Logos of India

EMBLEM OF ANDHRA PRADESH On November 1, 1956, the States Reorganization Act merged the Telugu-speaking areas of the former Hyderabad state with the Telugu-speaking areas of the former Madras state to form the state of Vishalandhra, which is named as Andhra Pradesh. The city of Hyderabad, the former capital of the Hyderabad State, was made the capital of the new state. The state emblem of Andhra Pradesh has a sun radiant charged with a vase ‘Poorna Kumbhham’, placed within an ornamented circular frame. In base the crest of the Republic of India. The top of the circle is written Government of Andhra Pradesh and the name of the state repeated in Hindi and Telugu. In base the motto of India ‘Satyameva Jayate’ in Devanagari.

EMBLEM OF KERALA The State emblem of Kerala is derived from the traditional Travancore state emblem, the conch-shell Sri Padmanhnabha Shanka is surrounded by a garland. The two elephants guarding the state and national insignias and is a derivative of Royal Coat of Arms of Kingdom of Travancore. The elephant denotes the supremacy and power and the state has the largest number of captivated elephants. The central part of the emblem carries Sree Padmanabha's Shankhu. The Shanku was one of the most iconic emblems found throughout Kerala's history and was the official insignia of Sree Ananthapadmanabha Swamy- the National deity and emperor of Erstwhile Travancore over which India's national emblem is found. Kerala government has made changes in its official emblem by repositioning the inspriction 'Sathyameva Jayate' in Devanagari script under the Lion Capital which comes in between to saluting tuskers. The committee constituted by the Government of Kerala made the...

EMBLEM OF TAMILNADU The State emblem of Tamilnadu has an adaptation from the he remarkable landmark of Srivilliputhur’s 11-tiered tower structure of 192 feet high - ‘gopuram’ dedicated to the Lord of Srivilliputhur, known as Vatapatrasayee. It is said to have been built by Periyaazhvar, believed to be the father-in-law of the Temple Deity, with a purse of gold that he won in debates held in the palace of Pandya King Vallabhadeva. The artist behind this monogram was Prof. R. Krishna Rao. Born in 1915, he completed his schooling in Madurai and in 1942, joined the Government School of Arts and Crafts in Madras where he was allowed to complete the five-year course in three years as he was outstanding in his work. In 1968, he was appointed the Principal of the Government School of Arts and Crafts in Madras. In 1972, Krishna Rao joined Kalakshetra, Madras, as Director, Department of Art. It was he who conceived and designed the temple tower emblem of Madras State in 1949. He had on...

STATE EMBLEM OF BHARAT (INDIA) The State Emblem of Bharat (India) is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Asoka which is preserved in the Sarnath Museum. The Lion Capital has four lions mounted back to back on a circular abacus. The frieze of the abacus is adorned with sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening Dharma Chakras. The abacus rests on a bell-shaped lotus. The profile of the Lion Capital showing three lions mounted on the abacus with a Dharma Chakra in the center, a bull on the right and a galloping horse on the left and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left has been adopted as the State Emblem of India. The Bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The motto ‘Satyameva Jayate’ - 'Truth alone triumphs' written in Devanagari script below the profile of the Lion Capital is part of the State Emblem of Bharat. The government adopted the emblem on January 26, 1950, the day when India...

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 vic...

SRIVATSA Srivatsa in 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 to...

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 bas...

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 spec...

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 processions...

PADMA Buddhist visual art has produced an elaborate vocabulary of symbolic and iconic forms of expressions and a great variety of these symbols is found in temples, visual art and literature.The figures of Lotus, Dharmachakra, Stupa, Triratna, Chattra, Dhvaja, Deer and Naga are among the more common ones. The lotus, the wheel and the stupa can be seen in almost every Buddhist temple. One may understand these symbols as visual mantras and contemplating them is an exercise in meditation. Lotus represents 'primordial purity' body, speech and mind. The roots of a lotus are in the mud, the stem grows up through the water and the heavily scented flower lies above the water, basking in the sunlight. This pattern of growth signifies the progress of the soul from the primeval mud of materialism, through the waters of experience and into the bright sunshine of enlightenment. The colour of the lotus too has an important bearing. White Lotus represents the state of spiritual perfecti...

