Explainer: What are the different National Symbols of India?
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
December 23, 2019
A Congress MP from Kerala recently raised the issue of Lotus being printed on the Indian passport. Is Lotus the ‘National Flower’? What are the other national symbols in India? Do you know about India’s National Microbe?
M K Raghavan of the Indian NationalCongress and representing Kozhikode, Kerala in the Lok Sabha has recently raised an issue during zero hour about theprinting of Lotus symbol on the Indian Passport.  The concern raised was that lotus alludes tothe Party Symbol of Bharatiya Janata Party.
A clarification was issued by Ministryof External Affairs (MEA) after this was raised in the parliament. It was stated that this is part of the enhancedsecurity features being implemented with the passport and other nationalsymbols would also be included going forward on a rotational basis.
However, a debate has ensued aboutLotus being the national flower of India. In this story we look at the variousofficial national symbols of India and also explore other symbols which are theconsidered as national symbols in the larger national conscience.
New national symbols are added time
to time for varied purposes
While, there is no concise list ofNational Symbols, the Government of India has over a period of time declaredvarious national symbols through official notifications & legislations. Fewof the National symbols like the National Flag, National Anthem etc wereadopted at the time of India adopting the constitution, while few other likeTiger was accorded the status of National Animal to create awareness about thembeing endangered species.
There are 7 symbols specified as per India’s National Portal i.e. www.knowindia.gov.in which include: National Flag, National Anthem, National Song, StateEmblem, National Bird, National Animal and National Flower. There may be otherswhich are accorded National symbol status by government of India.
National Flag
The National Flag of India was adoptedby Constituent Assembly of India on 22 July 1947. It is a horizontal Tri-colour flag consisting of :
All these three bands are in equalproportions. The centre of the White Band has a Navy-Blue Wheel/ Chakra.  The specifications of the Indian Flag areprovided in the Flag Code of India – 2002.
The three colours in the Indian Flagsignify the following.
The Wheel at the Centre is called ‘DharmaChakra’ and has 24 spokes. It is taken from the abacus of Ashoka’s Lion Capitalat Sarnath.
The Flag code of 2002 provides thespecifications about the make and dimensions of the Indian Flag and also thevarious rules to be followed while hoisting it.
National Anthem
‘Jana Gana Mana’, composed byRabindranath Tagore is adopted as the National Anthem of India.
It was adopted by ConstituentAssembly of India, on 24 January, 1950. It was first publicly sung at CalcuttaSession of Indian National Congress in 1911. The runtime of the full version ofNational Anthem is 52 seconds. There are multiple orders of the Supreme Court aboutthe responsibility of the citizens during recital of National Anthem. Anyinsult to the national symbols is an offence under ‘The Prevention Of Insults To
National Honour Act, 1971’.
National Song
‘Vande Mataram’ is adopted from BankimchandraChatterjee’s famous novel Anand Math. It was first sung during 1896 session ofIndia National Congress in Calcutta, by Rabindranath Tagore.  The song and the slogan ‘Vande Mataram’ becamea key part of Indian Freedom Movement.
The first two verses of the poempenned by Bankimchandra Chatterjee is adopted as the National Song.
State Emblem
India’s State Emblem is adopted from Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Itwas adopted on 26 January 1950 by Government of India.  The Lion Capital has four lions , mounted backto back on circular abacus. The  abacusrests on a bell shaped lotus and consists sculptures of a horse, bull and alion. These are separated by Dharma Chakras.
The State Emblem of India is theprofile of this Lion Capital. It shows three lions mounted on the  abacus, which has a Dharma Chakra at thecentre flanked by a bull on right and galloping horse on left. Outlines of theDharma Chakra are on the extreme right and left. While, the lotus from the LionCapital is excluded in the Emblem, the motto ‘Satyameva Jayate’ in Devangari scriptis written below. It is adopted from Mundaka Upanishad and means ‘Truth AloneTriumphs’.
The government of India, from timeto time issues regulations regarding the use of National Flag, NationalAnthem and State Emblem.
National Calendar
While the Gregorian Calendar isfollowed in India in the daily life, the Government of India also follows Saka Era along with Gregorian Calendar forofficial purposes including
This was adopted on 22 March 1957. Everyofficial notification of the government contains reference to the Saka calendarin addition to the date in Gregorian.
National Currency Symbol
The National currency of the countryis Indian Rupee and since 15 July, 2010 Government of India has adopted a sign to represent it.
It is an amalgamation of ‘Ra’ in Devanagari Script andRoman Capital Letter ‘R’. It has two parallel horizontal stripes running at topwhich symbolizes Indian national flag and also ‘Equal to’ sign. It has beendesigned by Udaya Kumar, from IIT Bombay after his entry was picked up in the open competition held by Ministry of Finance.
Flora & Fauna as National
Symbols
Countries assign certain species ofFlora and Fauna as their national symbols. In most of the cases these tend torepresent and hold an important place in the culture of the country. In fewother cases, they are done as part of conservation efforts and to create theawareness about them.
