List of Indian flags

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Flags of India.

This is a list of flags used in India by various organizations. For more information about the national flag, visit the article Flag of India.

National flag[]

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[]

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.
	present	Flag used by Ministry of Defence	A horizontal tricolour of red, navy blue and sky blue representing the army, navy and air force respectively.

Ensigns[]

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.

Naval[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Indian Naval Ensign	A red cross on a white field, with the Indian state emblem in yellow at the center, with the Indian national flag in the canton.
		Naval Reserve Ensign	Naval Reserve Ensign used by auxiliary ships and merchant ships whose captain is a Navy Reserve Officer.
		Ensign of Port of Cochin
		Ensign of Bombay Harbour Trust
		Ensign of Commissioners of the Port of Calcutta

Military flags[]

Indian Armed Forces[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of the Indian Armed Forces	A horizontal tricolour of red, navy blue and sky blue with the tri-service emblem at the centre

Chief of Defence Staff[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of the Chief of Defence Staff	A red field with the flag of India in the canton, and the tri-service emblem

Army[]

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 Field Marshal
		Flag of the Chief of the Army Staff
		Flag of the General
		Flag of the Vice Chief of the Army Staff
		Flag of the Lieutenant General
		Flag of the Principal Staff Officer
		Flag of the Major General
		Flag of the Brigadier

Components[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of Ordnance Corps
		Flag of Corps of EME
		Flag of Regiment of Artillery
		Flag of Service Corps
		Flag of Medical Corps
		Flag of 3rd Cavalry regiment
		Flag of Garhwal Rifles
		Flag of Northern Command
		Flag of Punjab Regiment
		Flag of XIV Corps
		Flag of Corps of Engineers
		Flag of Brigade of The Guards
		Flag of 3rd Infantry
		Flag of 267th Transit Camp
		Flag of Vehicles of Basgo

Air Force[]

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 Marshal of the Indian Air Force
		Flag of the Air Chief Marshal (rank currently reserved for the Chief of Air Staff)
		Flag of the Air marshal (also Vice Chief of the Air Staff)
		Flag of the Air vice marshal
		Flag of the Air commodore
		Flag of the Group Captain
		Flag of the Wing Commander

Navy[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of the Indian Navy	A red cross on a white field, with the Indian state emblem in yellow at the center, with the Indian national flag in the canton.
		Flag of the Admiral (rank currently reserved for the Chief of the Naval Staff)
		Flag of the Vice Admiral (also Vice Chief of the Naval Staff)
		Flag of the Rear Admiral
		Flag of the Commodore
		Flag of the Senior officer

Coast Guard[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag 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 the 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 the Additional Director General of the Indian Coast Guard
		Flag of the Inspector-General of the Indian Coast Guard
		Flag of the Deputy Inspector-General of the Indian Coast Guard
		Flag of the Commandant of the Indian Coast Guard

Other Agencies[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
		Flag of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)	CRPF emblem embroidered on sky-blue flag
		Flag of Special Protection Group (SPG)

State and union territory flags[]

At present there are no officially recognised flags for individual states and union territories of India. No legal prohibitions to prevent states adopting distinctive flags exist in either the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 or the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.^[2] In a 1994 case before the Supreme Court of India, S. R. Bommai v. Union of India, the Supreme Court declared that there is no prohibition in the Constitution of India for a state to have its own flag. However, a state flag should not dishonour the national flag.^[3] The Flag code of India also permits other flags to be flown with the Flag of India, but not on the same flag pole of in a superior position to the national flag.^[4]

Former official state flags[]

The state of Jammu and Kashmir had an officially recognised state flag between 1952 and 2019 under the special status granted to the state by Article 370 of the Constitution of India.

Flag	State	Usage date	Description
	Jammu and Kashmir	1947–1952	The flag was red with a plough in the centre. The red background stood for labour and the plough stood for agriculture. The ratio of the flag was 3:2.
		1952–2019	The flag was red with three white vertical stripes in the hoist and a plough in the fly. The red background stood for labour, the stripes stood for the three administrative divisions of the state (Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh) and the plough stood for agriculture. The ratio of the flag was 3:2.[5]

Proposed state flags[]

Flags have been proposed for Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

Flag	State	Date	Use	Description
	Tamil Nadu	Proposed in 1970	The Government of Tamil Nadu proposed a design for a state flag in 1970.[6]	Grey flag with the flag of India in the canton and the Emblem of Tamil Nadu in the fly.
	Karnataka	Proposed in 2018	The Government of Karnataka proposed a design for a state flag in 2018.[7]	Yellow, white and red tricolour with the Emblem of Karnataka centred on the white band.

