National symbols:

The identity of Mother Lanka

The month of February ushers in a day of great national significance - Independence Day. On February 4, all citizens of Mother Lanka, irrespective of caste, creed or religion and also where they are presently domiciled in ,should take pride in the fact that our little island nation is no longer under foreign rule.

The road to freedom was not easy, having been under the rule of the Portuguese, Dutch and British for nearly 500 years (from 1505-1948)

Those who struggled to free our motherland from the foreign yoke are many and can never be forgotten. The sacrifices they made ,the battles they fought and the hardships they faced are numerous. Some even sacrificed their lives.

The blood, sweat and tears of all those who fought in their own way to bring freedom to this land will always enrich the soil of Mother Lanka. Their valiant efforts paid off on February 4, 1948.

So, as we celebrate the 64th anniversary of Independence on this day let us salute all those who struggled for freedom and pledge to become patriotic citizens like them by protecting the sovereignty of our motherland!

As an independent country we have our own insignia such as the national emblem, national flag, national anthem, national bird, national tree, national flower and national butterfly that display our national identity to the world. Today we focus your attention once again on some of them...

Our country's national symbols are truly representative of our rich history and culture which spans over 35,000 years dating back to the time Vijaya landed on the golden sandy shores of our motherland.

One only has to leaf through the ancient chronicles to get an insight into the golden era of our little but mighty country.

National flag

The first Prime Minister of Independent Ceylon(Sri Lanka) D.S. Senanayake, appointed a national committee for the formulation of a national flag for the country. The current National flag is an improvisation of the civil standard of Sri Lanka's last king, Sri Wickrama Rajasingha. It symbolises the country's culture and heritage and embodies the spirit of nationality of the people.

The flag of Sri Lanka, or the Lion Flag as it is also called comprises a golden coloured lion, holding a kastane sword in its right fore paw.

The crimson background has a golden bo leaf in each corner. There is a yellow border around the background, and two vertical stripes to its left. These vertical stripes are of equal size and in saffron and green, with the saffron stripe closest to the lion.

Each element on the National Flag has a distinctive symbolic significance. Do you know what the lion represents? The Sinhalese ethnicity and the bravery of the Sri Lankan nation.

The four bo leaves represent Metta, Karuna, Mudita and Upekkha; the four virtues of kindness, friendliness, happiness and equanimity.

The orange stripe represents the Sri Lankan Tamils, the green stripe represents Sri Lankan Moors, and the maroon background represents the majority of Sinhalese, like the lion; it was the colour used in early flags of Sri Lanka by kings. The first time the national flag was hoisted was on March 3, 1950.

National flower

The nil manel or the blue lotus /water lilly which has the botanical name Nympheae stelleta has been the national flower of Sri Lanka since February 1986. It is found in all parts of the country and grows in shallow water. The petals of this flower are arranged like a star and the flat round waterproof leaves are bright green. It symbolises purity and truth.

It has a sweet fragrance and is used for offerings at Buddhist Temples and rituals for god Vishnu. The fact that these flowers were popular even in ancient times is evident from the frescoes at Sigiriya. The women hold these flowers in their hands.

National butterfly

Sri Lanka's largest attractive butterfly - the "Sri Lanka Bird Wing" (Troides darsius) which is endemic to Sri Lanka was declared as the National Butterfly in March, 2010 under the recommendations of the Butterfly Expert Group established under the Environment and Natural Resources Ministry through its Butterfly Conservation Action Plan.

It is the largest Sri Lankan butterfly with a wingspan spreading 165-180 mm. Its large forewings are glossy black and hindwings bright yellow with a black margin making it 'hard to miss' when in flight.

"Birdwing is common in rainforest habitats in the wet zone, but is also seen in the intermediate zone and dry zone.

The Birdwing can even be found in Colombo suburbs. The Birdwing lays its eggs on the Sap sanda plant and prefers to feed on ixora and pinna flowers.

National tree

The na tree (iron wood) or (Mesua ferrea or Mesua nagaserium) is a species in the family Calophyllaceae. It was adopted as as the national tree of Sri Lanka on February 26 , 1986, by the Cabinet because of the country's close association with the tree for centuries, both socially and culturally. The tree which grows to about 30 m high is indigenous to the lower wet Zone of Sri Lanka. Its beautiful emerging young leaves are red to yellowish pink and drooping. They mature into a deep green; simple, narrow, oblong, dark green leaves 7-15 cm long, with a whitish underside.

