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INSIGNIA

National Emblem
The Sarnath Lion, at the capital of  Asoka‘s empire, was adopted as the state
emblem of India on 26 January 1950, the day when India became a Republic. In the
original Sarnath Capital, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an
abacus with a frieze carrying sculpture in high relief of an elephant, a galloping
horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels (chakras) over a bell-
shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capital is
crowned by Dharma Chakra, the wheel of the Law.

In the state emblem adopted by the government only three lions are visible whereas
the fourth is hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the
abacus with a bull on the right and a horse on the left.  The bell-shaped lotus has
been omitted. 

The words, Satyameva Jayate (meaning ‘Truth alone triumphs’) from the Mundaka
Upanishad is inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script. It is also the national
motto. It is preserved in the Sarnath Museum.

National Monument
India Gate, one of the largest war memorials situated in the heart of New Delhi, is
the national monument of India.  It was erected in memory of 90,000 soldiers who
lost their lives ghting  in the World War I and Afghan War for the British Army.  It
was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens. Earlier, it was called  All India War Memorial.

National Calendar
At the time of independence, the Govt. of India followed the Gregorian calendar
based on the Christian era. The National Government adopted the recommendation
of the Calendar Reform Committee that the Saka era be adopted as the basis of the
national calendar. The Saka year has the normal 365 days and begins with Chaitra
as its rst month. The days of the Saka calendar have a permanent correspondence
with the dates of the Gregorian Calendar, Chaitra 1 falling on March 22 in a normal
year and on March 21 in a Leap Year. The National Calendar commenced on Chaitra
1 Saka, 1879 corresponding to March 22, 1957 A.D.

The months of the National Calendar, with their days and the dates of the Gregorian
Calendar corresponding to the rst day of the Saka month are given below:

 Saka Gregorian 

1 Chaitra 30/31 days March 22/21

1 Vaishaka 31 April 21

1 Jyaistha 31 May 22

1 Asadha 31 June 22

1 Sravana 31 July 23

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1 Bhadra 31 Aug. 23

1 Asvina 30 Sept. 23

1 Kartika 30 Oct. 23

1 Margasira 30 Nov. 22

1 Pausa 30 Dec. 22

1 Magha 30 Jan. 21

1 Phalguna 30 Feb. 20

National Heritage Animal

In order to increase the population of Asiatic elephants, the largest mammal species
on land, the ministry of environment has declared it the National Heritage Animal.
Around 60% of the population live in India.

National Song
The song Vande Mataram composed by Bankimchandra Chatterjee has an equal
status with Jana-gana-mana.The rst political occasion when it was sung was the
1896 session of the INC.

Vande Mataram,

Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam,

Shasyashyamalam, Mataram!

Shubhrajyothsna pulakitayaminim,

Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,

Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim, 

Sukadam varadam, Mataram! 

English translation of the stanza rendered by Sri Aurobindo (in Sri Aurobindo birth
centenary library popular edition 1972, vol. 8), is

I bow to thee, Mother,

richly-watered, richly-fruited,

cool with the winds of the south,

dark with the crops of the harvests,

The Mother !

Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,

Her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in owering bloom, sweet of laughter,
sweet speech,

The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss.

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National Aquatic Animal

River Dolphin (Platanista gangetica) is a critically endangered species in India.
Therefore, it has been put in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Poaching, degradation of its habitat, siltation, pollution and reduced ow of river
water are threats to its existence.

National Bird
The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus, the national bird of India, has beautiful velvet
feathers and a slender neck. The male is more colourful than the female with a
glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green tail of around 200
elongated feathers. The female is brownish and slightly smaller than the male and
lacks tail. 

The  dance of the male fanning out the tail and preening its feathers is a gorgeous
sight.

National Fruit
Mangifera indica, the mango tree is one of the most important and widely cultivated
fruit trees in  the tropical world. Its juicy fruit is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and D.
In India there are over 100 varieties of mangoes, in different sizes, shapes and
colours.

National Animal
The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the
tiger, Panthera Tigris, the title the national animal of India. Out of eight existing
species, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is the rarest. To protect the most dwindling
population of tigers in India, ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in April 1973.

National Tree
The Indian banyan tree, Ficus Bengalensis, has branches that root themselves like
new trees over a large area. Due to the characteristic of spreading the whole area
with its roots, expanding trunk and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal
and is an integral part of the myths and legends in India. Even today, the banyan
tree is the focal point of village life.  The village council meets under the shade of
this tree.

National River
The Ganga or Ganges is the longest river in India, owing over 2,510 kms of
mountains, valleys and plains. It originates in the snow elds of the Gangotri Glacier

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in the Himalayas as the Bhagirathi River. It is later joined by other rivers such as the
Alaknanda, Yamuna, Son, Gumti, Kosi and Ghagra. The Ganga river basin is one of
the most fertile and densely populated areas of the world and covers an area of
1,000,000 sq. kms. The Ganga is revered in Hinduism as the most sacred river.

National Flower
Lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera Gaertn) is the national ower of India. It is a sacred ower
and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has
been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture. India is rich in ora. The currently
available data place India in the tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in
plant diversity. From about 70 per cent geographical area surveyed so far, 47,000
species of plants have been described by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).

National Currency
The symbol is a combination of both Devanagiri letter ‘Ra’ and Roman letter ‘R’ with
a stripe cutting at the middle to represent the tricolour.

National Anthem
Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka jaya he

Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.

Punjaba-Sindhu-Gujarata-Maratha-

Dravida-Utkala-Banga

Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga

Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga

Tava Subha name jage, 

Tava subha asisa mange,

Gahe tava jaya-gatha,

Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka, jaya he

Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.

Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,

Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he. 

The following is Tagore’s English rendering of the stanza:

Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,

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Dispenser of India’s destiny.

Thy name rouses the hearts of the Punjab,

Sind, Gujarat and Maratha,

Of the Dravid and Orissa and Bengal.

It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas, mingles in the music of the
Jamuna and the Ganges and is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.

They pray for the blessings and sing thy praise.

The saving of all people waits in thy hand,

Thou dispenser of India’s destiny, victory, victory, victory to thee.

The National Flag

India’s national ag is a horizontal tri-colour of deep saffron (Kesari), (representing
courage and sacri ce) at the top, white (peace and truth) in the middle and dark
green (faith and chivalry) at the bottom. The ratio of the width of the ag to its
length is 2:3. In the centre of white band is a wheel, in navy blue. Its design is that
of the wheel (Chakra) with 24 spokes on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of
Ashoka. Its diameter is equal to the width of the white band. The design of the
national ag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July, 1947. Its
use and display are regulated by a code. The Flag Code of India, 2002, took effect
from 26 January 2002 and superseded the ‘Flag Code-India’ as it existed. According
to the provisions of the Flag Code of India, 2002, there are no restrictions for
displaying the national ag by members of general public, private organisations,
educational institutions. However,  Prevention of Improper Use Act, 1950, the
Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971 and few other law enacted on
the subject are guidelines for using the ag with dignity and pride.

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