Buddhist Flag in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, it is very common to see Buddhist flags swaying in the wind. In fact, Buddhist communities use it extensively. Significantly, the Buddhist flag originated in the late 19th century as a universal symbol of Buddhism. For this reason, Buddhists use it throughout the world. In general, you’ll find minor variations of the Buddhist flag in other countries.In Sri Lanka is very common to see the Buddhist flags swaying in the wind. It is used, especially in Buddhist communities. The Buddhist flag was designed in the late 19th century as a universal symbol of Buddhism. Buddhists use it throughout the world. But there are minor variations to the Buddhist flag used in other countries.

The History of the Buddhist flag

The Colombo Committee was instrumental in designing the Buddhist flag in Ceylon in 1885. It was first hoisted on Vesak day, 28 May 1885, at the Dipaduttamarama, Kotahena, by Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda Thera. This was the first Vesak public holiday under British rule.

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott made some alterations to the flag. He made it the size and shape of a national flag. Notably, Colonel Henry Steel Olcott was the first president of the Theosophical Society.

Important milestones of the flag

In 1889, they presented the flag to Japan by Anagarika Dharmapala and Olcott—who presented it to Emperor Meiji. Subsequently, they presented it to Burma. Notably, at the World Fellowship of Buddhists in 1950, they adopted it as the International Buddhist Flag. In fact, they held the World Federation of Buddhists’ meeting in Kandy on May 25th, 1950.

What do the colours mean?

The flag’s six vertical bands represent the six colours of the aura. For this reason, Buddhists believe these colours emanate from the body of the Buddha.

Blue: The Spirit of Universal Compassion

Yellow: The Middle Way

Red: The Blessings of Practice—achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune, and dignity.

White: The Purity of Dhamma—leading to liberation, timeless.

Orange: The Wisdom of the Buddha’s teachings.

The sixth vertical band consists of a combination of the five colored rectangular bands. Hence, this band symbolises the universality of the Truth of the Buddha’s teaching.

Who designed the Buddhist flag in Sri Lanka?

Carolis Pujitha Gunawardena gets the credit as the designer of the flag. Moreover, it appeared for the first time in the Sinhalese newspaper ‘Sarasavi Sandaresa’ on April 17, 1885. Uniquely, Carolis was a member of the Colombo Committee that initiated such a flag.