List of Indian flags

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This is a list of flags used in India. For more information about the national flag, visit the article Flag of India.

National flag

Flag Date Use Description
1947–present National flag of India A horizontal tricolour of saffron at the top, white in the middle, and green at the bottom. In the centre is a navy blue wheel with twenty-four spokes, known as the Ashoka Chakra.

Governmental flag

Flag Date Use Description
1950–1971[1] Presidential Standard of India 1st quarter: state emblem (the lions of Sarnath) to represent national unity; 2nd quarter: elephant from Ajanta Caves to represent patience and strength; 3rd quarter: scales from the Red Fort, Old Delhi to represent justice and economy; 4th quarter: lotus vase from Sarnath to represent prosperity.

Ensigns

Flag Date Use Description
Civil ensign A Red Ensign with the flag of India in the canton.
State ensign A Blue Ensign with the flag of India in the canton, and a yellow anchor horizontally in the fly.

Military flags

Army

Flag Date Use Description
Flag of the Indian Army A red field with the flag of India in the canton, and the Army badge in the fly
Flag of the Chief of Army Staff

Air Force

Flag Date Use Description
Flag of the Indian Air Force A sky-blue ensign with the flag of India in the canton, and the Air Force roundel in the fly
Flag of the Chief of Air Staff
Flag of Marshal of the Indian Air Force
Flag Date Use Description
Ensign of the Indian Navy It is built up of the Indian National Flag, a Vertical and a Horizontal Red Stripe, the Indian State Emblem in golden yellow colour on a white background.
Admiral (Chief of Naval Staff)
Vice Admiral
Rear Admiral
Commodore

Coast Guard

Flag Date Use Description
Ensign of the Indian Coast Guard A Blue Ensign with the Flag of India in the canton, and the Coast Guard badge in the fly
Flag of Director General of the Indian Coast Guard A Blue Ensign with the Flag of India in the canton, and the Coast Guard badge in the fly
Flag of Additional Director General of the Indian Coast Guard
Flag of Inspector General of the Indian Coast Guard

States and Union territorial flags

De jure state flags

Jammu and Kashmir is the only state or union territory to have de jure flag.[2]

Flag StateDate Use Description
Jammu and Kashmir 1972–present Flag of Jammu and Kashmir The flag is red to symbolise labour, with three white vertical stripes in the hoist (which do not run the whole height of the flag). The stripes stand for the three divisions of the region namely; (Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh). On the right side of the flag is a white plough with the handle facing the stripes. The ratio of the flag to its width is 3:2.

Unofficial state flags

Flag State Date Use Description
Karnataka 1965–present The Kannada flag, used as an unofficial state flag in Karnataka[3] Two horizontal strips of equal length and breadth with yellow strip on the top and red strip at the bottom.
Sikkim1967-1975Flag of Sikkim, used as a flag when Sikkim was an independent kingdom before its annexation to IndiaBuddhist khorlo prayer wheel with the gankyil in the centre, on a field of white with a red border.

The Kannada flag is actually the flag of a political party, Kannada Paksha, which was formed in 1965 by M. Ramamurthy. The flag is now used for the Kannada Rajyothsava and Kannada-oriented celebrations. The yellow and red colours in the flag stand for arshina (turmeric) and kumkuma (vermilion), respectively[4] The yellow and red colours signify Peace and Courage, respectively.

The Sikkim flag lost its official status when Sikkim became a part of India after the Sikkimese monarchy referendum, 1975.

Historical

Pre-colonial states

Flag Date Use Description
1206–1526 Flag of Delhi Sultanate A dark green flag with a black strip left of center.
1336–1646 Flag of Vijayanagara Empire A yellow flag depicting wild boar, sword, sun and moon.
1518–1687 Flag of Kingdom of Golconda Cyan coloured flag of the Qutb Shahi dynasty which ruled over the Kingdom of Golconda.
1526-1857 Flag of the Mughal Empire A moss green flag depicting a lion and a sun.
1674–1818 Flag of Maratha Empire (Bhagwa Dhwaj)[5] A saffron-coloured swallowtail flag.
1716–1799 Flag of Sikh Confederacy.[6] A yellow-brown flag with three weapons: Katar (dagger), Talwar and Dhal.
1799–1849 Flag of Sikh Empire[7] A red-colored interior and a green coloured exterior.

British Colonial India

Flag Date Use Description
1858–1947 The official state flag of the Indian Empire for use on land The flag of the United Kingdom.
c. 1885–1947 Flag of the Governor-General of India The Union Flag defaced with the insignia of the Order of the Star of India beneath the Imperial Crown of India.
1947–1950 Dark blue field emblazoned with the royal crest (a Tudor Crown surmounted by the lion of England, itself wearing the crown), beneath which was the word 'India' in gold majuscules. Similar to flags used by other Governors-General of Commonwealth realms.
c. 1880–1947 Flag of the British Raj: An unofficial, or semi-official land flag used to represent British India in international events and associations A Red Ensign with the Union Flag at the canton, and the Star of India displayed in the fly.