PALM The palm is a symbol of Jain religion. The lower portion of this palm shows fearlessness and symbolize the feeling of non-violence ‘Ahimsa’ towards all the creatures in this world. The circle in the middle of the hand symbolizes the cycle of reincarnation ‘Samsara’ and the 24 spokes represent the preachings of the 24 Tirthankars – ‘enlightened souls’, which can be used to liberate a soul from the cycle or reincarnation. The mantra of ‘Ahimsa’ at the bottom of emblem means ‘Live and Let Live’ - ‘Parsparograho Jivanam’. All creatures should help one another. The wheel of dharma with 24 spokes represents the religion preached by the 24 Jain Tirthankars which consist of nonviolence - ‘Ahimsä’, compassion, Aparigraha, Anekäntvaad and other virtues and equality of all the souls.

JAINISM The Swastika is a sacred symbol in Jainism. The four sides of Swastika symbolize the four forms of existence of the worldly (non-liberated) souls. The four forms are; heavenly beings, human, Tiryanch (which includes animals, birds and plants) and hellish beings. It reminds us that worldly souls undergo a continuous cycle of birth, suffering, and death in these four forms. Hence one should follow the true religion and be liberated from suffering. The three dots represent the Jain path of liberation the - Jain trinity: Right Faith - ‘Samyak Darshan’, Right Knowledge – ‘Samyak Jnäna’, and Right Conduct – ‘Samyak Chäritra’, which together lead to liberation. The crescent of the moon represents the region known as ‘Moksha’. This region is beyond the three worlds and it is the permanent place where the liberated souls reside .

NAVAL ENSIGN On India attaining Independence, the Royal Indian Navy consisted of 32 ageing vessels suitable only for coastal patrol, along with 11,000 officers and men. The prefix was dropped on January 26, 1950 with India being constituted as aRepublic. On September 2, 2022 Indian Navy adopted an Indian ensign (Niishaan). This was unveiled by the Prime Minister at the commissioning ceremony of thefirst indigenously built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant at Cochin Shipyard Limted and dedicated it to Chhatrapati Shivaji. Resonant to the ongoing nationalendeavour to move away from colonial past, need was felt to transition to a new design that drew inspiration from our history. The White Ensign identified nationwide with the Navy, now comprises of two main constituents - the National Flag in the upper left canton, and a Navy Blue - Gold octagon at the centre of the fly side (away from the staff). The Octagon is with twin golden octagonal borders encompassing the golden National Emblem ...

KHANDA The Khanda is the emblem of Sikhism. It consists of three objects: a solid circle, two interlocked swords and one double-edged sword in the centre. The twin edged sword (which itself is known by the name Khanda), circled by the solid circle known as a Chakra. The right edge of the Khanda symbolises freedom and authority governed by moral and spiritual values. The left edge of the double-edged sword symbolises divine justice which chastises and punishes wicked oppressors. The twin edged sword at the centre of the Khanda also symbolises disintegration of false pride and vanity and demolitionof the barriers of caste and other inequalities. The Chakra being a circle without a beginning or an end exhorts the Sikhs to make the whole creation as the object of their compassion and activities. The ‘Amrit’ which is used at the time of baptism is stirred with the Khanda. The original Khanda with which Guru Gobind Singh stirred the baptismal waters on March 30, A.D. 1699 is now prese...

