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TOURISM AND CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT, GOVERNMENT OF SIKKIM The blue emblem of Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, Government of Sikkim (TCAD) is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism. The eternal knot or endless knot depicts the wisdom and compassion and the journey towards them. In the same manner the travel and tourism are endless and fascinating. The colour blue symbolises serenity, calmness, trust, spirituality, calmness, wisdom, freedom, openness, intelligence and loyalty.

DR. B.R. AMBEDKAR UNIVERSITY DELHI The insignia of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) has a tree as the central motif. A tree is an organic system, which is rooted and stands for firmness, poise, dignity, refuge, wisdom and a yearning to reach the sky. The emblem claims to be an adaptation of the Bodhi tree depicted on a panel in the iconic Sanchi Stupa complex. The Bodhi tree symbolises enlightenment to represent the association of Dr Ambedkar with Buddhism. Its acronym ‘AUD’ is superimposed on the tree to be read from four directions. 

THE TRISHULA The Trishula is commonly used as a symbol in Buddhism and Hinduism. It is a trident symbol. This symbol is associated with Lord Shiva, the God of destruction. In Hinduism the three points represent creation, preservation, and destruction. They also represent will, action, and wisdom. This symbol represents the tearing down of old ways to create new ones. The Trishula also represents the three energies found within a person. The two side prongs go up to a person’s brow, while the third rises higher. The middle prong represents the ‘all-seeing eye’. That is the eye of spiritual wisdom and knowledge. In Nepal and Thailand, the term also often refers to a short-handled weapon which may be mounted on a daṇḍa 'staff'. Unlike the Okinawan sai, the trishula is often bladed. In Indonesian, trisula usually refers specifically to a long-handled trident, while the diminutive version is more commonly known as a cabang or tekpi. The name ‘trishula’ ultimat

TRIRATNA The Triratna is a Buddhist symbol, thought to visually represent the Three Jewels of Buddhism, the Buddha, the Dhamma, the Sangha. The Triratna symbol is composed of: A lotus flower within a circle, a diamond rod or vajra and an ananda-chakra. A trident or trisula, with three branches, representing the threefold jewels of Buddhism. On representations of the footprint of the Buddha, the Triratna is usually also surmounted by the Dhamma wheel. The Triratna can be found on frieze sculptures at Sanchi as the symbol crowning a flag standard (2nd century BCE), as a symbol of the Buddha installed on the Buddha's throne (2nd century BCE), as the crowning decorative symbol on the later gates at the stupa in Sanchi (2nd century CE), or very often on the Buddha footprint (starting from the 1st century CE). https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Triratna https://symbolsarchive.com/triratna-symbol-history-meaning/

CENTRAL INSTITUTE OF HIGHER TIBETAN STUDIES Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (CIHTS) was established in 1967, on the joint initiative of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Originally called Central University of Tibetan Studies (CUTS), it began functioning as a constituent wing of the Sampurnananda Sanskrit University and eventually emerged as an autonomous body in 1977 under the Department of Culture, Ministry of Education, Government of India. The objective was to take care of the cultural and educational needs of the youth among the Tibetan diaspora in India and those of the Himalayan regions of India, who earlier had the opportunity of being educated in Tibet, this came to be discontinued in the wake of the Chinese occupation. But later, the university blossomed into a center of excellence in researches on Tibetology, restoration of texts and imparting the knowledge of the four Sampradayas of Buddhism in Tibet along with ancie

EMBLEM OF BIHAR In the 16th century, the Mughal emperor Akbar annexed Bihar and Bengal. With the decline of the Mughals, Bihar passed under the control of the Nawabs of Bengal. After the Battle of Buxar in1764, the British East India Company obtained the diwani rights for Bihar, Bengal and Orissa. In 1912, the province of Bihar and Orissa was made into separate provinces. The state of Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in the year 2000. Initially Bihar used the Ashoka Capital surrounded with the title of the State as its emblem. The current emblem of Bihar shows a peepal tree rising from a socle with a text in ancient Urdu, between two swastikas. The Sacred Fig tree (Ficus religiosa - Moraceae) located in Bodh Gaya - ‘Bodhi’, also known as Bo (from the Sinhalese Bo), under which Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism is supposed to have achieved enlightenment or Bodhi. The swastikas represent Dharma, universal harmony and the balance of opposites. As such the emblem symboliz

DHAVAJA The banner or sign of victory is known as the ‘dhvaja’. This was a military standard carried in ancient Indian warfare and bore the insignia of its champion. In the Mahabharata, Krishna's chariot was adorned with a banner showing the image of the monkey-god Hanuman. The victory banner was adopted by Buddhism as an emblem of the Buddha's enlightenment, heralding the triumph of knowledge over ignorance. It is said to have been placed on the summit of Mount Meru by Buddha himself, symbolizing his victory over the entire universe. Mount Meru here is believed to be the central axis supporting the world. The flag of victory also denotes Buddha's triumph over Mara, who personifies hindrances on the path to spiritual realization. Specifically, there said to be four types of Maras: The Mara of Emotional Defilement, Mara of Passion, Mara of the Fear of Death and Mara of Pride and Lust It was only after conquering these four negative traits that Buddha could proclaim vi