(Royal) Indian Marine/(Royal) Indian Navy

1863–1947 1877–1892 Ensign of Her Majesty's Indian Marine
1892-1928: Ensign of the Royal Indian Marine
1928–1934 Naval jack of the Royal Indian Marine
1934-1947: Naval jack of the Royal Indian Navy 		A Blue Ensign with the Union Flag at the canton, and the Star of India displayed in the fly.
1928–1950 1928-1934: Ensign of the Royal Indian Marine
1934-1950: Ensign of the Royal Indian Navy 		The White Ensign of the Royal Navy.
1951-1955 1951-1955: Flag of the Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy
1955: Flag of the Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy 		The St George's Cross.
Ensign of an Admiral in the Royal Navy.
1934-1958 1934-1947: Flag of the Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Navy
1947-1950: Flag of the Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy
1950-1955: Flag of the Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy
1955-1958: Flag of the Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy 		Ensign of a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy.
1928-1958 1928-1934: Flag of the Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Marine
1934-1950: Flag of a Flag Officer, Royal Indian Navy
1950-1958: Flag of a Flag Officer, Indian Navy 		Ensign of a Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy.

French India

Flag Date Use Description
1667-1791, 1815-1830 Flag of the Kingdom of France Flag of the Kingdom of France.
1791–1815, 1830-1954 The flag of France The flag of France.

Portuguese India

Flag Date Use Description
1495–1521 Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
1521–1578Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
1578–1640Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
1616–1640Putative flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
1640–1667 Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
1667–1706Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
1706 - 1750 1826 - 1830Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
1750–1816Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
1816–1826Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
1830–1910 Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal. Vertical bicolour blue-white. Proportion of the fields: 1:1.
1911-1961 The flag of Portugal. The final state flag of Portuguese India. Used from the declaration of the Republic of Portugal in 1910.

Flags used by the Indian independence movement

Flag Date Use Description
1906 Calcutta Flag Three horizontal bands of equal width with the top being orange, the centre yellow, and the bottom green. It had eight half-opened lotus flowers on the top stripe, and a picture of the sun and a crescent moon on the bottom stripe. वन्दे मातरम् (Vande Mātaram) was inscribed in the centre in Devanagari. [Note 1]
1907 Early Indian nationalist flags [Note 2]
1907
1917 Flag of the Home Rule Movement Five red and four green horizontal stripes
On the upper left quadrant was the Union Jack, which signified the Dominion status that the movement sought to achieve. A crescent and a star, both in white, are set in top fly. Seven white stars are arranged as in the Saptarishi constellation (the constellation Ursa Major), which is sacred to Hindus. [Note 3]
1921 Gandhi's flag, introduced at the Indian National Congress meeting in 1921
1923–1947 The Swaraj Flag, officially adopted by the Congress in 1931
1942–1945 Flag of Provisional Government of Free India Three horizontal strips of saffron, white, and green, with a springing tiger in the center
Although this symbolised the armed resistance of the Azad Hind Movement led by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose (as opposed to Gandhian pacifism), the 1931 flag of the Indian National Congress was used when the Indian National Army hoisted its flag in Moirang, Manipur. Both flags were used interchangeably.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The partition of Bengal (1905) resulted in the introduction of a new Indian flag that sought to unite the multitude of castes and races within the country. The Vande Mataram flag, part of the Swadeshi movement against the British, comprised Indian religious symbols represented in western heraldic fashion. The tricolour flag included eight white lotuses on the upper green band representing the eight provinces, a sun and a crescent on the bottom red band, and the Vande Mataram slogan in Hindi on the central yellow band. The flag was launched in Calcutta bereft of any ceremony and the launch was only briefly covered by newspapers. The flag was not covered in contemporary governmental or political reports either, but was used at the annual session of the Indian National Congress. A slightly modified version was subsequently used by Madam Bhikaji Cama at the Second Socialist International Meeting in Stuttgart. Despite the multiple uses of the flag, it failed to generate enthusiasm amongst Indian nationalists.[8]
  2. ↑ Around the same time, another proposal for the flag was initiated by Sister Nivedita, a Hindu reformist and disciple of Swami Vivekananda. The flag consisted of a thunderbolt in the centre and a hundred and eight oil lamps for the border, with the Vande Mataram caption split around the thunderbolt. It was also presented at the Indian National Congress meeting in 1906.[9] Soon, many other proposals were initiated, but none of them gained attention from the nationalist movement.
  3. ↑ In 1916, Suraiya Tayyabji submitted thirty new designs, in the form of a booklet funded by members of the High Court of Madras. These many proposals and recommendations did little more than keep the flag movement alive. The same year, Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak adopted a new flag as part of the Home Rule Movement. The flag included the Union Jack in the upper left corner, a star and crescent in the upper right, and seven stars displayed diagonally from the lower right, on a background of five red and four green alternating bands. The flag resulted in the first governmental initiative against any nationalistic flag, as a magistrate in Coimbatore banned its use. The ban was followed by a public debate on the function and importance of a national flag.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Das, Chand N. (1984). Traditions and Customs of the Indian Armed Forces. Vision Books. p. 53.
  2. ↑ Haynes, Ed (24 September 1996). "Jammu and Kashmir (India)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  3. ↑ Nozomi Kariyasu (21 March 1999). "Karnataka (India)". Flags of the World. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  4. ↑ http://flagspot.net/flags/in-ka.html
  5. ↑ Kadam, Vasant S. (1993), Maratha Confederacy: A Study in Its Origin and Development, Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers, p. 128, ISBN 978-81-215-0570-3
  6. ↑ http://www.sikhmuseum.com/nishan/empire/religious.html#religious15
  7. ↑ http://www.sikhmuseum.com/nishan/empire/architecture.html#arch4
  8. ↑ Virmani 1999, pp. 175–176
  9. ↑ Roy 2006, pp. 498–499
  10. ↑ Virmani 1999, pp. 176–177
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