Flag of Sri Lanka
The flag of Sri Lanka is divided into 2 rectangular panels. The width of the left panel is half the width of the right panel. The left panel has 2 vertical equal width stripes, green on the left and orange on the right. The right panel is colored in red and has a yellow lion placed at its centre. The lion is facing towards the left and is holding a sword in its front right paw. There are four yellow Pipul (Bo) leaves placed at the four corners of the right panel. Both the panels are lined by yellow on all sides.
The various representation in the flag are:
- The lion for the Sinhalese ethnicity.
- The bo leaves for Buddhism and its influence on the nation. They also stand for the four virtues of Kindness, Friendliness, Happiness and Equanimity.
- The sword of the lion for the sovereignty of the nation.
- The tail of the lion for the noble eightfold path of Buddhism.
- The curly hair on the lion's head for Religious observance, wisdom and meditation.
- The beard of the lion for Purity of words.
- The handle of the sword for the elements of water, fire, air and earth.
- The nose of the lion for Intelligence.
- The two front paws of the lion for Purity in handling wealth.
- The orange stripe for The Hindu ethnicity.
- The green stripe for the Muslim ethnicity.
- The yellow border for People from other cultures living in Sri Lanka.
- The red background for other minor religions.
The flag was adopted on May 22, 1972 following the recommendations of a committee appointed by the 1st Prime Minister of Sri Lanka D.S. Senanayake.
