Mr. A. Sinnalebbe,Batticaloa MP on 16th January 1948 suggested that the Lion Flag of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe should be made the National Flag

National Flag The necessity of a National Flag was discussed even before Sri Lanka gained independence on 4th February 1948. Mr. A. Sinnalebbe, MP for Batticaloa tabled a motion in the State Council on 16th January 1948 suggesting that the Lion Flag of King Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe which was taken to Britain in 1815 should be made the National Flag. This was debated and later, Prime Minister Rt. Hon. D.S.Senanayake named an Advisory Committee for the formulation of a National Flag. The members of the committee were Mr.S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike (Chairman), Sir John Kotalawela, Mr.J.R.Jayawardena, Mr.T.B.Jayah, Dr.L.A.Rajapakse, Mr.G.G.Ponnambalam and Senator S.Nadesan. Although a committee for the formulation of a National Flag was appointed, no finality had been reached when the first independence day was celebrated on 4th February 1948. However, the Lion Flag fluttered on that day. The Lion Flag and the British Union Jack fluttered on the occasion of the opening of the first Parliament of independent Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) on 19th February 1948. Prime Minister D.S.Senanayake unfurled the Lion Flag at the Octagon (Pattirippuwa) during the independence celebration held in Kandy on 12th February 1948. The National Flag recommended by the special committee was presented to Parliament by Mr.D.S.Senanayake on 2nd March 1951 and adopted. It had two strips, one green and the other yellow. Each of these strips had to be equal to one seventh of the size of the flag. When Sri Lanka was first made a republic in 1972, the traditional Bo Leaves depicted in the National Flag were changed to resemble natural Bo Leaves. This amended flag was first unfurled at the Republic Day celebrations held on 22nd May 1972. The National Flag is incorporated in Section 6 Second Schedule of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka of 9th September 1978. Except for the new Bo Leaves, the present flag is the same flag recommended by the National Flag Formulation Committee on 2nd March 1951. National Anthem After gaining independence from foreign rule, the people of Sri Lanka were kindled with patriotic feeling. On the recommendation of the Sri Lanka Gandharva Sabha a competition to select a national anthem was conducted in January 1948. At this competition, late Mr. Ananda Samarakoon`s composition `Namo Namo Matha` was chosen as the National Anthem. The main theme of the Anthem is designed to instil honour and respect to the Motherland and create national progress through unity. During the early 1950s there was a controversy about the national anthem. A defect was found in the lyrics and the opening words were changed as `Sri Lanka Matha - Apa Sri Lanka` The first rendering of the National Anthem was made on Independence Day, 4th February 1948 by a group of 500 students from Musaeus College, Colombo and it was broadcast over the radio. The National Anthem is incorporated in Section 7 Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. State Emblem Sri Lanka used the British emblem when it was a British Crown Colony. We continued to use it even after gaining independence in 1948. According to the recommendations of a select committee appointed to devise a state emblem more suitable for Sri Lanka (Ceylon) we opted for a new State Emblem. It had a Lion with Sword in its right fore paw encircled with a `Palapethi` design atop. Below there was a strip carrying the country`s name in Sinhala, Tamil and English. A new republican emblem was chosen after the country was declared a Republic on 22nd May 1972. In addition to the lion with a sword and the `Palapethi` design, it portrays the `punkalasa`, `dhammachakka`, sun, moon and two sheaves of paddy. National Flower The Nil Mahanel flower was declared the National Flower of Sri Lanka on 26th February 1986. Its botanical name is `Nympheae Stellata`. This flower is mentioned in many Sinhala, Pali and Sanskrit Literary works. The flower which is also referred to as `Kuvalaya`, `Indhewara`, `Niluppala`, `Nilothpala` and `Nilupul` occupies a pre-eminent position in Buddhist literature too. It is said the `Nil Mahanel Flower` was among the 108 ceremonial designs found on the footprint of Prince Siddhartha. This proves that it had been a ceremonial flower throughout history. It is believed that the damsels depicted in Sigiriya Frescoes also carry the Nil Mahanel flower in their hands. Traditional poetry known as `Sandesa Kavya` likens women`s eyes to the Nil Mahanel flower which has also been used as an ear ornament. The Nil Mahanel plant which grows in shallow waters is found in all parts of the country. The flower which is purplish blue in colour has a heavy concentration of petals in the centre. The Nil Mahanel flower is also considered a symbol of truth, purity and discipline. National Tree A proposal made to declare the Na Tree as the National Tree was adopted by the Cabinet on 26th February 1986...