Sri Lanka’s national anthem, as you know, is Namo Namo Matha. The purpose of a national anthem, which is to instill patriotism and nationalism in its citizens, has been amply achieved by this composition.
Do you know the origin of Namo Namo Matha? After Sri Lanka gained independence from the British colonialists in 1948, the people of Sri Lanka awakened to new patriotic feelings. As one of the first steps of a new nation- state, which had freed itself from colonial powers, finding a lyrical expression of its independent status was a priority for the rulers.

A competition was conducted to find a suitable anthem which would befit the Island nation. Namo Namo Matha, composed by Ananda Samarakoon, was selected as the national anthem on November 22,1951.

It was rendered in public for the first time on Independence Day, February 4, 1952, by 500 students from Musaeus collage, Colombo, and was broadcast over the radio.

The national anthem describes the natural beauty and the bounty of Sri Lanka, its rich harvests and many other qualities.

Download Sri Lanka’s national anthem

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (1)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

...
written by shenal, November 21, 2008

very very good!