This is a list of
flags used in
India. For more information about the
national flag, visit the article
Flag of India.
| 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. |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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[edit source]
Jammu and Kashmir is the only state to have
de jure flag.
[2]
| Flag | State | Date | 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[edit source]
| 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. |
 | Sikkim | 1967-1975 | Flag of Sikkim, used as a flag when Sikkim was an independent kingdom before its annexation to India | Buddhist 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.
British Colonial India[edit source]
(Royal) Indian Marine/(Royal) Indian Navy[edit source]
 | 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. |
| Flag | Date | Use | Description |
|---|
 | 1505–1521 | Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal. | |
 | 1521–1578 | Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal. | |
 | 1578–1640 | Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal. | |
 | 1616–1640 | Putative flag of the Kingdom of Portugal. | |
 | 1640–1667 | Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal. | |
 | 1667–1706 | Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal. | |
 | 1706 - 1750 1826 - 1830 | Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal. | |
 | 1750–1816 | Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal. | |
 | 1816–1826 | Flag 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 implantation of the Portuguese Republic in 1910. |
 | 1967 (proposed) | Proposed official flag for Portuguese India in 1967. | Proposal by F.P. de Almeida Langhans. Never actually used. |
Flags used by the Indian independence movement[edit source]
| 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. |
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