Land & symbols · Updated September 2026
Indian national flag
Tiranga: saffron, white, green, 24-spoke Ashoka Chakra, ratio 2:3. Pingali Venkayya design. Adopted 22 July 1947. Flag Code — not live news.
The national flag of India is the Tiranga: deep saffron on top, white in the middle, India green at the bottom, and a navy-blue Ashoka Chakra of 24 spokes in the centre of the white band. The Constituent Assembly adopted this flag on 22 July 1947, just before Independence.
The standard ratio is 2:3 (hoist:fly). The design is associated with Pingali Venkayya. Classroom meanings — saffron for courage and sacrifice, white for truth and peace, green for faith and fertility, the Chakra for dharma and motion — are the usual school gloss, not a criminal statute.
The Flag Code of India and the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act set the do-nots: a torn flag, a wrong ratio, and using the flag as a duster. After 2002 the Code opened more civilian display, but the dignity rules remain. This is not a 2026 fashion-news page.
Key points
- Colours in order from the top: saffron, white, green.
- Ashoka Chakra: navy blue, 24 spokes, taken from the Lion Capital at Sarnath — the same family as the State Emblem.
- Ratio 2:3. A square flag is wrong in the standard Code teaching.
- Adopted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 July 1947.
- Designer commonly taught: Pingali Venkayya.
- The Chakra replaced the spinning-wheel (charkha) of earlier political flags — a history note, not an insult to those flags.
- National anthem Jana Gana Mana and song Vande Mataram are sister symbols, not printed on the cloth.
- Fundamental duty: to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem (Article 51A).
- Half-masting follows official mourning orders — individuals should not invent a half-mast day.
- The Flag Code (2002 revision is the usual citation) allows more private display than the pre-2002 practice, with conditions.
- Khadi was the traditional prescribed cloth; later amendments have allowed other specified materials — read the current Code if a paper is picky, do not invent a 2026 fabric brand.
- The President’s Flag / Standard is a different flag. Service ensigns are different again.
- Do not print a party flag as the Tiranga. Do not dip the national flag in a parade the way some foreign flags are dipped — Indian practice is strict.
- 28 states do not have a second national flag. State banners are not the Tiranga.
- We do not invent a 2026 new spoke count or a fourth colour.
- Independence Day (15 August) and Republic Day (26 January) are the two largest public flag days; the flag may be flown on other days under the Code.
- A damaged flag should be disposed of in the dignified way the Code describes — not thrown in street trash.
- Related: national symbols, Constitution (duties), how many states (the map the flag flies over).
- Chakra spokes = 24 is as non-negotiable as the three bands.
- Saffron is the top band; putting green on top is a common drawing error.
- The emblem’s four lions are not drawn on the national flag — only the wheel.
- Pingali Venkayya is the name to write; do not invent a 2026 redesign credit.
- This page is not a shop for flag sizes in centimetres beyond the 2:3 rule.
- September 2026 appointments do not change the flag.
Indian national flag — facts (2026)
| Topic | Fact / answer |
|---|---|
| Name | Tiranga |
| Bands | Saffron, white, green (top to bottom) |
| Chakra | Navy blue, 24 spokes |
| Ratio | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 22 July 1947 |
| Designer (taught) | Pingali Venkayya |
| Anthem / song | Jana Gana Mana / Vande Mataram |
| Duty | Article 51A — respect the Flag |
| Code | Flag Code of India — confirm current text |
Exam tip: 24 spokes + 2:3 + saffron on top. If an option says 25 spokes or 1:2, it is wrong.
People also ask
How many spokes are there in the Ashoka Chakra?
24.
What is the ratio of the Indian national flag?
2:3 (width:length in the usual teaching of hoist to fly).
When was the Tiranga adopted?
22 July 1947, by the Constituent Assembly.