National Symbols of INDIA

1) National Song

The song "Vande Mataram", composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana.

2) National Flower

"Lotus", (Nelumbo Lucifera) is the national flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology in ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial.

3) National Flag

The National flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesari) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three.

4) National Calendar

The national calendar is based on the "Saka Era" with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from 22 March 1957 along with the Gregorian calendar for the following official purposes:

5) NATIONAL BIRD

"The Indian peacock", Pavo cristatus (Linnaeus), the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers.

6) National Anthem

The song "Jana-gana-mana", composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the national anthem of India on 24 January 1950. It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress.

7) National Animal

The magnificent "tiger", Panthera tigris (Linnaeus), is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes.

8) National aquatic animal

"Genetic Dolphin" (Platanista gangetica) is said to represent the purity of the holy Ganga River as it can only survive in pure and fresh water.

9) National currency

"Indian Rupee" (ISO code: INR) is the official currency of the Republic of India. The issuance of the currency is controlled by the Reserve Bank of India. The Indian rupee symbol is derived from the Devanagari consonant "र" (ra) and the Latin letter "R" was adopted in 2010.

10) National emblem

"An adaptation of Lion Capital of Asoka at Sarnath "was adopted as the National Emblem of India on 26 January 1950, the day India became a republic. Forming an integral part of the emblem is the motto inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script: "Satyameva jayate" (English: Truth Alone Triumphs), a quote taken from Mundaka Upanishad, the concluding part of the sacred Hindu Vedas.

11) National tree

"Indian banyan" (Ficus bengalensis) root themselves to form new trees and grow over large areas. Because of this characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and is an integral part of the myths and legends of India.

12) National Fruit

"Mango" (Mangifera indica) originated in India and the country is home to more than 100 varieties of the fruit.

13) National River

"Ganga" is the longest river of India with the most heavily populated river basin in the world. The river is revered by Hindus as the most sacred river on earth.

14) National Game

"Hockey" was chosen as the National Game because of the team's unparalleled distinction and matchless talent at the time.