Banners of the State and Union Territory[]

When a distinctive banner is required to represent a state or union territory, the emblem of the state or union territory can be displayed on a white field.^{[8][9][10][11]}

States[]

• 

  Emblem of Andhra Pradesh

• 

  Emblem of Arunachal Pradesh

• 

  Emblem of Assam

• 

  Emblem of Bihar

• 

  Emblem of Chhattisgarh

• 

  Emblem of Goa

• 

  Emblem of Gujarat

• 

  Emblem of Haryana

• 

  Emblem of Himachal Pradesh

• 

  Emblem of Jharkhand

• 

  Emblem of Karnataka

• 

  Emblem of Kerala

• 

  Emblem of Madhya Pradesh

• 

  Emblem of Maharashtra

• 

  Emblem of Manipur

• 

  Emblem of Meghalaya

• 

  Emblem of Mizoram

• 

  Emblem of Nagaland

• 

  Emblem of Odisha

• 

  Emblem of Punjab

• 

  Emblem of Rajasthan

• 

  Emblem of Sikkim

• 

  Emblem of Tamil Nadu

• 

  Emblem of Telangana

• 

  Emblem of Tripura

• 

  Emblem of Uttar Pradesh

• 

  Emblem of Uttarakhand

• 

  Emblem of West Bengal

Union territories[]

• 

  Andaman and Nicobar Islands

• 

  Chandigarh

• 

  Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

• 

  Delhi

• 

  Jammu and Kashmir

• 

  Ladakh

• 

  Lakshadweep

• 

  Puducherry

Historical flags[]

Pre-colonial states[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1206–1526	Flag of the Delhi Sultanate	A dark green flag with a black strip left of center.
	1336–1646	Flag of the Vijayanagara Empire	Yellow coloured flag of the Vijayanagara Empire which ruled over South India.
	1399–1950	Flag of the Kingdom of Mysore	Red and Brown coloured flag of the Kingdom of Mysore which ruled over most of Karnataka and at its zenith most of South India.
	1518–1687	Flag of Kingdom of Golconda	Cyan coloured flag of the Qutb Shahi dynasty which ruled over the Kingdom of Golconda.
	1526–1858	Flag of the Mughal Empire (Alam)	A flag that was primarily moss green.[12]
	1674–1818	Flag of the Maratha Empire (Bhagwa Dhwaj)[13]	A saffron-coloured swallowtail flag.
	1729–1949	Flag of the Kingdom of Travancore	Red flag with a dextrally-coiled silver conch shell (Turbinella pyrum) at its centre.
	1799–1849	Flag of the Sikh Empire (Nishan Sahib)[14]
	1642–1975	Flag of the Kingdom of Sikkim	The flag of Sikkim used between 1967 and 1975 depicted a Buddhist prayer wheel in gold on a white field with a red border

Company rule in India[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1600–1707	Flag of the East India Company	A striped banner with Saint George's Cross in the canton.
	1707–1801	Flag of the East India Company	A striped banner with the Union Jack of Great Britain in the canton.
	1801–1858	Flag of the East India Company	A striped banner with the Union Jack in the canton.

British India[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1858–1947	The official state flag of the British Empire used in India	The Flag of the United Kingdom.
	1885–1947	Flag of the Viceroy and Governor-General of India	The Union Jack defaced with the insignia of the Order of the Star of India beneath the Tudor Crown.
	1880–1947	Civil Ensign of British India used to represent British India internationally.	A Red Ensign with the Union Jack at the canton, defaced with the Star of India emblem displayed in the fly.

Indian Army[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1895-1947	Ensign of the British Indian Army	Red field emblazoned with Star of India crossed by two swords and beneath the Tudor Crown.
	1878-1947	Flag of the Indian Army Service Corps	A Blue Ensign with the Union Jack at the canton, and the Star of India crossed by two swords displayed in the fly.

(Royal) Indian Air Force[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1945-1947	Ensign of the Royal Indian Air Force	A field of air force blue with the United Kingdom's flag in the canton and the Royal Indian Air Force's roundel in the fly.

(Royal) Indian Marine/(Royal) Indian Navy[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	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 Jack at the canton, and the Star of India displayed in the fly.
	1884–1928	1884–1892 Naval jack of Her Majesty's Indian Marine 1892–1928: Naval jack of the Royal Indian Marine	The Union Jack with blue border.
	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.
	1954–1955	1954–1955: Flag of the Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy 1955: Flag of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy	The St George's Cross. Ensign of an Admiral in the Royal Navy.
	1934–1958	1934–1948: Flag of the Flag Officer Commanding, Royal Indian Navy 1948–1950: Flag of the Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Royal Indian Navy 1950–1954: Flag of the Chief of the Naval Staff and Commander-in-Chief, Indian Navy 1955–1958: Flag of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy	Ensign of a Vice-Admiral in the Royal Navy.
	1928–1958	1928–1932: Flag of the Flag Officer Commanding and Director, 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.

