Sri Lankan National Anthem for String Orchestra

After independence was granted to Sri Lanka (at the time known as Ceylon) in 1948, the need for a national anthem arose. As a result of a contest, Ananda Samarkone’s contribution, written in Sinhala, was chosen as the new anthem. It was first performed on the fourth anniversary of independence in early 1952. There was some controversy with the early lyrics, and they were slightly changed in the early 1960s, against the author’s wishes.