Flag of Sri Lanka

Flag origins

Sri Lanka's flag shows a golden lion holding a sword on a maroon field, with four Bo leaves and gold borders, beside green and orange vertical stripes. The lion evokes Sinhalese identity and strength; its sword represents sovereignty. The four leaves express loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity in Buddhism. Orange represents Tamils, green Muslims, and the gold border the unity of other cultural communities.

Flag story

The lion comes from traditions surrounding Sinhalese origins, including the story of Prince Vijaya in the Mahavamsa, rather than a historical population of wild lions in Sri Lanka. The lion flag was revived at independence in 1948; the colored minority-representing stripes were added later. When Ceylon became the republic of Sri Lanka in 1972, the four corner ornaments were replaced with Bo leaves.

Editorial notes and references

Edited by ABELHA WORKS. The English text translates the administrator-edited Japanese description. Legends should be distinguished from documented history. General reference links do not substantiate every statement in the text.

• Sri Lanka — general information on Wikipedia
• Japan MOFA: countries and regions (Japanese)

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