Flag of India
Asia
Quick Facts
- Capital
- New Delhi
- Flag adopted
- 1947
- Population
- 1,417,492,000
- Area
- 3,287,263 km²
- Languages
- English, Hindi, Tamil
- Currency
- Indian rupee (₹) — INR
- Demonym
- Indian
- Government
- federal parliamentary republic
- Subregion
- Southern Asia
- Driving side
- Left
- Timezones
- UTC+05:30
- Independence
- 1947
Religions
- Hindu 79.8%
- Muslim 14.2%
- Christian 2.3%
- Other 2%
- Sikh 1.7%
About This Flag
The flag of India, called the Tiranga (meaning 'tricolor'), consists of three equal horizontal bands of saffron (kesari) on top, white in the middle, and India green on the bottom, with a navy blue Ashoka Chakra — a 24-spoke wheel — centered on the white stripe. The saffron represents courage and sacrifice, white stands for truth and peace, and green symbolizes faith, fertility, and the land.
The Ashoka Chakra is derived from the Lion Capital of Emperor Ashoka at Sarnath and represents the eternal wheel of dharma (law and righteousness). The flag was adopted on July 22, 1947, just days before independence from British rule on August 15.
What the colors & design mean
Saffron symbolizes courage, sacrifice, and renunciation. White represents truth, peace, and purity. Green stands for faith, fertility, and the subcontinent's relationship with the land. The 24-spoke Ashoka Chakra represents the continuous progress and righteousness of the nation.
Pattern: Horizontal Stripes
Bordering countries (6)
Fun Facts
- By law, the Indian flag must be made exclusively from khadi — a hand-spun cotton or silk cloth championed by Mahatma Gandhi as a symbol of self-reliance during the independence movement.
- The Ashoka Chakra's 24 spokes are said to represent the 24 hours of the day, symbolizing that time waits for no one and the nation must keep progressing.
- The flag evolved from an earlier design by Pingali Venkayya that originally included a spinning wheel (charkha), which was later replaced by the Ashoka Chakra on Nehru's suggestion.
- India's Flag Code specifies strict protocols for display — until 2002, private citizens were not permitted to fly the national flag except on designated national holidays.
Similar looking flags
These flags share similar colors and patterns:
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