National Symbol and State Emblem of India

• Located in South Asia, India is officially known as the Republic of India.
• A major player in the global economy, it is the world's seventh-largest country by area, the world's second-most populous democracy, and the world's most populous democracy. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east.
• It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. Sri Lanka and the Maldives lie in India's Indian Ocean region; Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia share their maritime border with its Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• 28 states and 8 union territories make up India, a federal union.
• As a result of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, states were reorganized linguistically.
• Over a quarter of a million local government bodies serve cities, towns, blocks, districts, and villages.
• As part of the official national symbols of India, there are historical documents, flags, emblems, the national anthem, memorial towers, and several heroes.
• Just before independence, on 22 July 1947, the Constituent Assembly adopted the design for the national flag.
• The national animal, bird, fruit, and tree were also designated on different occasions.

• The Ashoka Chakra, a 24-spoke wheel, is located in the center of India's national flag, which is a horizontal rectangular tricolor of India saffron, white, and green.
• The flag is based on the Swaraj flag, which was created by Pingali Venkayya for the Indian National Congress. The flag must be constructed of khadi per the law.
• The Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha is the only organization that makes the flag as of 2009.
• The Flag Code of India and other regulations pertaining to national emblems regulate how the flag should be used.
• The aspect ratio of the Indian flag is 3:2, as stated by the Flag code of India. The saffron, white, and green horizontal bars of the flag are all of the equal widths. Twenty-four evenly spaced spokes make up the Ashoka Chakra.

• The Union government, numerous state governments, and government agencies all utilize the State Emblem of India, which serves as the country's official symbol.
• The symbol was inspired by a statue from the Maurya Empire called the Lion Capital of Ashoka. The sculpture is a four-lioned three-dimensional symbol.
• Four Asiatic lions, erected on a circular base and representing strength, courage, confidence, and pride, can be seen in the actual capital of Sarnath. There are a bull and a horse at the bottom, and a Dharma chakra sits in the middle. The abacus is girded with a frieze of sculptures depicting The Lion of the North, The Horse of the West, The Bull of the South, and The Elephant of the East in high relief. The sculptures are spaced apart by intervening wheels and are placed over a lotus in full bloom, symbolizing the source of life and creative inspiration. The Wheel of the Law is the crown of the polished capital, which was carved from a single block of sandstone.
• Only three lions are visible in the finalized design, with the fourth being hidden. The wheel is depicted in relief in the center of the abacus, flanked on the right and left by a charging horse and a bull, and on the extreme right and left by the outlines of Dharma Chakras. Just below the abacus, there are images of a horse and a bull. The horse stands for loyalty, speed, and vitality, while the bull stands for perseverance and hard labor. Under the abacus, the bell-shaped lotus has been removed.
• The slogan Satyameva Jayate, which is written in the Devanagari script below the abacus, is an essential component of the emblem.

• The Republic of India's national anthem is "Jana Gana Mana." Rabindranath Tagore, a multi-talented author, initially wrote it in Bengali as Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata.
• The Constituent Assembly of India designated the first verse of the song Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata as the country's anthem on January 24, 1950.
• It takes about 52 seconds to perform the national anthem in a formal setting. It is also occasionally presented in a condensed form that only includes the first and last lines and lasts for around 20 seconds.

• Anandamath, a Bengali novel published in 1882, has a Sanskrit poetry called Vande Mataram that was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
• At an Indian National Congress meeting in 1896, Rabindranath Tagore performed the poem for the first time.
• On January 24, 1950, the Indian Constituent Assembly declared the song's starting two verses to be the country of India's National Song.

• A pledge of allegiance to the Republic of India is called the National Pledge. In Indian schools, during independence and republic day celebrations, as well as at public events, it is commonly recited by Indians in unison.
• In school textbooks and calendars, it is often found on the first page. Many Indian schools recite this in their morning assemblies.
• Written in 1962 by Pydimarri Venkata Subba Rao, the pledge was originally composed in Telugu.

India is my country.

All Indians are my brothers and sisters.

I love my country and I am proud of its rich and varied heritage.

I shall always strive to be worthy of it.

