All of our printed Sri Lanka flags are made by a process called Dye Sublimation. This process impregnates the fibres of the fabric, the result is a flag that has very accurate colour, and importantly the design appears clearly on both sides of the flag. This is known as ‘printed through to reverse’ and is an important consideration when choosing your flag as both sides will be seen when flying.
Brief History
In 1412 the Kingdom of Kotte controlled most of Sri Lanka. It had a flag made up of a plain white field with ornate blue and red leaved white border and a lion with a whip at the centre.
The Kingdom of Kandy was formed in 1469 and slowly took control of the central and eastern portion of Sri Lanka. The flag adopted was the royal standard and featured a gold and black bordered red field with Bo leaves and lion with a sword. This is similar to the right portion of the modern flag.
In 1521 a split of the Kingdom of Kotte lead to the creation of the Kingdom of Sitawaka whose flag featured a plain white field with double black border and a red elephant and leaves.
The Kingdom of Sitawaka would have fierce battles against the Portuguese who began taking over the island from 1567 and eventually taking over Sitawaka in 1594.
The flag of Portuguese Ceylon was the national Portuguese flag featuring a white field with a red-bordered white crowned shield with gold seven gold castles and five small blue shields in the shape of a cross.
