All the countries in the world have created their own national flag. The salutation of the national flag is an expression of the value and devotion that the citizens of that country have towards their country. After the hoisting of the national flag, the main ceremonies and events begin in each country. While the struggle for the complete liberation of Tamil Eelam is in full swing, our National Leader has hoisted the national flag for Tamil Eelam, which has been reclaimed at the cost of thousands of lives of martyrs. Even before the formation of the country, the people of Tamil Eelam have added a novelty to the history of the national flag by paying homage to the flag, playing the national song, and conducting major ceremonies and events. We are proud to publish this handbook, “The National Flag Usage Rules” so that all the people of Tamil Eelam should know how to hoist and respect our national flag, which has an innovative history.

Vagai tree is considered to be one of the most ancient trees in the heritage of the Tamil homeland. During the Sangam period, garlands from flowers of vagai tree were laid for the victors of the war. It is possible to understand the extent to which vagai tree has been associated with Tamils through the Sangam period tradition. There are many types of vagai tree. “Iyavagai” is indigenous to the Tamil homeland. Other species are found in many countries. Vagai tree is called syrissa tree in English. It’s called Mimosa Flexuosa in Latin. Its botanical name is albizza odaritissma. Parts of the vagai tree are also used in paranormal medicine. It grows to a maximum height of 25 meters. The branches are broad and like an umbrella. The vagai tree is mostly seen in South Asian region . As it is a dry zone plant, Tamil Nadu in India and Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka have become its heritage habitat. It requires an average annual rainfall of 800 to 1000 mm. It is propagated by seeds and stems. Seeds should be soaked in hot water for 24 hours to germinate quickly. Its main enemy is a kind of worms. They can erode the leaves and cause damage. It is also grown in farms for firewood.

In the Sinhala nation, leopards are found only in the Yala Wildlife Sanctuary in Hambantota and the Wilpattu Wildlife Sanctuary in Anuradhapura. A team of Canadian leopard specialists came to Sri Lanka and determined that these leopards in Sri Lanka are unique among the leopard species in the world. They went on to say that this should be the national animal of Sri Lanka. This leopard is abundant in the Tamil homeland. Such leopards have black spots on its yellow body, but unlike cats, lions, and tigers, leopards do not need a place to stay. A small spot on a rock, hill or a ridge, ditch, or tree is more than enough for the leopard. The native wild leopard also hunts and eats small deer, monkeys, peacocks, wild chickens, thorn pigs, and rabbits. This leopard is typically five and a half feet long from the tip of its nose to its tail. It can also grow up to 8ft long and weigh up to 100 kg. The biological name of the leopard is Pathera Pardus kotiya. Kotiya is the Sinhala name of the tiger. Kotiya came to an end due to the dominance of Sinhala scholars in the biological nomenclature of the Sri Lankan leopard. The tiger and the lion will usually sneak in and hunt animals. The leopard, however, chases and corners the animal before capturing it. Leopard researchers say that the leopard uses this as its main hunting tactic. A leopard can hunt up to 25 to 30 kg of animals, and while carrying it, can climb up 8 feet of rock. Because the leopard has a narrow or slender long body, it can spin, jump, and hunt quickly. The leopard is the Tamil homeland hero. It has accurate hearing and sharp eyesight. Due to the color of the leopard, the dry forests here are a good camouflage. So, the leopard cannot be easily isolated in the wild. Here in the Vanni, a small wild cat called “Sarukuppuli” is shown, but this is referred to as the leopard elsewhere. There are no wild tigers in the Tamil homeland or in the Sinhala land, only in India. Therefore, the tiger is the national animal of India. The leopard belongs to the animal family “Felidae”, according to the English classification. The leopard is also the national animal of Tamil Eelam. Other species of leopards live in different parts of the world, but the wild leopards here are more unique than anywhere else. Other species include unique panthers and cheetahs that are found nowhere else. The leopard is currently the most endangered animal in the world. Panthera pardus kotiya, a native of Tamil Eelam, is one of the rarest and most endangered species. It must be protected from predation and destruction, especially from hunters that have hunted leopards for their teeth and skin. Due to their current decline in population, this will have a significant impact on the food chain. The leopard is also mentioned in the ancient Tamil Sangam literature, thus has been declared as the national animal of Tamil Eelam.

Birds that are highly fly-friendly often do not have a country specific ancestry. Some birds migrate once in a long time. Low-flying birds do not migrate to this field. For that reason, low-flying birds are an earthy heritage strength. Low-flying birds are the national birds of most countries in the world. In our homeland, quail, senbagam (greater coucal), wild chicken and peacock are found in many parts of the world. In terms of ethnicity these are less of the distinctive features of our homeland. In this way, senbagam with its unique features (the greater coucal) has been declared as the national bird of Tamil Eelam. Senbagam is called greater coucal or crore peasant in English. It lives in our homeland and in India and China. The senbagam is slightly larger than the crow and it has a black body and saffron petals. We can see these wandering in our environment. It is more common in arid areas. It is slowly walking and jogging. Its habitats are undergrowth, groves, and lower parts. It eats snails, insects, frogs, and snakes. Senbagam also eats the eggs laid in the nests of other birds. It lays 3 to 4 eggs continuously.

Everyone knows that flowers are the symbol of the nation. It is an enduring tradition that the related flowers intertwined with the milk of the historical and social culture of the respective nation. The nation declares the flower as national flowers and are honored by the respective nationalities and maintained as equals to the national flag. It is known from history that the ancient Tamil kings had separate flowers for adoption. That is, fig flowers were the national flowers for the Cholas, panam flowers for the Cheras and neem flowers for the Pandyas. The garlands of the above flowers were worn by them when they went to the fields. Here Kanthal is the traditional Tamil name of the Karthikai flower. Through this historical evidence, the connection between the Karthika flower and the Tamil history becomes clear. Flowers play an important role not only in the country but also in the beliefs of the people living in the country.