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National symbols of India

Meet the national flag, emblem, anthem, bird, animal, flower, fruit and tree that stand for India.

Let us begin

The big idea

Every country has special things that stand for it. These are called national symbols. India has many, and we can be proud of each one.

Our national flag is called the Tiranga, which means tricolour. It has three bands. The top is saffron, the middle is white and the bottom is green. In the middle of the white band is a blue wheel called the Ashoka Chakra. It has 24 spokes.

Our national emblem is the Lion Capital of Ashoka. It comes from Sarnath. It shows lions standing back to back, but we can see only three. Below it are the words Satyameva Jayate, which mean truth alone wins.

Our national anthem is Jana Gana Mana. Our national song is Vande Mataram. We stand straight and quiet when the anthem is played.

The tiger is our national animal. The peacock is our national bird. The lotus is our national flower. The mango is our national fruit. The banyan is our national tree. The Ganga is our national river. The Ganges river dolphin is our national aquatic animal. The elephant is our national heritage animal.

The national flag of IndiaA flag with three equal bands: saffron on top, white in the middle with a round wheel of 24 spokes, and green at the bottom. Saffron White Green The wheel has 24 spokes
The Tiranga with the Ashoka Chakra.

Worked examples

See how it works

  1. The flag, top to bottom

    Top: saffron. Middle: white, with the Ashoka Chakra in it. Bottom: green. Remember: S, W, G, from top to bottom.

  2. Match the symbol

    Peacock goes with bird. Tiger goes with animal. Lotus goes with flower. Mango goes with fruit. Banyan goes with tree.

  3. Count the lions

    The emblem has four lions back to back, but from the front we see three. The fourth is hidden behind. We also see the wheel and the words Satyameva Jayate below.

Try it at home

Draw the Tiranga

You will need

  • a sheet of paper
  • ruler
  • pencil
  • saffron (orange), green and blue crayons

What to do

  1. Draw a rectangle on the paper with the ruler. Make it a little longer than it is tall.
  2. Divide it into three equal bands with two lines.
  3. Colour the top band saffron and the bottom band green. Leave the middle white.
  4. Draw a circle in the middle band. Draw 24 spokes in blue inside it, like a wheel.
  5. Write the names of three other national symbols under your flag.

Ask a grown-up: An adult can help count the 24 spokes with you. Draw 4 spokes first like a plus sign, then keep adding spokes in the gaps.

Fun fact

Only three of the four lions on the national emblem can be seen from the front, because the fourth is hidden behind.

Practice sheet

Check what you learned

Write your answers in a notebook, or print this sheet and write on it. When you finish, mark your work with the answer key.

Practice sheet: National symbols of India (Classes 1-2, General knowledge)

  1. Which is our national bird?
  2. Which is our national animal?
  3. Which is our national flower?
  4. Which is our national fruit?
  5. Which is our national tree?
  6. What colours are in our flag, from top to bottom?
  7. How many spokes are there in the Ashoka Chakra?
  8. Which is our national river?
  9. Name our national anthem.
  10. The Lion Capital of Ashoka comes from which place?
  11. Name our national aquatic animal.

Answer key

Answers: National symbols of India

Do the practice sheet first, then check here. If an answer is different from yours, read the lesson again and try once more.

  1. The peacock.
  2. The tiger.
  3. The lotus.
  4. The mango.
  5. The banyan.
  6. Saffron, white, green.
  7. 24.
  8. The Ganga.
  9. Jana Gana Mana.
  10. Sarnath.
  11. The Ganges river dolphin.

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