Five thousand years compressed into sixteen entries: an undocumented Bronze Age civilization along the Indus, a succession of classical empires that gave the modern flag its central emblem, centuries of regional kingdoms and sultanates, two centuries of European commercial and then Crown rule, a decades-long independence movement that designed and redesigned its own banner before the country ever flew one officially, and finally the saffron-white-green tricolor that has now flown, unchanged in design, for close to eighty years.
The navy-blue wheel at the center of today's flag is not a modern invention: it is a direct visual descendant of the Ashoka Chakra, the wheel carved onto Mauryan emperor Ashoka's 3rd-century-BCE pillars — making this one of the few national flags anywhere that reaches back to a specific, datable ancient artifact for its central symbol.
Scope of this page: political entities and symbols connected to the Indian subcontinent, c. 3300 BCE – present, sixteen entries. Several entries deliberately overlap rather than sit end-to-end: the four independence-movement flags (entries 12–15) were unofficial protest and party banners flown against — not instead of — British Crown rule (entry 11), and the Mughal Empire's later, declining phase (entry 9) overlaps the East India Company's own rise to real power (entry 10), since the Mughal emperor remained the nominal sovereign for decades after the Company held the actual administration. These are treated as parallel tracks, not as contradictory dates. The Mughal Empire itself (1526–1857) is covered in far greater depth on its own page — see the link in entries 8–9 below. Part of a larger atlas — see the linked pages at the bottom.
One border, plus a schematic princely-states split
India's own real outer border, traced whole, with one deliberately schematic internal region overlaid for 1858–1947: the hundreds of princely states that answered to their own hereditary rulers under British paramountcy, shown as two representative composite patches rather than an attempt to trace hundreds of scattered, non-contiguous fragments. Press play, or drag the slider, to watch who held the subcontinent, era to era, from the undocumented Indus Valley Civilization to the modern Republic.
The princely-states patches below are schematic, not surveyed — more so than any other internal split on this atlas. This page's own timeline runs through British India's provinces, the princely states, and the 1947 Partition line itself — genuine internal divisions. The princely states in particular were real, continuous, hereditary administrations distinct from directly-ruled British India for the entire 1858–1947 span of Crown rule: Hyderabad, the Sisodia dynasty's Mewar (named among this page's own ruling-house tags), and hundreds of others, together covering roughly a third of the subcontinent's area in scattered, non-contiguous patches. No reliable traced boundary dataset exists for that true footprint — hundreds of separate states of wildly different size, from Hyderabad and Mewar down to estates of a few square miles. Rather than keep omitting them entirely, or pretending to trace a patchwork this fragmented with any precision, the map below shows two representative composite blobs standing in for that scattered territory as a whole — one centered on Hyderabad in the south-center, one on Rajputana/Kathiawar in the northwest. Treat their shape and extent as illustrative only, not as an actual boundary; the real princely-state territory was far more fragmented than two clean shapes can show.
c. 3300–1300 BCE
Indus Valley Civilization
Real traced outer border; the two princely-states patches inside it (1858–1947) are an illustrative composite standing in for hundreds of scattered states, not a surveyed boundary — see the rule box above.
How we know this. 16 of 16 eras on this page carry an evidence panel (7 attested, 4 placeholder image, 5 not yet checked). Only the ones marked attested are confirmed by the sources named under them; where sources disagree or a claim could not be confirmed, the panel says so.
saffron / white / green tricolor with the navy Ashoka Chakra
1947 – present
Union & Republic of India
RepublicJawaharlal NehruSecular (no state religion)
Migration & conquest:Immigration: Partition refugees (1947)Immigration: 1971 Bangladesh war refugeesEmigration: to the Gulf states, UK & US (1970s–)
Ruling house:Sisodia Dynasty (Mewar)
Who & why: the Constituent Assembly adopts this tricolor on 22 July 1947, days before British India is partitioned into the two independent dominions of India and Pakistan on 15 August 1947 — a transfer of power accompanied by one of the largest population movements of the 20th century and widespread communal violence, whose human toll is still debated by historians. India becomes a sovereign republic under its own constitution on 26 January 1950 (still marked as Republic Day), but the flag and the underlying state are a direct continuity from 1947, so that transition is folded into this single entry rather than treated as a new banner. One long-running territorial dispute from partition, over the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, remains unresolved between India and Pakistan to this day; this page describes only that a dispute exists and takes no position on it. The flag's design has not changed since 1947.
