Sri Lankabhimanya
One of the highest national awards of Sri Lanka
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Sri Lankabhimanya (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකාභිමාන්ය, romanized: Śrī Laṅkābhimānya; Tamil: சிறீ லங்காபிமான்ய, romanized: Ciṟī Laṅkāpimāṉya; The Pride of Sri Lanka) is the highest national honour of Sri Lanka, which is awarded by the President of Sri Lanka on behalf of the government, equivalent to the National Hero of Sri Lanka. It is the country's highest civil honour and is conferred upon "those who have rendered exceptionally outstanding and most distinguished service to the nation".[1]
| Sri Lankabhimanya ශ්රී ලංකාභිමාන්ය சிறீ லங்காபிமான்ய | |
|---|---|
Awarded by  The Government of Sri Lanka | |
| Type | Title of honor/Order of merit |
| Established | 1981 |
| Eligibility | Sri Lankan citizens |
| Criteria | Exceptional and distinguished service to the nation |
| Status | Currently constituted |
| Statistics | |
| First induction | 1986 |
| Last induction | 2023 |
| Total inductees | 9 |
| Precedence | |
| Next (higher) | None |
| Next (lower) | Deshamanya |
| Equivalent | National Hero of Sri Lanka |
 Ribbon of the medal | |
The honour can only be held by five living Sri Lankans at any given time, and may also be conferred posthumously.[2] Karu Jayasuriya is the only living recipient of the award as of 2026. Since its initiation in 1986, the award has only been conferred to nine individuals.[3]
The honour is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the name of the person who receives the award.
Insignia
The insignia consists of a badge circular with blooming lotus in the centre and Sri Lankabhimanya written in Sinahala and Tamil around it. The badge is suspended from the neck by a ribbon with a blue centre and two marron line between separated by yellow boarders. A shoulder sash of the same colour is worn from the left shoulder to the right hip. A Sanasa (certificate) signed by the President of Sri Lanka is presented to the recipient.
Recipients
Living recipient |
Posthumous recipient |
| # | Year | Recipient | Field | Conferred by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | Ranasinghe Premadasa (1924–1993) |
Government | J. R. Jayewardene |
| 2 | 1993 | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (1916–2008) |
Government | Ranasinghe Premadasa |
| 3 | 2005 | Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) |
Science | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| 4 | 2005 | Lakshman Kadirgamar (1932–2005) |
Government | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| 5 | 2007 | A. T. Ariyaratne (1931–2024) |
Civil service | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| 6 | 2007 | Lester James Peries (1919–2018) |
Cinema | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| 7 | 2007 | Christopher Weeramantry (1926–2017) |
Law | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| 8 | 2017 | W. D. Amaradeva (1927–2016) |
Music | Maithripala Sirisena |
| 9 | 2023 | Karu Jayasuriya (born 1940) |
Government[4] | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