RAMADASA BHATTA PARIVARA TILAK Ramadas Bisvas was a Kayastha by caste and employed by the government. He was also a lecturer on Kavya Prakasa. When Tapan Misra's son, Raghunatha Bhatta and his attendant, were on the way to meet Lord Chaitanya, they met Ramadasa Bisvas along the way. Ramadasa was a devotee of Rama and a great scholar, who was deeply attracted to Vaisnavism. Ramadasa began to serve Raghunatha Bhatta with devotion, which embarrassed Raghunatha. In the course of their journey they discussed various subject matters related to scriptures and at last arrived at Puri. When they finally arrived at Nilacala, Raghunatha spoke to Lord Chaitanya about Ramadasa. But the omniscient Lord did not shower His grace upon Ramadasa immediately as He knew that within his heart Ramadasa still possessed some vanity due to his learning. Ramadasa then settled at Puri and taught the sons of Pattanayaka ‘Kavyaprakas’. Tilaka of the sect is a modified ‘V’ shaped white lines with a dot of...

GOPALA BHATTA PARIVARA TILAK Shri Gopala Bhatta Goswami was the son of Vyenkatta Bhatta, a brahmana resident of Shri Rangam, who was initiated in the Shri Sampradaya. Vyenkatta Bhatta was a member in a branch of the Ramanuja Sampradaya known as Vadagalai. Lord Chaitanya once stayed four months in his home and converted the family to Gaudiya Vaisnavism. The son of Vyenkatta Bhatta was later known in the Gaudiya Sampradaya as Gopala Bhatta Goswami and he established the Radha-ramana temple in Vrindavana. In corroboration with Sri Sanatana Gosvami he compiled the book, Hari-bhakti-vilasa explaining the ritual and devotional practices of the Gaudiya Vaisnavasampradaya. He also wrote Sat-kriya-dipika and the outline for Sri Jiva Gosvami's Sat Sandarbhas. The followers of his sampradaya use the ‘V’ shaped  white line with a stroke of ‘Srichurnam’ in middle.

SHYAMANANDA PARIVARA TILAK Sri Gopala Guru Shri Shyamananda Prabhu was born in Utkala, in a place called Dharenda Bhadura Pura. His father's name was Shri Krishna Mandal. His mother's name was Shri Durika. Shri Krishna Mandal, who was in the dynasty of the Six Gopas, had sired many sons and daughters who had passed away before this son took his birth. Because of the great misfortune which had befallen his family, Shri Krishna Mandal named the boy Dukhi. Everyone said that the boy would become a great person, a Mahapurush. On an auspicious moment on the full moon day of the month of Chaitra, he appeared within this world by the mercy of Lord Jagannatha. He travelled all through Bengal and Orissa spreading Gaudiya Vaishnavism. The followers of his sect display this tilaka and they are called Shyamanada Parivara.

GOPALA GURU PARIVARA TILAK Sri Gopala Guru Goswami was a disciple of Sri Vakreshwara Pandit. He was a brahmana from Utkala. From early childhood, he stayed with Vakreshwara Pandit under his care and guidance. Under the authority of Sri Svarupa Damodara and Raghunatha Dasa Goswami, he was instructed in the system of rasa and attained expertise in the rasik principles. At the place where Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu stayed at the house of Kashi Mishra, Vakreshwara Pandita later stayed. After Sri Vakreshwara Pandit passed away, Gopal Guru Goswami stayed at that place, where he installed the deities Sri Sri Radhakanta. He founded the tradition of Vakreshwara Pandita and Gopala Guru Parivara. The tilaka of this sect is has a ‘U’ shape mark applied with sandalwood paste.

GANGAMATA PARIVARA TILAKA Gangamata Parivara is one of the ten main Gaudiya Vaishnava parivars and the originator is Gangamata Thakurani. The line of Gopala Bhatta is also a vamsa-parampara descending from the brother of Gopinatha Pujari, one of the original sevaites of Radha-ramana. Saci Devi was the only daughter of King Naresanarayana of Puntiya in the district of Rajsahi. Saci Devi was a disciple of Haridasa Pandita. She was initiated in Radha Krsna mantra from Haridasa on the thirteenth day of the bright fortnight in the month of Chaitra and thereafter devoted herself fully to the service of guru and Govinda. Lord Jagannath  brought the Ganges, under His feet, in order to enable Saci to take a bath in the Ganges as she desired. Since the bath she has been called as Gangamata Thakurani. The tilaka of this sect is a ‘U’ shape supported by a single short stroke at its bottom in sandalwood paste.

