Sri Lanka Flag: Meaning, Colors, History & Facts
Sri Lanka’s national flag features a golden lion holding a sword on a maroon field, four Bo leaves and green and orange vertical bands. The design combines royal heritage, Buddhism and representation of major communities.
What does the Sri Lanka flag look like?
The flag has a large maroon field bordered in gold with a golden lion holding a sword and four Bo leaves in the corners. At the hoist are narrow orange and green vertical bands.
What does the lion mean?
Sri Lanka’s government states that the lion represents the Sinhala people, while the sword represents national sovereignty.
What do the four Bo leaves represent?
The leaves represent Buddhism and four virtues: kindness, friendliness, happiness and equanimity.
What do the orange and green bands mean?
The orange stripe represents the Tamil community and the green stripe represents the Muslim community.
Explore the lion, Bo leaves and colors →
Where did the lion design come from?
The modern flag descends from the civil standard of Sri Wickrama Rajasingha, the last king of the Kandyan Kingdom. That historic standard already used a lion with a sword and Bo-leaf imagery.
What happened at independence?
When Ceylon became independent from Britain on February 4, 1948, the historic lion flag was raised again.
Why was the flag redesigned?
A committee appointed by Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake recommended a broader national design. The version approved in 1950 retained the lion while adding green and orange bands to represent minority communities.
Read the Sri Lanka flag history →
How can you identify Sri Lanka’s flag?
The golden sword-bearing lion is the clearest clue. No other sovereign national flag uses this exact combination of lion, Bo leaves and community bands.
Sri Lanka flag facts
| Central figure | Golden lion with sword |
|---|---|
| Corner symbols | 4 Bo leaves |
| Orange stripe | Tamil community |
| Green stripe | Muslim community |
| Post-independence redesign | 1950 |