SRIVATSA Srivatsain Sanskrit, The endless knot is a closed, graphic ornament composed of right-angled, intertwined lines. This image signifies the dramatic interplay and interaction of the opposing forces in the dualistic world of manifestation, leading to their union and ultimately to harmony in the universe. This fact is amply reflected in the symmetrical and regular form of the endless knot. It represents the inter rlatedness and interconnection of: Wisdom and compassion, The mutual dependence of religious doctrine and secular affairs, The union of wisdom and method, The inseparability of emptiness and Dependent Co-arising, The union of wisdom and great compassion and The linking of ancestors and omnipresence and the magical ritual and meta-process of binding. The intertwining of lines reminds us how all phenomena are conjoined and yoked together as a closed cycle of cause and effect. Thus the whole composition is a pattern that is closed on in itself with no gaps, leading t

SHANKA Shanka in Sanskrit, the conch shell has survived as the original trumpet since time immemorial. It is also an Buddhist ‘Ashtamangala’ symbol. Ancient Indian epics describe how each hero of mythical warfare carried a mighty white conch shell. It is one of the main emblems of Vishnu and his conch called ‘Panchajanya', meaning 'having control over the five classes of beings. Arjuna's mighty conch was known as Devadatta. It is an emblem of power, authority and sovereignty whose blast is believed to banish evil spirits, avert natural disasters and scare away poisonous creatures. The conch is used in Buddhism to call religious assemblies and rituals. Ancient Indian belief the thicker-shelled bulbous one is thought to be the male ‘purusha’ and the thin-shelled slender conch to be the female ‘shankhini’. The smooth white conch represents the brahmin, the red the kshatriyas, the yellow the vaishyas and the grey conch the shudras. Conch shells are also divided on the ba

NIDHANA KUMBHA Nidhana Kumbha in Sanskrit, is one of the Buddhist ‘Ashtamangala’ symbols. ‘The Treasure Vase’ is a fat-bellied vessel with a short, slim neck. On top, at the opening, there is a large jewel indicating that it is a treasure vase. Its symbolic meaning was almost always associated with the ideas of storage and the satisfaction of material desires. In the sagas and fairytales of many different cultures, for example, there is the recurring idea of an inexhaustible vessel. Physically, the ‘vase of inexhaustible treasures’ is modelled on the traditional Indian clay water pot or kumbha with a flat base, round body, narrow neck and fluted upper rim. However much is removed from it, this vase remains perpetually full. Wealth vases, sealed with precious and sacred substances are commonly placed upon altars and on mountain passes or buried at water springs, where their presence is believed to attract wealth and bring harmony to the environment. In relation to Buddhism it spe

SUVARNAMATSYA Suvarnamatsya in Sanskrit, is one of the Buddhists' Eight Auspicious Signs - ‘Ashtamangala'. The pair of golden fish (‘gSer.nya’ in Tibetan) that generally symbolize happiness. This symbol consists of two fish, which usually appear standing vertically with heads turned inwards towards each other. The pair of fish originated as an ancient pre-Buddhist symbol of the two sacred rivers of India, Ganga and Yamuna. Symbolically, these two rivers represent the lunar and solar channels, which which originate in the nostrils and carry the alternating rhythms of breath or prana. In Buddhism, the golden fish symbolize happiness, as they have complete freedom in water. They represent fertility and abundance as they multiply very rapidly. Fish often swim in pairs and in China they represented conjugal unity and fidelity, where a pair of fish would often be given as a wedding present. Essentially, the golden fish is an aspirational symbol, teaching man that the spiritual

PARASOL This Buddhist symbol ‘Parasol’ is depicted by the umbrella, whose important function is to cast a shadow, the shadow of protection. The parasol or umbrella is a symbol of both protection and royalty. The coolness of its shade symbolizes protection from the heat of suffering, desire and other spiritually harmful forces. The dome of the umbrella is held aloft by a vertical handle (just like the mountain upholds the sky), which is identified with the central axis upholding the world. The umbrella is carried above an important dignitary or the image of a deity, to indicate that the person or symbol below the umbrella is in fact the centre of the universe and also its spiritual support. In Tibet, depending on their status, various dignitaries were entitled to different parasols, with religious heads being entitled to a silk one and secular rulers to a parasol with embroidered peacock feathers. Exalted personalities such as the Dalai Lama are entitled to both and in procession

SWASTIKA The Swastika is an extremely powerful symbol which is in use for over 3000 years. The image of swastika was used by many cultures around the world, including China, Japan, India and southern European countries. The symbol has many names: ‘wan’ in China, ‘flyflot’ in England, ‘hakenkeuz’ in Germany, ‘tertraskelion’ and ‘gammadion’ in Greece and ‘swastika’ in India. Native Americans also have long used the symbol of swastika. It is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. It remains widely used in Indian religions, specifically in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, primarily as a 'tantric' symbol to evoke 'Shakti' or the sacred symbol of good luck. The word 'swastika’ comes from the Sanskrit ‘svastika’ - ‘su’ meaning ‘good’, ‘asti’ meaning ‘to be’ and ‘ka’ as a suffix. It is the symbol which represents life, sun, power, strength and good luck.