India has also designated certainbird, animal and plant species as national symbols.
National Bird
Peacock, known as the Indian Peafowlis considered to be the National Bird of India since 1963. This is confirmed via a notification issued by Ministry of Environment andForests.
Furthermore, Peacock is a protectedspecies under Wild Life Protection Act-1972. The scientific name of Peacock i.e.Indian Peafowl is Pavo
cristatus.
Sarus Crane, Swan, Great IndianBustard, Brahminy Kite etc where few of the other birds considered forconferring the honour of National Bird of India. The criteria for choosing theNational Bird were :
Indian Peafowl, fits the billing onall these criteria. Furthermore, Peacock and its motifs are an important partof the Indian Mythology, history, culture and traditions.
National Animal
Bengal Tiger i.e. Panthera Tigris is the National Animal of India. Responding to a question asked in Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for HomeAffairs stated that as per the notification issued by Ministry of Environment, Tigeris notified as the National Animal.
Government of India has initiated Project Tiger in 1973 as a focussed approachtowards Tiger conservation. There are currently 18 Tiger reserves in thecountry. As per Tiger Census reports there are 2,967 tigers in India asof 2018, an increase from 1411 in 2014. Factly has earlier published stories onthe number of Tigers and Tiger deaths in India.
National Flower
The information on the Indian Government’sNational portal cites Lotus as National Flower of India. Its scientific name is Nelumbo
Nicifera Gaertn.  It holds an importantplace in Indian tradition by being part of various rituals as wells as lotus motifsbeing a prominent part of art and culture.
However, in response to a question asked in Rajya Sabha, on 10 July 2019,Minister of State for Home Affairs said that there is no notification issued byMinistry of Environment, which accords Lotus the status of National Flower ofIndia.
National Tree
Indian Banyan i.e. FicusBenghalensis also called Indian Fig Tree is National Tree of India as per Government of India’s national
portal.
It has been an integral part ofIndia’s tradition and culture. It roots itself and spreads over large areascausing its long life. It has since time immemorial been a crux of the life inIndia , with its shade being an ideal spot to shield from the sun. The widespread branches and the trunk form shelter for various flora and fauna. Allthese aspects represent the idea of India and hence is considered to be theNational Tree of India.
National Fruit
Mango, from the tree Mangifera
Indica has been grown in India for ages. It has been accorded the status of National Fruit of India. It is one of the most popularfruits in Tropical Climatic regions and India itself has  more than 100 varieties.
National Aquatic Animal.
Ganges River Dolphin is one of themost endangered species. The Government of India has on 18 May 2010, notified Ganges River Dolphin as the National AquaticAnimal of India. The intent is to create awareness in regards to conservationand protection of the species.
It’s scientific name is Platanista
Gangetica and is marked by its long pointed snout, visible teeth on boththe jaws and very small eyes. They are found in Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghanarivers. With less than 2000 in number it is recognized as highlyendangered  under Schedule 1 of WildlifeProtection Act.  It is one of the only 4species of Fresh Water River Dolphins and is threatened by water pollution andpoaching.
National Heritage Animal
Government of India’s Environment &Forests Ministry has declared Elephant as National Heritage Animal in theyear 2010. Elephants have been an indispensable part of India’s history andalso form a key part of Ecology. While many of the initiatives proposed likesetting up of National Elephant Conservation Authority are yet to see the lightof day, multiple initiatives have been taken since 2012 for conservationof Elephants and to reduce Human-Elephant conflict.
National Microbe for India
Not only from the world that isvisible to the naked eye, India also has a symbol from the microscopic world. Lactobacillus( Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus) is declared s the National Microbe for India October 2013.
The selection process was through avoting by children who visited Science Express Biodiversity Special Train thatvisited various stations across the country. This is the main bacteria that isused to make yogurt and curds and hence a part of Indian culture and lifestyle.
National River of India
Ganga, or the Ganges is accorded thestatus of National River of India. Apart from being considered as theholiest river as per Indian tradition, it is also the largest river that flowsin India. Its basin is the largest populated river basin in the world.
Ganga has been since the ancient times,and integral part of Indian culture.  However,over the years, Ganga has been heavily affected by Pollution. The National
Mission for Clean Ganga has been established to clean the river. The survival of one of thenational symbols i.e. Ganga River Dolphin depends on reduction of pollution inGanga.
Falsely accorded national symbols
Apart from these symbols, there areclaims about India Cobra being National Reptile, Pumpkin being NationalVegetable and other claims around National insect etc. but these do not find amention in the official records.
Hockey as the national sport is oneof the other myths around National symbols. However, Government has notdesignated any sport  as the nationalsport. Along with Cricket, Hockey is one of the most popular sport and India wasvery successful in International Hockey in the yester years.
Another popular myth in commonIndian parlance is Hindi being the national language. There is no nationallanguage in India. Hindi, however, is the official language along with Englishfor official purpose. Factly’s story on this issue can be read here.