The Lion of Sri Lanka

The Lion of Sri Lanka

A more realistic explanation for adopting the Lion as the national symbol was perhaps that the Lion represented the bravery of those early settlers (or sailors who crossed the Bay of Bengal) from North or North Eastern India and who spoke an Indo-Aryan dialect.The lion though not native to Sri Lanka is the most important animal to the Sri Lankans. The national flag of Sri Lanka proudly displays the picture of a lion holding a sword. The legend goes that the first settlers of the Island of Lanka, who came from north India had their ancestry with a tribe or group of people who venerated the lions. The majority community of Sri Lanka are called "Sinhalese" meaning descended from a lion (or "Sinha" the Sinhalese word for lion). 
Whilst the lion represents the Sinhalese community on the flag, the green and orange strips represent the minority communities in the Island. Sri Lanka has always been a modern secular democracy, with a written constitution safeguarding the rights and privileges of every citizen irrespective of their ethnic origin, colour, creed or religion.