who came from India. It is the symbol of the Sri Lankan people and represents courage, freedom, and hope. A few centuries later, in 161 BC, King Dutugemunu defeated the "Tamil usurper" Elara who ruled regions of present-day Sri Lanka, armed with a banner depicting this lion holding a sword, as on today's flag. This symbolic pennant remained in use for many centuries until the British Protectorate of the kingdom of Kandy in 1815. They replaced the flag with another heavily adorned with the Union Jack hovering over a coat of arms depicting an elephant near the Ruwanwelisaya of Anuradhapura (today protected by around a hundred elephant statues). Independence in 1948 transformed this order and restored the armed lion, symbolic and historical to Sri Lanka, to prominence. Since then the flag has undergone some modifications but has retained its ancient soul.
Meaning
The current flag is therefore divided into two distinct parts, each placed on a yellow background. The left part, rectangular, is formed by two vertical green and orange bands. The left one represents the Moors, a Muslim Sri Lankan people, and the right one refers to the Tamils.
The right part is therefore largely occupied by the lion holding a sword in its right front paw, a symbol of the Sri Lankan people as a whole. The sword demonstrates the sovereignty of the State. The four Bo tree leaves represent the four Buddhist virtues: serenity, happiness, conviviality, and kindness. This tree, sacred in Buddhism and Hinduism, is very widespread in South and Southeast Asia. It is renowned for having been the preferred meditation spot of the first Buddha, Shakyamuni. Finally, the burgundy background represents the country's rich colonial history which brought about very strong cultural diversity. The Portuguese, the Dutch, and then the British succeeded one another on these lands between the 17th and 20th centuries.
Frequently asked questions
The lion on the Sri Lanka flag is the symbol of the Sri Lankan people. It represents courage, freedom, and hope. The sword it holds in its right front paw symbolizes the sovereignty of the State. This symbol dates back to the first king of the island, Vijaya, who arrived in 486 BC from India.
The Sri Lanka flag features several colors with distinct meanings: green represents the Moors (a Muslim people of Sri Lanka), orange represents the Tamils, burgundy red evokes the country's rich colonial history, and the yellow background frames the entire flag. Red and yellow are also associated with Buddhist tradition.
The Sri Lanka flag is nicknamed the 'Lion Flag' because of the yellow armed lion with a sword depicted in its center, on a burgundy red background. This symbol has been used since antiquity in Sri Lanka and is the most distinctive and emblematic element of the national flag.
The four Bo tree leaves placed in the corners of the red rectangle represent the four Buddhist virtues: serenity, happiness, conviviality, and kindness. The Bo tree is a sacred tree in Buddhism and Hinduism, renowned for having been the meditation spot of the first Buddha, Shakyamuni.
The flag with the armed lion was restored to prominence when Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948, after having been replaced by a flag adorned with the Union Jack during the British Protectorate of the kingdom of Kandy from 1815 onwards. Since 1948, the flag has undergone some minor modifications while retaining its fundamental elements.
