Coat of arms of Sri Lanka

	Coat of arms of Sri Lanka
Details
Armiger	The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Adopted	1972
Crest	The Dharmacakra
Escutcheon	Gold lion passant, holding a sword in its right fore paw on a maroon background surrounded by golden petals of a water lily
Supporters	Golden symbols of the Sun and the Moon
Other elements	A traditional grain vase
Use	On all Acts of Parliament; the cover of all Sri Lankan passports; various government ministries and departments; adapted for the reverse of coins

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The Coat of arms of Sri Lanka is the official coat of arms of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. It is used by the Sri Lankan Government in connection with the administration and government of the country. The current coat of arms has being in use since 1972.

The coat of arms 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, symbolizing the country's foremost place for Buddhism and just rule. Traditional Sinhalese heraldic symbols for the sun and the moon form the supporters.

[edit] History

Coat of arms of The Dominion of Ceylon (1952-1972)

Before independence, Ceylon used the coat of arms of the United Kingdom as the imperial emblem and a unique shield for the colony. This contained a Sri Lankan elephant and Coconut trees and later a stupa. When Ceylon granted independence from the Britain as a dominion in 1948, the need of a new national emblem arose. A committee was named in order to create a national emblem. According to its recommendation a national emblem was adopted in 1952^{[citation needed]}.

A modified from of the Royal Banner of the Kandyan Kingdom was adapted as the national flag, derived from this the new emblem at its center had a disk with a gold lion passant, holding a sword in its right fore paw on a maroon background. Around it were the golden petals of a water lily and topped with the Crown of Ceylon which was crown of the Kandyan Kingdom.

The present National Emblem (Coat of Arms) of the Government of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka was created in 1972 with the ideas and guidance of Nissanka Wijeyeratne.^[1] At the time, he was Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Chairman of the National Emblem and Flag Design Committee. The designer of the Coat of Arms was Venerable Mapalagama Wipulasara Maha Thera.^[2]