National Symbols
National Anthem
National Emblem
National Flag
National Animal
National Bird
National Flower
National Tree
National Fruit
National Anthem
JANA-GANA-MANA-ADHINAYAKA, JAYA HE BHARATA-BHAGYA-VIDHATA
PUNJAB-SINDHU-GUJARATA-MARATHA- DRAVIDA-UTKALA-BANGA VINDHYA-HIMACHALA-YAMUNA-GANGA
UCCHHALA-JALADHI TARANGA TAVA SUBHA NAME JAGE TAVA SUBHA ASHISHA
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
Translation
The following is a translation of Rabindranath
Tagore's rendering of the stanza:
Thou art the ruler of the minds of all
people, dispenser of India's destiny. The name rouses the hearts
of Punjab, Sind, Gujarat and Maratha,of the Dravid and Orissa
and Bengal; it echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of the Yamuna and Ganga and is chanted by
the waves of the Indian Sea. They pray for thy blessings and sing
thy praise. The salvation of all people is in thy hand, thou dispenser
of India's destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee.
National Emblem
The National Emblem of India is a replica
of the Lion of Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Lion
Capital was erected in the third century BC by Emperor Ashoka
to mark the spot where Buddha first proclaimed his gospel of peace
and emancipation to the four quarters of the universe.The National
emblem is thus symbolic of contemporary India's reaffirmation
of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill.
The four lions (one hidden from view) -
symbolising power, courage and confidence - rest on a circular
abacus. The abacus is girded by four smaller animals - guardians
of the four directions: the lion of the north, the elephant of
the east, the horse of the south and the bull of the west.The
abacus rests on a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead
of life and creative inspiration. The motto 'Satyameva Jayate'
inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script means 'truth alone
triumphs'.
National Flag
The Indian flag was designed as a symbol
of freedom. The late Prime Minister Nehru called it a flag not
only of freedom for ourselves, but a symbol of freedom to all
people.
The flag is a horizontal tricolour in equal
proportion of deep saffron on the top, white in the middle and
dark green at the bottom. The ratio of the width to the length
of the flag is two is to three. In the centre of the white band,
there is a wheel in navy blue to indicate the Dharma Chakra, the
wheel of law in the Sarnath Lion Capital. Its diameter approximates
the width of the white band and it has 24 spokes. The saffron
stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation;
the white, for purity and truth; the green for faith and fertility.
National Animal - Tiger
Large Asiatic carnivorous feline quadruped,
Panthera Tigris, maneless, of tawny yellow colour with blackish
transverse stripes and white belly, proverbial for its power and
its magnificence.
There are very few tigers left in the world
today. A decade ago the tiger population in India had dwindled
to a few hundreds. The Government of India, under its Project
Tiger programme, started a massive effort to preserve the tiger
population. Today, thanks to Project Tiger, India's population
of tigers has considerably increased.
National Bird - Peacock
Male bird of species P. cristatus, is a
native of India, with striking plumage and upper tail converts
marked with iridescent ocelli, able to expand its tail erect like
fan as ostentatious display. Peacocks are related to pheasants.
Found wild in India ( and also domesticated
in villages ) they live in jungle lands near water. They were
once bred for food but now hunting of peacocks is banned in India.
The peahen has no plumage. These birds do not sound as beautiful
as they look - they have a harsh call.
National Flower - Lotus
The Lotus or waterlily is an aquatic plant
of Nymphaea with broad floating leaves and bright fragrant flowers
that grow only in shallow waters. The leaves and flowers float
and have long stems that contain air spaces. The big attractive
flowers have many petals overlapping in a symmetrical pattern.
The root functions are carried out by rhizomes that fan out horizontally
through the mud below the water. Lotuses, prized for their serene
beauty, are delightful to behold as their blossoms open on the
surface of a pond. In India the sacred lotus is legendary and
much folklore and religious mythology is woven around it.
National Tree - Banyan
Indian fig tree, Ficus bengalensis, whose
branches root themselves like new trees over a large area. The
roots then give rise to more trunks and branches. Because of this
characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal
and is an integral part of the myths and legends of India. Even
today, the banyan tree is the focal point of village life and
the village council meets under the shade of this tree.
National Fruit - Mango
A fleshy fruit, eaten ripe or used green
for pickles etc., of the tree Mangifera indica, the mango is one
of the most important and widely cultivated fruits of the tropical
world. Its juicy fruit is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and D.
In India there are over100 varieties of mangoes, in different
sizes, shapes and colours. Mangoes, have been cultivated in India
from time immemorial. The poet Kalidasa sang its praises. Alexander
savoured its taste, as did the Chinese pilgrim Hieun Tsang. Akbar
planted 100,000 mango trees in Darbhanga, known as Lakhi Bagh.
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