India in Symbols – National Symbols or National Identity elements of India
The below listed are the National Symbols/Identity elements of India. These are symbolic of the History, culture, and Identity of India. All Indians take pride in these symbols which define India
National Bird of India
The Indian Peacock, Pavo cristatus is the national bird of India. It is a swan sized bird and capable of flight despite its size and long feathers. The male species of these species are more colorful, brightly colored with blue breast, and with a long train of around 200 fan-like feathers while the females of this species lack this train. The white patches above and below the eyes of this bird give it a very attractive appeal. During the courtship dance of the male, these stiff feathers are raised as a fan and quivered in a display of pride.
Native population of Indian peacock is widely distributed in Indian subcontinent including Sri Lanka and is rarely seen in altitudes over 2000 meters. Besides its native distribution, it is now found in some parts of Americas, Europe, Africa and Australia may be due to the translocation of humans. This bird is widely referred in Indian and Greek mythology and protected culturally across south Asia and by law in India. While moving in and out of India, make sure you notice the ties of Indian Immigration officials which are inspired by the design of the peacock feathers !
National Flag of India
The National Flag of India is a rectangular shaped panel with three sub panels of equal width. The colors of the panels are saffron (kesari), white and green from top to bottom respectively. The central white panel bears the design of Asoka Chakra at the center. The chakra is blue in color and has 24 equally spaced spokes. The flag looks identical from both sides and the ratio of length to width (height) is 3:2. The saffron color on the top panel indicates the strength and courage of India. The white color on middle panel indicates peace and truth with dharma chakra indicating that there is life in movement and stagnation is death. The green color on the bottom panel indicates fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land of India. This Design of the National Flag was adopted by the constituent Assembly of India on 22nd July 1947. The flag of India as it is today has a long history and it is an evolved manifestation of earlier models used during the India’s freedom struggle. The flag code of India, 2002 gives a detailed guide about the Dos and Don’ts vis-à-vis Indian flag’s use and display.
National Animal of India
The Royal Bengal Tiger, Panthera Tigris is not only the national animal for India but also for Bangladesh. These species are believed to be in existence in the Indian subcontinent for at least 10000-15000 years. These are also found in considerable numbers in Nepal and Bhutan. The Royal Bengal tigers are among the biggest cat species alive in the world today. Destructive phenomena such as poaching, loss of habitat, etc have caused a dwindling in their numbers. To check this, the Government of India had launched ‘Project Tiger’ in 1973 and demarcated many tiger reserves which are protected areas by the law.
State Emblem of India
The State Emblem of India is adapted from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Asoka. The original capital is carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, preserved at the Sarnath museum located in Varanasi. Although the original Capital has four lions mounted back to back on a central abacus, the adopted version of the capital for the sake of state emblem shows three lions. The three lions are mounted on the abacus with a dharma chakra at the center, a bull on the right, a galloping horse on the left, on either side of the dharma chakra. The motto ‘Satyamev Jayate’ taken from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning ‘Truth alone triumphs’ in Devnagari script is written below, which makes the emblem complete. In the original capital, the abacus rests on a bell-shaped lotus which was omitted in the adopted version. In the state emblem lies the official seal of India. This forms a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India and also prominently appears on Indian Passports and all Indian currencies. This emblem was adopted by the government of India on 26th Jan 1950.
National Flower of India
Nelumbo Nucifera Gaertn, simply called Lotus or ‘The sacred lotus’ (referring to its Indian mythological importance) is not only the National flower of India but also for Vietnam. Although Lotus has a wide native distribution in North India and parts of East Asia, it is now found in all of South East Asia including south India, Sri Lanka, and also in parts of Australia. All Indian religions attribute significance to the lotus flower. Also, the Baha’i faith adopted the lotus symbolism for their ‘Lotus temple’ located in New Delhi. In Hinduism, many gods are portrayed to be sitting on stylized Lotus thrones for worship. In Buddhism, the lotus represents the purity of body, mind, and speech. According to some Buddhist scriptures, Buddha compares himself to the lotus. In Jainism, the Tirthankaras (A spiritual teacher of lineage) are often portrayed sitting on lotus thrones. There are similar references in Sikhism and Chinese religions as well, making it inalienable to the Indian story.