What it represents: saffron (courage and sacrifice), white (truth and peace), and green (faith and chivalry) in equal horizontal bands, with the 24-spoke Ashoka Chakra in navy blue replacing the spinning wheel (charkha) of the pre-independence Congress flag — a deliberate substitution of an ancient imperial symbol for a more recent political one, meant to represent the nation rather than any single movement or community.
Attestedhow we know this
Both sources give 1947, the year this page starts the current flag. Wikipedia's infobox gives the adoption as 22 July 1947; Flags of the World dates it 22 July 1947.
Not established: Only the year the current flag was adopted was compared; the design and the swatch colours were not checked against a specification.
Paint guide
Proportions2:3, three equal horizontal bands.
LayoutSaffron / white / green bands; navy 24-spoke chakra centered on the white band, diameter roughly three-quarters of the white band's height.
India saffron#FF9933
White#F4EFE1
India green#138808
Chakra navy#0B3A8A
the Indian National Congress flag, charkha in navy on white
1931 – 1947
Indian National Congress tricolor (formal adoption)
Independence movementMahatma GandhiNo state religion (movement banner)
Ruling house:Sisodia Dynasty (Mewar)
Who & why: at its August 1931 Karachi session, the Indian National Congress formally adopts a refined version of the 1921 flag: saffron replaces the earlier red, and the charkha (spinning wheel) — already closely associated with Gandhi's campaign for economic self-reliance and hand-spun cloth — is fixed in navy blue on the white band. This becomes the de facto flag of the independence movement for its final, most intense sixteen years, flown at protests, rallies, and the 1942 Quit India campaign.
What it represents: Wikipedia says Pingali Venkayya designed flags for the Indian National Congress, that Gandhi modified his design into the Swaraj flag with a spinning wheel (charkha) at its centre, and that Congress officially adopted it in 1931. Flags of the World, from the Anand Bhawan board, says the Karachi AICC of March 1931 rejected a plain saffron flag with a charkha and a resolution of 1931 adopted a saffron, white and green tricolour with a blue charkha, with saffron for courage and sacrifice, white for truth and peace and green for faith and chivalry; it also notes a tricolour used unofficially as the Congress flag since the early 1920s. The exact day of adoption differs within Flags of the World.
Attestedhow we know this
Wikipedia (Flag of India): Congress officially adopted the Swaraj flag with a charkha in 1931; Wikipedia (Historical Indian flags) lists it as saffron, white and green with a blue chakra, 1931-1947. Flags of the World (historical flags of India, from the Anand Bhawan board): at Karachi in March 1931 a committee of seven proposed a plain saffron flag with a charkha, which the AICC rejected; a resolution then adopted a saffron-white-green tricolour with a blue charkha in 1931, with colour meanings courage and sacrifice, truth and peace, faith and chivalry. FOTW's country page adds that the tricolour had been used unofficially since the early 1920s.
Not established: The exact day of the 1931 resolution differs within FOTW (1 August on the board, first hoisted 31 August; one contributor gives August 1933); the wheel colour is blue in the description but reddish in the board's picture.
Paint guide
Proportions2:3, unofficial (no state authority to fix a ratio).
LayoutSaffron / white / green bands; navy charkha (wheel with axle line) centered on the white band.
Saffron#FF9933
Green#138808
Charkha navy#0B3A8A
red / white / green Swaraj flag with charkha, 1921 prototype
1921 – 1931
Swaraj flag (Gandhi & the Congress, informal)
Independence movementMahatma GandhiNo state religion (movement banner)
Ruling house:Sisodia Dynasty (Mewar)
Who & why: in 1921, Pingali Venkayya presents Mahatma Gandhi with a two-color red-and-green flag intended to represent India's two largest religious communities, Hindus and Muslims. Gandhi asks for a white band to be added for other communities and suggests the charkha be placed at the center as a unifying, secular emblem tied to his campaign of economic self-reliance. The Congress does not yet adopt it as an official party flag, but it circulates widely as the movement's own banner through the 1920s.