I shall respect my parents, teachers, and elders; and treat everyone with courtesy.

To my country and my people, I pledge my devotion.

In their well-being and prosperity alone lies my happiness.

• Indian national calendar, commonly referred to as Saka Calendar, is used by The Gazette of India, All India Radio, and the Government of India in their calendars and communications.
• Months in Saka Calendar are known as - Chhaitra, Vaishakha, Jyeshtha, Ashadha, Shravana, Bhaadra, Ashwin, Kartika, Agrahayana, Pausha, Magha, Phalguna.

• India uses the Indian rupee as its official currency. It is the Reserve Bank of India that controls the issuance of the currency.
• Symbol: ₹
• Code: INR
• The current Indian currency symbol was designed by Udaya Kumar.
• A new rupee sign (₹) was formally adopted in 2010.
• Its creator, Udaya Kumar, claims that the Indian tricolor served as the inspiration for the design.
• It was created by fusing the Latin capital letter "R" without its vertical bar with the Devanagari consonant "र" (ra).
• It is believed that the parallel lines at the top, which have white space between them, are a reference to the tricolor Indian flag and also show an equality sign, which stands for the country's intention to lessen economic imbalance.

• Royal Bengal Tigers are a subspecies of the tiger or Panthera tigris.
• Since April 1973, the Royal Bengal Tiger has served as India's national animal. One of the largest members of the cat family is the tiger.
• It is a variety of a particular population of the Panthera tigris subspecies, which is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent.
• Nagpur is referred to as the "Tiger Capital of India."
• The IUCN has put tigers on its Red List since the population of Royal Bengal Tigers is drastically declining due to forest cover loss and poaching.
• The Indian government started Project Tiger in 1973 to protect tigers.

• Since October 22, 2010, the Indian elephant has served as the country's national heritage animal.
• The elephant has been designated as a National Heritage Animal by India's Environment Ministry in order to strengthen conservation efforts for the nation's almost 29,000 elephants.
• "By designating it as a National Heritage Animal, it will be given its rightful role as a symbol of ecological awareness. It will also serve as a symbol of acknowledgment for its significance in our diverse cultures, customs, and folklore "In its report, the task panel wrote.

• The South Asian River dolphin (Platanista gangetica), which is divided into the Ganges River dolphin and the Indus River dolphin, is an endangered freshwater or river dolphin located in the area of the Indian subcontinent.
• The Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers and their tributaries are where the Ganges River dolphin is most commonly seen in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
• The Indian government has designated the Ganges River dolphin as its national aquatic animal.
• Because it can only exist in clean, fresh water, the Ganga Dolphin, India's national aquatic animal, symbolizes the holiness of the sacred Ganga.

• The national reptile of India is the snake eater (Ophiophagus hannah), also known as the king cobra.
• Southeast Asia and India's forests are home to king cobras.
• The longest venomous snake in the world is the king cobra.
• King Cobras can reach a height of 19 feet and have a lifespan of up to 25 years.

• India's national bird is the Indian peacock (Pavo cristatus).
• Peacocks are native to the Indian subcontinent and are a bird that symbolizes the harmony of brilliant colors.
• The peacock was chosen as India's national bird on February 1st, 1963 by the Indian government.

• The national flower of India is the lotus (Nelumbo Nucifera Gaertn).
• It is a sacred flower that holds a special place in the mythology and art of ancient India.
• It has long been considered an auspicious icon of Indian culture.
• It is called the National Flower of India because it is a symbol of beauty and purity.

• More than 100 different varieties of the mango (Mangifera indica), which has Indian origins, are grown here.
• In the world of fruits, mangoes are considered kings.

• The Indian banyan (Ficus bengalensis) spreads across a wide region by establishing new trees from their roots.
• The Indian myths and tales include references to this tree as being immortal because of its quality and its longevity.z

• For the millions of people who reside along the Ganges' path, it is a source of life.
• As a holy river, the Hindu religion worships the river as the goddess Ganga.

• 26 January: Republic Day, when India's Constitution was adopted in 1950.
• 15 August: Independence Day of India
• 2 October: Gandhi Jayanti is the date marking the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi's birth in 1869.