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Flag of India

society Maturity 11-13 Next article →

The national flag of India is a very important symbol. Many people call it the Tiranga, which means the tricolour.

National Flag of India at Central Park
National Flag of India at Central Park

The flag is a rectangle with three horizontal stripes. The top stripe is saffron, the middle is white, and the bottom is green.

India-flag-horiz-vert
India-flag-horiz-vert

In the very center, there is a navy blue wheel with 24 spokes. This wheel is called a chakra. The flag represents the nation and its people. It is used during many special moments in Indian history.

Designing the flag was a long process with many ideas. Before the current design, people used many different flags. One early version was the Calcutta flag from 1907.

Flag of India 1907 (Nationalists Flag)
Flag of India 1907 (Nationalists Flag)

Another version was used by the Home Rule Movement.

Flag of the Indian Home Rule movement
Flag of the Indian Home Rule movement

These early flags tried to show the many different groups in India. People wanted a symbol that could unite everyone in the country. This search for a single symbol took many years of discussion.

Mahatma Gandhi played a big role in the flag's history. He worked with a man named Pingali Venkayya on early designs.

Gandhi Flag 1921 - Ganesh and Co. Silk Cigarette Card
Gandhi Flag 1921 - Ganesh and Co. Silk Cigarette Card

Gandhi's version had a spinning wheel called a charkha in the middle. He also helped choose colors that stood for different things. At first, the colors represented different religions. Later, Gandhi said the colors stood for sacrifice, purity, and hope. This helped the flag become a symbol for all people.

In 1947, the flag finally took its present form. Jawaharlal Nehru helped change the spinning wheel into the navy blue chakra.

India-0037 - Red Fort (2214262369)
India-0037 - Red Fort (2214262369)

The Constituent Assembly adopted this design on 22 July 1947. It became the official flag of the Union of India on 15 August 1947. This was the same year India gained its independence. Since then, it has remained the flag of the Republic of India.

There are many rules for how to use the flag today. These rules are found in the Flag Code of India. In the past, only the government could use the flag. A citizen named Naveen Jindal helped change this rule in court. Now, private citizens can use the flag on national days.

IndiaFlagParade
IndiaFlagParade

There are also rules for how to fly it with other flags. These rules help everyone show respect to the national symbol.

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🖼️ Images & Media (17)
File:British Raj Red Ensign.svg
British Raj Red Ensign.svg
File:Proposed flag of India (1904).svg
Proposed flag of India (1904).svg
File:Flag of India 1907 (Nationalists Flag).svg
Flag of India 1907 (Nationalists Flag).svg
File:Flag of the Indian Home Rule movement.svg
Flag of the Indian Home Rule movement.svg
File:Gandhi Flag 1921 - Ganesh and Co. Silk Cigarette Card.jpg
Gandhi Flag 1921 - Ganesh and Co. Silk...
File:1931 Flag of India.svg
1931 Flag of India.svg
File:Mountbatten Proposed Flag of India.svg
Mountbatten Proposed Flag of India.svg
File:1947 India Flag 3½ annas.jpg
1947 India Flag 3½ annas.jpg
File:Flag of India, New Delhi.jpg
Flag of India, New Delhi.jpg
File:India-flag-horiz-vert.svg
India-flag-horiz-vert.svg
File:National Flag of India at Central Park.jpg
National Flag of India at Central Park.jpg
File:IndiaFlagTwoNations.png
IndiaFlagTwoNations.png

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