It has white blossoms which are used in herbal medicine and preparation of perfumes, cosmetics and soaps. The flowers are 4-7.5 cm diametre, with four white petals and a centre of numerous yellow stamens.

The timber was used to construct bridges in early times due to its hardness and durability. However, it is prohibited to fell these trees today mostly due to its religious value. It is said that the first visit of the Buddha was to a grove of na trees at Mahiyanganaya and also the next Buddha (Maithriya) will attain Enlightenment under a na tree. The plant is named after the heaviness of its timber and cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage, and fragrant flowers. Even though it is native to tropical Sri Lanka it is also cultivated in Assam, southern Nepal, Indochina, and the Malay Peninsula.

National bird

The Sri Lankan junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii) was known during the colonial era as the Ceylon junglefowl. It is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to Sri Lanka.

A very common bird found in the national parks and forests of the country, it is closely related to the red junglefowl (G. gallus), the wild junglefowl from which the chicken was domesticated.

The male is much larger than the female, with more vivid plumage and a highly exaggerated wattle and comband ranges from 66-73 cm (26-29 inc) in length and 790-1,140 g (1.7-2.5 lb) in weight, essentially resembling a large, muscular rooster. The male has orange-red body plumage, and dark purple to black wings and tail. The feathers of the mane descending from head to base of spine are golden, and the face has bare red skin and wattles. The comb is red with a yellow centre. The female is much smaller, at only 35 cm (14 inc) in length and 510-645 g (1.1-1.42 lb) in weight, with dull brown plumage with white patterning on the lower belly and breast, ideal camouflage for a ground nesting bird. It lays 2-4 eggs in a nest. Similar to many members of the pheasant family, the colourful male plays no part in the incubation of the eggs or rearing of the young. These duties are performed by the drab and well-camouflaged female.

The eggs are highly variable in colour but generally are cream with a yellow or pink tint.

Purple or brownish spots are common. Occasionally a female will produce red eggs or blotched eggs.

As with most other pheasants, Sri Lanka Junglefowl is a terrestrial species. It spends most of its time foraging for food by scratching the ground for various seeds, fallen fruit and insects.

National anthem

Following Independence in 1948, the need for a national anthem was strongly felt by the people.

As a result a contest was held where Ananda Samarakoon's composition Namo Namo Matha was chosen as the official national anthem of Sri Lanka. However, due to a controversy that occurred in the early 1950s, the opening lines of the national anthem were changed.

The modified opening lines are Sri Lanka Matha-Apa Sri Lanka.

It was only on February 4, 1952 that the first public rendition of the national anthem took place.

Egodahage George Wilfred Alwis Samarakoon, the composer and musician and teacher was born on January 13, 1911 to a Christian family in Padukka. He had his primary and secondary education at Christian College,Kotte, presently known as Sri Jayewardenepura M.V. Kotte. His Sinhala guru was Pandit D.C.P. Gamalathge. Namo Namo Mata (composed in 1940, recorded in 1946) was one of Samarakoon's early compositions. It was nominated as the national anthem and was officially adopted as the national anthem of the country on November 22, 1951 by a committee headed by Sir Edwin Wijeyeratne. On April 5, 1962, at the age of fifty-one he died.

National emblem

A national emblem symbolically represents a nation. When we were a British Crown Colony we naturally used the British emblem. We continued to use it even after the attainment of Independence in 1948. However, on realising the need to have our own national emblem as we were no longer a Crown colony of the British, a select committee was appointed to create a State emblem more suited for Sri Lanka. The new State emblem includes a lion with a sword in its right front paw surrounded by a Palapethi open petal design top. Beneath this, there is a strip carrying the country's name in Sinhala, Tamil and English.

After becoming a Republic on May 22, 1972, a new Republican emblem with an additional portrayal of the punkalasa, dhammachakka, sun, moon and two sheaves of paddy besides the lion with a sword came into use. Accordingly the present emblem features a gold lion passant, holding a sword in its right fore paw (the same lion from the flag of Sri Lanka) in the centre on a maroon background surrounded by golden petals of a blue lotus, the national flower of the country.

This is placed on top of a traditional grain vase that sprouts sheaves of rice grains that circle the border reflecting prosperity.

The crest is the Dharmacakra, symbolising the country's foremost place for Buddhism and just rule.

Traditional Sinhalese heraldic symbols for the sun and the moon form the supporters.The national emblem is used by the Sri Lankan Government in connection with the administration and government of the country.

Facts and pix: Internet