National symbols of India: the full list and interesting facts
The national emblem, anthem, song, animal, bird, flower, tree, river and the rupee sign — when each was adopted and the story behind it, plus one popular myth.
Rohit Tandon · 10 October 2026 · 3 min read
Every country has its own identity — its flag, its anthem and a few special symbols. The national symbols of India give a glimpse of our culture, nature and history. Questions about them come up often, from school exams to competitive exams. Here is the full list, with the dates of adoption and interesting facts.
The list of national symbols
| Symbol | What it is | Since |
|---|---|---|
| National emblem | The lion capital of the Ashoka pillar at Sarnath, with "Satyameva Jayate" below | 26 January 1950 |
| National anthem | Jana Gana Mana (Rabindranath Tagore) | 24 January 1950 |
| National song | Vande Mataram (Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay) | 24 January 1950 |
| National flag | The tricolour | 22 July 1947 |
| National calendar | The Saka calendar | 22 March 1957 |
| National animal | Tiger | 1973 |
| National bird | Peacock | 1963 |
| National flower | Lotus | — |
| National tree | Banyan | — |
| National fruit | Mango | — |
| National river | Ganga | 4 November 2008 |
| National aquatic animal | Ganges river dolphin | 2009 |
| National heritage animal | Elephant | 2010 |
| Rupee symbol | ₹ | 15 July 2010 |
The story behind each symbol
- The national emblem: on the original lion capital four lions sit back to back, but only three can be seen from the front. "Satyameva Jayate" is taken from the Mundaka Upanishad.
- The national anthem: "Jana Gana Mana", written by Rabindranath Tagore, was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Congress. The full anthem takes about 52 seconds to sing.
- The national song: "Vande Mataram" is part of Bankim Chandra's novel "Anandamath" (1882) and became a slogan of the freedom movement — read Famous slogans of India's freedom struggle.
- The national animal: before 1973 the lion (the Asiatic lion) was the national animal. The tiger was given the status along with "Project Tiger".
- The rupee symbol: ₹ was designed by D. Udaya Kumar, a designer from an IIT. It combines the Devanagari "र" (ra) and the Roman "R".
- The national river: the Ganga was declared the national river in 2008 — read Which is the longest river of India.
Did you know? Many people believe hockey is India's national game, but in 2012, in reply to an RTI request, the Sports Ministry said that no game has been officially declared the "national game".
How the national animal is doing
"Project Tiger" began on 1 April 1973, when the number of tigers had fallen dangerously. According to the 2022 tiger census, India has an average of 3,682 tigers — about three-quarters of the world's wild tigers live in India. The country now has more than 50 tiger reserves.
The Saka calendar: India's national calendar
Along with the Gregorian calendar, the Government of India also uses a national calendar based on the Saka era. Its first month is Chaitra, which begins on 22 March in a normal year and on 21 March in a leap year. Both dates appear in the Gazette of India, All India Radio news and government notices. The calendar was recommended by the Calendar Reform Committee chaired by the scientist Meghnad Saha.
Respecting the symbols
There are laws to protect the respect due to national symbols. Under the "Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971", insulting the national anthem, the flag or the Constitution is a punishable offence. A separate law was made in 2005 to stop the misuse of the national emblem. Only authorised bodies may use the emblem on official papers.
Key points
- The national emblem is the lion capital of the Ashoka pillar at Sarnath, adopted on 26 January 1950.
- The national anthem "Jana Gana Mana" and the national song "Vande Mataram" were adopted on 24 January 1950.
- The tricolour was adopted as the national flag on 22 July 1947.
- The national animal is the tiger, the national bird the peacock and the national flower the lotus.
- The Ganga is the national river and the Saka calendar the national calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What is the national animal of India?
The tiger (the Royal Bengal tiger), since 1973. Before that the Asiatic lion was the national animal.
What is the difference between the national anthem and the national song?
The national anthem is "Jana Gana Mana" and the national song is "Vande Mataram". The Constituent Assembly adopted both, with equal honour, on 24 January 1950.
Read more: Interesting facts · General knowledge questions.
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