GANGANARAYANA CAKRAVARTI PARIVARA TILAK Sri Ganga Narayana Chakravarti, a renowned brahmana, took initiation from Sri Narottama Dasa Thakura into the fold of Gaudiya Vaisnavism. The king, the smartas and the Sri Rupa Narayana went to challenge and conquer the Narottama Dasa. Ganga Narayana Cakravarti and Ramacandra Kaviraja felt disturbed upon hearing of the imminent attack against their gurudeva. Disguising themselves as a potter and a betel nut vendor, they opened shops in a neighboring village. Both the potter - Ramacandra Kaviraja and the pan walla - Ganga Narayana spoke pure Sanskrit with the students. The smartas, King and his pandit joined the furious debate. The two vendors quickly silenced the opposition. When he learnt about them, the King told the smarta pandits, "If you can't even defeat these two common ordinary disciples of Narottama Dasa Thakura, how will you ever defeat Narottama Dasa himself?" That night in a dream Durga Devi told King Narasimha, ...

NAROTTAMA THAKURA PARIVARA TILAK Narottama Dasa Thakura (1466), also known as Thakura Mahasaya is a Gaudiya Vaishnava saint who was responsible for spreading Vaishnava bhakti throughout Orissa in and outside of Bengal in India. Narottama dasa was the son of King Krishnananda Datta and Narayani Devi who resided in Gopalpur Pargana of the Rajsahi district of Bangladesh. Fifty years after the disappearance of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Narottama organized annual festivals in Bengal, which served to keep the Gaudiya philosophy unified. Narottama Thakura parivara members sport a tilaka similar to Gaudiyas and in place of tulasi they have leaf of neem tree.

ADVAITACHARYA PARIVARA TILAK Advaita Acharya (1434–1539), born Kamalaksha Bhattacharya, was a notable disciple and companion of the founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnava sect, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and guru of Haridasa Thakur. He was born at Navagrama-Laur village in the present-day Sylhet District of Bangladesh in 1434, some fifty years before Chaitanya. He spent most of his adult life in the town of Shantipur with his wife and family (Advaita Acharya had six sons, Acyutananda, Krsna Misra, Gopala dasa, Balarama, Svarupa, and Jagadisa) teaching the philosophy of Bhagavad Gita and Bhagavata Purana and promoting Bhakti Yoga. Followers of Advaita Acharya – Advaitacarya parivara sport a tilka similar to Gaudiyas and in place of tulasi they have leaf of banyan tree.

NITYANANDAPARIVARA TILAK The Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, lacking a central authority since its very inception on account of its dynamic spread, has come to encompass a large diversity of practices and insights within the foundational framework of the Goswami's teachings. Traditional Gaudiya lineages are traced back to the companions of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu via a succession of mantra diksha initiations, otherwise commonly known as the guru-pranali. Nityananda (b 1474 CE), was a Vaishnava saint, famous as a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal, is presumed to be an avatar of Balarama. Nityananda was Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's friend and disciple. They are often mentioned together as Gaura-Nitai (Gaura, ‘golden one’, referring to Chaitanya, Nitai being a shortened form of Nityananda) or Nimai-Nitai.   The followers of Nityananda are called the Nityananda Parivara and their tilaka sports the Gaudiya tilaka with a dot.

