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| Gaveshaka
traces the history of flags in Sri Lanka International organizations like the United Nations or the Red Cross have their own flags. There are certain colours used in flags, which have been accepted and used universally. The white flag denotes surrender. The yellow flag is to indicate an infectious disease. Red means danger. Green is for safety. Numerous flag days are held to mark special events when flags are sold to collect money from the public for a worthy cause. A school, for example, may have a flag day to collect funds for a particular need like building a playground or additional classrooms. Let’s look at the history of flags in Sri Lanka. Records even before the Mahavamsa, the Great Chronicle indicate that the Lion Flag always fluttered over Sri Lanka. A painting on the ceiling of the famous Dambulla rock temple shows the Royal Flag used by King Dutugemunu (161-137 B.C). It shows the lion holding the sword with the right paw. This is the oldest available record of the flag used by a Sinhalese king although historical records mention the early use of flags at numerous functions mainly Buddhist ceremonies. Temple frescoes in later periods depicting royal processions always show a flag being carried in front. Mention is made that during the reign of King Pandukhabhaya (4th century B.C), the country was divided into different political units. Each of these may have had a flag for easy identification but there are no records to show what they looked like. The use of provincial flags has been in existence from the 15th century onwards i.e. from the reign of King Parakramabahu VI (1415-1467 A.D). After the Portuguese took charge of the coastal belt of Sri Lanka, there were four distinct kingdoms. They were Uda Pas Rata (Kandy), Jaffna, Sitawaka (kingdom of Mayadunne) and Hath Korale. Each of these had a flag. At the time the Kandyan kingdom fell into the hands of the British in 1815, it was divided into 12 Grand Provinces called the ‘Disava’ . The chief official in charge of each province was also known as Disava. In addition, there were eight smaller districts. These were known as ‘Rata’ with a ‘Rate Mahattaya’ in charge. All these provinces and districts have their own flags, most of which are being taken in the Kandy Perahera to this day. The Kandy district flag is adopted from the Sinhalese royal flag. It shows the stylised lion holding a sword. While the lion symbolises the Sinhala race, the sword represents strength and determination. The lion is in yellow and the background is maroon. The lion is also featured in the flag of Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the Sinhala kingdom in the maritime provinces at the time the Portuguese arrived. The flag shows a lion holding a whip denoting authority as the whip was cracked before the king and his chief minister in procession. The Galle district too has a flag featuring a lion holding a sword. In addition, it carries the sun and moon symbols on the two top ends. The Jaffna district flag depicts a ‘veens’, a musical instrument, which, according to legend, belonged to a blind minstrel from the Chola kingdom in India, who was warmly greeted by an ancient king of Sri Lanka. |
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
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In
studying the heritage of a country, the flag plays a prominent role.
As you look at it, the flag is a piece of cloth or other material.
It is usually rectangular in shape. It bears a distinctive design
as a symbol or signal. Each country has a flag, which symbolises
the country’s heritage, strength and determination. Among
the well-known flags are the United Kingdom’s Union Jack and
the American Stars and Stripes. With a history dating back to over
2500 years, our own Lion Flag is possibly one of the oldest flags
in the world. It was the Royal Flag and may have been used from
the time of Prince Vijaya in the sixth century B.C. 