Dominion of India[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1947–1950	Flag of the Dominion 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.
	1947–1950	Flag of the Governor-General of India	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.

French India[]

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.
	1814-1815 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[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1497–1521	Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
	1521–1578	Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
	1578–1616	Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
	1616–1640	Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
	1640–1667	Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
	1667–1706	Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
	1706–1750	Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
	1816–1826	Flag of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves.
	1826–1830	Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.
	1830–1910	Flag of the Kingdom of Portugal.	Vertical bicolour blue-white. Proportion of the fields: 1:1.
	1910–1961 (de facto) 1910–1974 (de jure)	Flag of the Portuguese Republic. The final state flag of Portuguese India.	Used from the implantation of the Portuguese Republic in 1910. Officially used until 1974, as Portugal only then recognised the Annexation of Portuguese India.
	1967 (proposed)	Proposed official flag for Portuguese India in 1967.	Proposal by F. P. de Almeida Langhans. Never actually used.

Danish India[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1620–1869	The flag of Denmark (Denmark-Norway until 1814)

Indian Air Force rank flags[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1950–1980	Marshal of the Indian Air Force	Never used.
	1950–1980	Air Chief Marshal of the Indian Air Force
	1950–1980	Air Marshal of the Indian Air Force
	1950–1980	Air Vice Marshal of the Indian Air Force
	1950–1980	Air Commodore of the Indian Air Force
	1950–1980	Group Captain of the Indian Air Force
	1950–1980	Wing Commander of the Indian Air Force
	1950–1980	Squadron Leader of the Indian Air Force

Indian Navy rank flags[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	2001-2004	Flag of the Indian Navy
	2001-2004	Flag of Admiral of the Fleet of the Indian Navy	Never used.
	2001-2004	Flag of Admiral of the Indian Navy
	2001-2004	Flag of Vice Admiral of the Indian Navy
	2001-2004	Flag of Rear Admiral of the Indian Navy
	2001-2004	Flag of Commodore of the Indian Navy
	2001-2004	Flag of Senior Officer of the Indian Navy

Flags used in the Indian independence movement[]

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. The partition of Bengal (1905) resulted in the introduction of a new Indian flag that sought to unite the multitude of castes and races within the country. The Vande Mataram flag, part of the Swadeshi movement against the British, comprised Indian religious symbols represented in western heraldic fashion. The tricolour flag included eight white lotuses on the upper green band representing the eight provinces, a sun and a crescent on the bottom red band, and the Vande Mataram slogan in Hindi on the central yellow band. The flag was launched in Calcutta bereft of any ceremony and the launch was only briefly covered by newspapers. The flag was not covered in contemporary governmental or political reports either, but was used at the annual session of the Indian National Congress. A slightly modified version was subsequently used by Madam Bhikaji Cama at the Second Socialist International Meeting in Stuttgart. Despite the multiple uses of the flag, it failed to generate enthusiasm amongst Indian nationalists.[15]
	1907	Early Indian nationalist flags [Note 1]
	1917	Flag of the Home Rule Movement[Note 2]	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.
	1921	Gandhi's flag, introduced at the Indian National Congress meeting in 1921
	1931–1947	The Swaraj Flag, officially adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1931
	1943–1945	Flag of the Azad Hind Imperial Japanese puppet government for India and the Indian National Army between 1943 and 1945
	1942–1945	Flag of the Indian Legion of the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany	Three horizontal strips of saffron, white, and green, with a springing tiger in the centre.

Former national flag proposals[]

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	Proposed in 1904, used in April 1910	Flag proposed in an issue of an Anglo-Indian weekly.[18]	Dark blue, green and light blue triband with a purple band at the hoist depicting the Orion constellation. A thin red border surrounds the whole flag.
	Proposed in 1947	Louis Mountbatten's proposed flag for India.[19]	The Swaraj flag with a small Union Flag in the canton.

See also[]

• National Flag of India
• Flag of India at Central Park, Connaught Place
• Largest Human Flag of India
• List of Indian state flags

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

• "India - Index of all Pages".
• "Indian Ensigns".
• "British Rule in India".
• "India: Historical Flags". Flags of the World. Retrieved 2010-10-22.