GAUDIYA VAISHNAVA SAMPRADHAYA TILAK The renaissance of Vaishnavism began in the early 1600s as Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1534 CE) started his bhakti-movement in West Bengal in the district of Nadia. Sri Chaitanya practically founded his own tradition. In the Gaudiya Vaishnava Sampradaya the tilak is usually made out of mud from Vrindavan. In Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's line, chanting is given as the essential devotional (bhakti) activity to be performed in Kali Yuga in preference to fire sacrifices. As such, the black line made from the ash of the fire sacrifice is not included. In the Gaudiya line devotees generally approach Radha and Krishna through a servant such as Tulsidevi. To indicate this, the red dot representing Radha is replaced with a tulsi leaf offered at the base of Krishna's feet. In Gaudiya belief only through the mercy of Tulsi (or another pure devotee) can pure devotion to Radha and Krishna or Krishna and Balarama be awakened.

SAKTA TILAK Sakta or Shakta sect is the name of a Hindu sect, whose members worship the female principle of energy, which is the counterpart of the god Siva. The metaphysical ideas of Saktism are thus described by Sir Edward Gait, “Saktism is based on the worship of the active producing principle, Prakriti, as manifested in one or other of the goddess wives of Siva (Durga, Kali, Parvati) the female energy or Sakti of the primordial male, Purusha or Siva. Saktism reveres the Supreme as the Divine Mother, Sakti or Devi, in Her many forms, both gentle and fierce. Saktas use mantra, tantra, yantra, yoga and puja to invoke cosmic forces and awaken the kundalini power. The Sakta sect, when they avow themselves, mark either with a saffron or with turmeric and borax.

KABIRPANTHI TILAK The Kabir Panth is a philosophy and religious community of India, encompassing a wide spectrum of beliefs, traditions and practices based on the teachings of Kabir. Its adherents are of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh ancestry.   Kabir Panthis or ‘followers of the path of Kabir’ are spread across India and are also found in Indian communities in large numbers in across continents. The members of the Kabir Panth wear necklaces of beads made of tulasi wood. It is called a ‘kanthi’. Kabirpanthi householders are called ‘bhagats’. Kabirpanthi sect marks vary slightly in the different groups of Kabir Panth. In the case of the Chhattisgarh section, the mark is usually a single broad streak of white from the top of the forehead to the nose. It is made with a kind of paste in which sandal wood is mixed.

IYENGAR WOMAN TILAK Women of both Thenkalai and Vadakalai Iyengars of Sri Vaishnavism apply tilaka of ‘Srichurnam’ - red colour on the forehead with a white crescent at its bottom.

THENKALAI IYENGAR TILAK Thenkalai Iyengars are the followers of Sri Vaishnavism and follow the Tamil Prabandhams and asserts primacy to rituals in Tamil language. They are the followers of Ramanuja, Pillailokacharya and Manavala Mamuni. According to genetic studies, the Thenkalai gene frequencies are distinctly different from that of the Vadakalais. The Thenkalais reject the caste system. The sect seems to be liberal in its outlook and so shapes the doctrine of the system as to make them applicable to non-Brahmin castes. Traditionally, Thenkalais accept Prapatti as the only means to attain salvation. The various Thenkalai monasteries are – Vanamamalai Mutt and Sriperumpudur Mutt in Kanchipuram district and Tirukkoilur Mutt in Viluppuram district. In the tilak of Thenkalai the white lines flourishes down and touches the upper portion of the nose in between eyebrows.

VADAKALAI IYENGAR TILAK The Ramananujis are the followers of the first prominent Vishnuite reformer Ramanuj of Southern India in the eleventh or twelfth century. The Ramanujis address each other with the salutation ‘Dasoham’ or ‘I am your slave’. Ramanujis are also called Iyengars. Among the Iyengars following Sri Vaishnavism, there are two sects, namely Vadakalai and Tenkalai. The tilak or sect-mark of the Ramanujis - Vadakalai Iyengars, consists of two perpendicular white lines from the roots of the hair to the top of the eyebrows, with a connecting white line at the base and a third line either of red or yellow. It is widely believed that the two sects are distinctly different in origin.