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.

Contents

• 1 National flag
• 2 Governmental flag
• 3 Ensigns
• 4 Military flags
  • 4.1 Army
  • 4.2 Air Force
  • 4.3 Navy
  • 4.4 Coast Guard
• 5 States and Union territorial flags
  • 5.1 De jure state flags
  • 5.2 Unofficial state flags
• 6 Historical
  • 6.1 Pre-colonial states
  • 6.2 British Colonial India
  • 6.3 (Royal) Indian Marine/(Royal) Indian Navy
  • 6.4 French India
  • 6.5 Portuguese India
• 7 Flags used by the Indian independence movement
• 8 See also
• 9 Notes
• 10 References
• 11 External links

National flag[edit source]

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.

Governmental flag[edit source]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1950–1971[1]	Presidential Standard 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 and economy; 4th quarter: lotus vase from Sarnath to represent prosperity.

Ensigns[edit source]

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[edit source]

Army[edit source]

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

Air Force[edit source]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		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 Chief of Air Staff
		Flag of Marshal of the Indian Air Force

Navy[edit source]

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

Coast Guard[edit source]

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]

De jure state 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.

Historical[edit source]

Pre-colonial states[edit source]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1206–1526	Flag of Delhi Sultanate	A dark green flag with a black strip left of center.
	1518–1687	Flag of Kingdom of Golconda	Cyan coloured flag of the Qutb Shahi dynasty which ruled over the Kingdom of Golconda.
	1674–1818	Flag of Maratha Empire (Bhagwa Dhwaj)[5]	A saffron-coloured swallowtail flag.
	1716–1799	Flag of Sikh Confederacy.[6]	A yellow-brown flag with three weapons: Katar (dagger), Talwar and Dhal.
	1799–1849	Flag of Sikh Empire[7]	A red-colored interior and a green coloured exterior.

British Colonial India[edit source]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1858–1947	The official state flag of the British Raj 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.
	1947–1950		Dark blue field emblazoned with the royal crest (a Tudor Crown surmounted by the lion of England, itself wearing the crown), beneath which was the word 'India' in gold majuscules. Similar to flags used by other Governors-General of Commonwealth realms.
	c. 1880–1947	Flag of the British Raj: An unofficial land flag used only 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.

(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.

French India[edit source]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1667-1791	Flag of the Kingdom of France	Flag of the Kingdom of France.
	1791-1794	1791-1792: Flag of the Kingdom of France 1792-1794: Flag of the French First Republic	The flag of France.
	1815-1830	Flag of the Kingdom of France under the Bourbon Restoration	Flag of the Kingdom of France.
	1794–1804, 1830-1940, 1944-1954	1794-1804: Flag of the French First Republic 1804-1814, 1815: Flag of the First French Empire 1830-1848; Flag of the Kingdom of France 1848-1852: Flag of the French Second Republic 1852-1870: Flag of the Second French Empire 1870-1940: Flag of the French Third Republic and French Empire 1944-1946: Flag of the Provisional Government of the Fourth French Republic 1946-1954: Flag of the French Fourth Republic and French Union	The flag of France.
	1940-1944	Flag of French India under Free France	Flag of Free France with the Cross of Lorraine

Portuguese India[edit source]

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.