All Categories 2012: List of Indian flags

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

Presidential flag

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of the President 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; 4th quarter: lotus vase from Sarnath to represent prosperity The flag is similar to the Royal Standard of the United Kingdom.

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

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 Indian Navy	A British White Ensign with the flag of India in the canton
		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 Indian Coast Guard	A Blue Ensign with the flag of India in the canton, and the Coast Guard badge in the fly

Naval flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Admiral of the Indian Navy rank flag

States and Union territorial flags

De jure state flags

The states and Union territories do not have official flags, except for Jammu and Kashmir.^[1]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
Jammu and Kashmir	1972–present	Flag of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir	The flag is red to symbolize 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.

De facto state flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
Karnataka	1965–present	Kannada flag, used as a de facto state flag in Karnataka^[2]	Two horizontal strips of equal length and breadth with yellow strip on the top and red strip at the bottom.

The flag is not officially or unofficially the Karanataka Flag. It is actually the flag of a political party "Kannada Paksha" which was formed in 1965 by Mr Ma. Ramamurthy. Though the party did not last long, the flag stayed on, and is now in the sentiments of the people as the flag which represents Karnataka. Now people use this flag for the Kannada Rajotsava and any protests or kannada-oriented celebrations.
The significance of the yellow and red colours in the flag - they stand for Arshina (Tumeric) and Kumkuma (Vermilion) respectively^[3]. The Yellow and Red colours signify Peace and Courage respectively.

Historical

Pre-colonial states

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1526–1857	Flag of the Mughal Empire	A dark moss-green flag with a rising sun, partially eclipsed by a couching lion
	1674–1818	Flag of the Maratha Empire^[4]	A saffron-coloured swallowtail flag

British India

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
c. 1880–1947	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
1863–1947	1879–1928 ensign of Her Majesty's Indian Marine / Royal Indian Marine 1928–1947 naval jack of the Royal Indian Marine / Royal Indian Navy	A Blue Ensign with the Union Flag at the canton, and the Star of India displayed in the fly
1928–1947	Ensign of the Royal Indian Marine / Royal Indian Navy	The White Ensign of the Royal Navy^[5]

Flags used by the Indian independence movement

Date	Use	Description
1906	Flag of Calcutta	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.
1907	An early Indian nationalist flag
1907	An early Indian nationalist flag
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.
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 symbolized the armed resistance of the Azad Hind Movement lead 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.