FLAG OF SRI LANKA: HISTORY AND MEANING - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

The flag of Sri Lanka is made up of a rectangle surrounded by a golden border and, in turn, two other rectangular figures inside. One is located to the left of the pavilion and is made up of two vertical stripes (one saffron and one orange). The other figure, located to the right, has a crimson background, with a golden lion holding a sword and four golden blades in each corner as a banner.

Its design is really peculiar, being unique in the world and closely resembling the medieval banners used by European nations during the Middle Ages. Thus, the ancient influences are very marked in the conception of the design and, given its image, it is also often called “The Lion's flag”.

Current flag of Sri Lanka (1972 - Present). By Zscout370

The history of the flag goes back to the time of its first king, in the middle of the first millennium of our era, although the first flag that the country had officially was created in the 18th century.

History

Flag of the Kingdom of Candi (1798 - 1818)

The Kingdom of Candi was one of the monarchies that existed within the territory of Sri Lanka before it was conquered by the Europeans. During ancient times, the island of Sri Lanka was divided into several territories, each organized into kingdoms. However, there was no one that dominated the entire country.

Of the five kingdoms that existed within the island, each one functioned as an independent nation. However, the Kingdom of Candi is considered the predecessor of what today would be Sri Lanka as a country, as it was the largest of the Sri Lankan kingdoms and the one that had the most influence in the history of those lands.

In fact, the king of the Candi managed to negotiate and ally himself on several occasions with European powers (mainly with the Dutch). This monarchy used a red banner with a golden border and a lion in the center with a sword on its right front leg. This lion is the same one that is on the current flag of the country today.

Flag of the Kingdom of Candi (1798 - 1815). By Janith (talk) 03:45, 16 August 2008 (UTC) Uvants2 at en.wikipedia

Stage and flag of British Ceylon (1818 - 1948)

The Kingdom of Candi remained for several years fighting against the rule of the English, who sought to impose themselves and turn the country into a British colony. In 1818, the British occupied the Kingdom of Candi, ending the island's independence as a sovereign nation and establishing the country as a territorial domain of the United Kingdom.

Attempts were made to eliminate British rule on several occasions, the English even having to stop a couple of rebellions in the same 1818 in order to maintain control of the Sri Lankan territory. Sri Lankan local forces were not strong enough to destabilize European control of the island, so the country succumbed to British rule entirely.

As was the custom of the British Crown, a new flag was adopted and Sri Lankans were prohibited from using the flag of the Kingdom of Candi in any part of the country. The new banner was completely blue with the British flag at the top left, attached to the flagpole, just as all British colonial flags were.

The distinctive symbol of this flag consisted of a circle with two borders (one gold and one red, the colors of the Kingdom of Candi) and with an elephant and a building from the region inside. It was located in the lower right part of the flag.

Flag of British Ceylon (1815 - 1948). By Samhanin (original)

Ceylon Flag (1948 - 1951)

Sri Lanka proclaimed itself an independent nation after the Second World War, with the approval of the Constitution of 1948. This marked the beginning of autonomous local government and the new adoption of the lion of the Kingdom of Candi in the official banner of the country.

The country became independent under the name of Ceylon. The next few years of Sri Lankan history were marked by internal conflicts between the nation's political parties, where the British were even asked to intervene to prevent the expropriation of companies when the left took control of the government.

Flag of Ceylon (1948 - 1951). By Zscout370

Second Ceylon Flag (1951-1972)

In 1951 a new flag was adopted to represent the influence of the two major religious groups in the country. The green color that was added to the part near the mast represents the Muslim groups and the saffron represents the Hindus. In addition, the design of each spearhead of the scarlet part of the flag was modernized.

Second flag of Ceylon (1951 - 1972). By Thommy

Current flag of Sri Lanka (since 1972)

The only change that was made to the flag in 1972 was that the spearheads located at each end of the scarlet square were replaced by leaves, according to the suggestion made by the country's minister of culture. In addition, the shape of the lion was modified to increase its size on the flag, giving greater relevance to the Candi figure.

The changes occurred after the Marxist rebellion of 1971, when the country rethought the way in which national security was taken and changes were made to the political or administrative system. In 1972, the country was organized as a republic, obtaining its current name: Republic of Sri Lanka.

Current flag of Sri Lanka (1972 - Present). By Zscout370

Meaning

According to local legends, the first King of Sri Lanka came from India during the 5th century AD. He came from the city of Sinhapura (The City of the Lion), with a banner that this feline had within him. It is from this symbol that the subsequent monarchs and leaders of the country have been based to design the flag, maintaining a tradition of more than 1,500 years with them.

It is a symbolism that represents the culture of Sri Lanka and the national pride of the country. It was only discontinued during the absolute rule of the British Crown.

The crimson color that occupies the background of the flag represents cultural and religious minorities that, traditionally, have always known how to coexist in the country. Together with the lion, the color and symbol represent Sri Lankan ethnicity.

The green stripe represents the Muslims of the country, and the saffron stripe represents the Hindus.

References

1. Sri Lanka Flag Meaning, World Population Review Website, (nd). Taken from worldpopulationreview.com
2. Flag of Sri Lanka, Encyclopedia Britannica, 2018. Taken from britannica.com
3. Flag of Sri Lanka, Flagpedia Website, (nd). Taken from flagpedia.net
4. History of Sri Lanka, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
5. Flag of Sri Lanka, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org
6. Kingdom of Kandy, Wikipedia, 2019. Taken from Wikipedia.org