India

The national flag of India was adopted on 22 July 1947 and first hoisted at independence on 15 August 1947. It is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron, white, and dark green in a 2:3 proportion, with a navy-blue Ashoka Chakra of 24 spokes centered in the white band. The design developed from earlier nationalist flags, including a 1921 proposal by Pingali Venkayya and the 1931 Indian National Congress tricolour with a spinning wheel; in 1947 the spinning wheel was replaced by the Ashoka Chakra. The saffron band represents courage and sacrifice, the white band peace, truth, and harmony, and the green band faith, fertility, prosperity, and agrarian life. The Ashoka Chakra symbolizes law, justice, progress, and the continuing motion of dharma.