Buddhist Flag

Religious Flags

Designed in Sri Lanka in 1885 and adopted as the international Buddhist flag in 1950.

Hoist Ratio 2:3 Fly

Basic Flag Information

Flag Name	Buddhist Flag
Category	Religious Flags
Adopted On	1885
Designer	J. R. de Silva and Henry Steel Olcott
Flag Proportion	2:3
Flag Shape	Rectangle
Number of Colors	5
Main Colors	Blue, Yellow, Red, White, Orange
Design Type	Five vertical bands with a sixth compound band at the fly

Flag Color Information

Color	Appearance	HEX Code
Blue		#1B5DAB
Yellow		#FFD100
Red		#D8272B
White		#FFFFFF
Orange		#F58220

Flag Design and Symbols

Blue colour	Represents loving kindness and peace
Yellow colour	Represents the Middle Path
Red colour	Represents blessings, achievement and dignity
White colour	Represents purity and liberation
Orange colour	Represents wisdom
Six colours	The aura said to have surrounded the Buddha at his enlightenment; the sixth band at the fly combines the other five

About the Buddhist Flag

Designed in Sri Lanka in 1885 and adopted as the international Buddhist flag in 1950.

WorldFlags.online keeps this design in the Religious Flags collection rather than presenting it as a current sovereign-state flag. That category determines how dates, status and reuse guidance should be read.

Design and construction

Five vertical bands with a sixth compound band at the fly; recorded proportion 2:3.

Reference palette

The stored palette is Blue (#1B5DAB), Yellow (#FFD100), Red (#D8272B), White (#FFFFFF) and Orange (#F58220). These values are reference values for the artwork in this library and should not be treated as a legal colour specification unless the issuing body publishes one.

Symbols and meaning

Six colours: The aura said to have surrounded the Buddha at his enlightenment; the sixth band at the fly combines the other five.

Date and authorship

The record dates the design to 1885. The designer is recorded as J. R. de Silva and Henry Steel Olcott.

Why this record is separate from national flags

Historical, organisational, political, identity, religious, regional and signal flags can be important reference material without having the status of a present-day national flag. Keeping those categories separate makes the library clearer and reduces the risk of presenting a historical or protected emblem as a current national symbol.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — specialist flag reference index — Specialist vexillological reference

Facts about the Flag of Buddhist Flag

Buddhist Flag is filed under Religious Flags rather than the current national-flag index.
The recorded construction is five vertical bands with a sixth compound band at the fly.
The reference proportion is 2:3.
The stored palette contains Blue, Yellow, Red, White and Orange.
The record dates this design to 1885.
The designer is recorded as J. R. de Silva and Henry Steel Olcott.
Six colours: The aura said to have surrounded the Buddha at his enlightenment; the sixth band at the fly combines the other five.
Designed in Sri Lanka in 1885 and adopted as the international Buddhist flag in 1950.

Frequently asked questions about the Buddhist Flag

What is the Buddhist Flag?

Designed in Sri Lanka in 1885 and adopted as the international Buddhist flag in 1950.

What type of flag is the Buddhist Flag?

It is catalogued under Religious Flags rather than the current sovereign-state flag index.

What does the Buddhist Flag look like?

Five vertical bands with a sixth compound band at the fly, with a recorded proportion of 2:3.

What proportion is recorded for the Buddhist Flag?

The reference proportion stored for this record is 2:3.

Which colours are recorded for the Buddhist Flag?

The reference palette lists Blue #1B5DAB, Yellow #FFD100, Red #D8272B, White #FFFFFF and Orange #F58220.

What do the symbols on the Buddhist Flag mean?

Six colours — The aura said to have surrounded the Buddha at his enlightenment; the sixth band at the fly combines the other five.

When is the Buddhist Flag dated or adopted?

The record gives 1885.