NATIONAL SYMBOL, INDIA

state emblem

The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. In the original, there are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra). In the State emblem, adopted by the Government of India on 26 January 1950. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left and the outlines of other wheels on extreme right and left. The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning ‘Truth Alone Triumphs’, are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script.


principal religions

Places of Worship and Religious Books 
Hinduism: Temple; Vedas; The Bhagwad Gita; Ramayana; Mahabharata. Islam: Mosque; Koran. Judaism : Synagogue; Torah. Sikhism: Gurudwara; Guru Granth Sahib. Christianity: Church; Bible. Zoroastrianism (Parsi religion): Fire Temple; ZendAvesta. Buddhism : Temple; Pitakas; Jainism: Temple; Angas

National Song

The song Vande Mataram, composed in Sanskrit by Bankimchandra Chatterji, was a source of inspiration to the people in their struggle for freedom. It has an equal status with Jana-gana-mana. The first political occasion when it was sung was the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. The following is the text of its first stanza :

Vande Mataram!
Sujalam, suphalam, malayaja shitalam,
Shasyashyamalam, Mataram!
Shubhrajyothsna pulakitayaminim,
Phullakusumita drumadala shobhinim,
Suhasinim sumadhura bhashinim,
Sukhadam varadam, Mataram!

Mother, I bow to
thee!
Rich with the hurrying
streams,
Bright with the
orchard gleams,
Cool with thy winds
of delight.
Dark fields waving,
Mother of might,
Mother free.
Glory of moonlight
dreams,
Over thy branches
and lordly streams,
Clad in thy blossoming
trees.
Mother, giver of
ease,
Laughing low and
sweet!
Mother, I kiss thy
feet,
Speaker sweet and
low!
Mother, to thee I
bow.

National Flower

Lotus, (Nelumbo Lucifera) is the national flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology in ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial.

National Flag

The National flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesari) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The ratio of width of the flag to its length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel which represents the charkha. Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Its diameter approximates to the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes. The use and display of national flag are regulated by the Indian Flag Code: (i) The dipping of the Flag to any person or thing is prohibited. (ii) No other Flag or Emblem is to be placed above or to the right of the National Flag. If hung in a line, all other flags are to be placed on the left of the National Flag. When flown or raised with other flags, the National Flag must be the highest. (iii) The flag is not to be carried flat or horizontally, but always aloft and free; when carried in a procession it is to be brone high on the right shoulder of the standard bearer and carrried in front of the procession. (iv) The saffron stripe should always be at the top when the Flag is displayed from a staff projecting horizontally.

National Calendar

The national calendar is based on the Saka Era with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days was adopted from 22 March 1957 along with the Gregorian calendar for the following official purposes:

(i) Gazette of India, (ii) news broadcast by All India Radio, (iii) calendars issued by the Government of India and (iv) Government communications addressed to the members of the public.

MONTHS OF THE NATIONAL CALENDAR:

(1) Chaitra, (2) Vaishakha, (3) Jaishtha, (4) Ashadha, (5) Shravan, (6) Bhadra, (7) Ashvina, (8) Kartika, (9) Margashirsha, (10) Pausha, (11) Magha, (12) Phalguna.

Dates of the national calendar have a permanent correspondence with dates of the Gregorian calendar :

1 Chaitra falling on 22 March normally and on 21 March in leap year.

NATIONAL BIRD

The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus (Linnaeus), the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male, and lacks the train.

National Anthem

The song Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the national anthem of India on 24 January 1950. It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza contains the full version of  the National Anthem :

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-Maratha
Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage,
Tava shubha asisa mage,
Gahe tava jaya gatha,
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,
Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

Playing time of the full version of the national anthem is approximately 52 seconds. A short version consisting of first and last lines of the stanza (playing time approximately 20 seconds) is also played on certain occasions.

National Animal

The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris (Linnaeus), is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes. The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India. To check the dwindling population of tigers in India ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in April 1973. So far, 27 tiger reserves have been established in the country under this project, covering an area of 37,761 sq km. To check the dwindling population of tigers in India ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in April 1973. 

Source:http://www.jagranjosh.com/