Currency Symbol of Indian Rupee
₹ is the official symbol of the Indian currency, The Indian rupee. It is a blend of Devanagari ‘Ra’ (र) and Roman Capital letter ‘R’ with two horizontal parallel lines at the top. It is designed to also represent the Tri-color National Flag of India and it was adopted by the government of India on 15th July 2010. The symbol denotes the growing economic strength of India and gives International identity to the Indian Rupee. Before its adoption, the common notations used were ‘Rs’ or ‘Re’. For the selection of an apt symbol, the government of India had an open competition among the resident Indians in 2010. It was Udaya Kumar, who is a Post Graduate from IIT Bombay designed this symbol and won the competition.
National Anthem of India
The song Jana Gana Mana was first sung in 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. This song ‘Bharoto Bhagyo Bhidhata’ was composed by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in the Bengali language and had five stanzas. The Hindi version of the first stanza of this song has been adopted as the full version of the National Anthem of India. The approximate playtime of the full version of the National Anthem is 52 seconds whereas a shorter version which is used occasionally consists of first and last lines and has a playtime of 20 seconds. Rules and Instructions are issued from time to time with regard to the correct versions of the National Anthem, occasions on which the national anthem can/cannot be played, decorum to be maintained while the National Anthem is being played, etc. The National Anthem was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on 24th January 1950.
Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata
Panjaba-Sindhu-Gujarata-Maratha
Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
uchchala-jaladhi-taranga
Tava subha name jage, tave
subha asisa mage,
Gahe tava jaya-gatha.
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,
Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!
National Song of India
Vande Mataram is a Sanskrit poem composed by Bankimchandra Chatterji in the 1870s which later featured in his Novel ‘Anandmath’. The first two verses or the first stanza of the original Poem is adopted as the National Song of India by the constituent Assembly on 24th January 1950. The first political occasion it was sung was by Rabindranath Tagore in 1896 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress. The song Vande Mataram, which greatly inspired people during the freedom struggle of India, enjoys equal status with that of the National Anthem.
Vande Mataram! Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam, Shasyashyamalam, Mataram! Shubhrajyotsna pulakitayaminim, Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim, Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim, Sukhadam varadam, Mataram! Vande Mataram, Vande Mataram!
National Tree of India
Ficus Bengalensis, The Indian fig tree is the national tree of India. It is colloquially called in India as Banyan or ‘Banian’ tree as in olden days these trees were frequently used for shade and business by the trading class of India (Baniyas). To this day Banyan tree is focal point to the village life and culture where all types of village meetings and gatherings happen. Banyan is also an important tree in the Hindu and Buddhist mythology.
The banyan tree is an epiphyte (mostly grows on other plants) and often engulfs most of or all of the host plant. It has a peculiar feature where the branches root themselves like new trees which in turn give way to new branches and trunks. This makes the area of a single tree cover very large and shade under it cool to beat the heat! One such tree (Dodda Alada Mara) which is nearly 400 years old is located near Bangalore, India covers an area of over 3 acres!
National Calendar of India
The national calendar of India is based on the Saka era or the Shalivahana Saka, which is a historical calendar and corresponds to 78 AD as the base year or the zero-year. For example, the year 2020 corresponds to 1941 in the Saka era! The first month of the Saka calendar is Chaitra, followed by vaishakha, Jyeshtha, Ashada, Shravana, Bhaadra, Ashwin, Karthika, Agrahayana, Pausha, Magha and Phalguna in that order.
Dates of the National calendar have a permanent correspondence with those of the Gregorian calendar with 1st Chaitra falling on 22nd March in a normal year and on 21st March in a leap year. This calendar with Chaitra as the first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted by the Government of India from 22nd March 1957. This calendar along with the normal Gregorian calendar is used for official purposes. This calendar Gazette of India, All India Radio broadcasts, Government communications with the general public.