What it represents: Wikipedia says that in April 1921 Gandhi wrote in Young India proposing a flag with the charkha (spinning wheel) at the centre; red stood for Hindus and green for Muslims at first, and he later added white for other religions. In 1929, Wikipedia says, he gave secular meanings: red for the sacrifices of the people, white for purity, green for hope. Flags of the World says an Andhra youth made a red and green flag for Gandhi at Bezwada on 31 March 1921, and that Gandhi added a white strip and a charkha; it was popular at Congress sessions but never officially accepted. The sources read do not state the charkha's meaning as self-sufficient cloth or as resistance to British textile imports.
Attestedhow we know this
Wikipedia (Flag of India): Gandhi proposed a flag with a charkha in Young India in April 1921; red for Hindus and green for Muslims at first, white added later; secular meanings given in 1929; endorsed by Congress in July 1923. Flags of the World (historical flags of India): at Bezwada on 31 March 1921 an Andhra youth made a red and green flag for Gandhi, who added a white strip and a charkha; it became popular at Congress sessions but was never officially accepted (a second FOTW page credits Pingali Venkayya's design, modified by Gandhi).
Not established: The two sources differ on the date (April 1921 in Young India vs 31 March at Bezwada) and on the colour order; whether the 1921 wheel was yellow or another colour differs in the pictures FOTW shows.
Paint guide
ProportionsNo fixed ratio; informal movement banner.
LayoutRed / white / green bands; navy charkha centered on the white band.
Red#A4302A
Green#138808
Charkha navy#0B3A8A
Home Rule flag: red/green stripes, Union Jack canton, Saptarishi stars, crescent
1917 – 1921
Home Rule Movement flag
Independence movementBal Gangadhar TilakNo state religion (movement banner)
Ruling house:Sisodia Dynasty (Mewar)
Who & why: Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak launch the Indian Home Rule Movement in 1916, campaigning for dominion self-government within the British Empire on the model already granted to Australia and Canada. A flag combining nine red and green stripes with a Union Jack in the canton is flown at Home Rule League rallies from 1917, explicitly signaling loyalty to the Empire alongside a demand for self-rule rather than full independence — a more moderate position than the Congress would later take.
What it represents: Wikipedia dates the Home Rule flag to 1916 (and its list of Indian flags to 1917), adopted by Annie Besant and Bal Gangadhar Tilak: the Union Jack at upper left, a star and crescent at upper right, and seven stars set diagonally from the lower right, on five red and four green alternating bands; a Coimbatore magistrate banned its use. Flags of the World dates it to 1917 with the same design. The sources read do not give the symbolic meanings this page offered for the stars, crescent and Union Jack.
Attestedhow we know this
Wikipedia (Flag of India) dates the Home Rule flag to 1916, adopted by Besant and Tilak, with the Union Jack canton, a star and crescent, seven stars, five red and four green bands; Wikipedia (Historical Indian flags) lists it as 1917. Flags of the World (two pages) dates it to 1917 (one page labels the illustration 1916), same design, associated with Annie Besant and Tilak.
Not established: The year is 1916 or 1917 depending on the source; the meaning of the Union Jack canton as a dominion-status claim appears only in Wikipedia's Historical Indian flags, unsourced; the Coimbatore ban is from Wikipedia only.
Paint guide
ProportionsNo fixed ratio; informal movement banner.
LayoutNine alternating red and green horizontal stripes; Union Jack canton; seven white stars (Saptarishi) and a white crescent and star scattered across the field.
Red#A4302A
Green#0B6E3F
Union Jack blue#00247D
the 1906 Calcutta flag: green/saffron/red, lotuses, sun and crescent
1906 – 1917
Calcutta flag ("Bande Mataram" flag)
Independence movementNo single ruler documentedNo state religion (movement banner)
Ruling house:Sisodia Dynasty (Mewar)
Who & why: nationalist leaders unveil this banner at a rally in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on 7 August 1906, in the charged atmosphere following Lord Curzon's 1905 partition of Bengal — widely seen as a deliberate attempt to weaken the nationalist movement along religious lines, and one of the sparks of the early Swadeshi (self-reliance/boycott) campaign. A modified version is displayed by Bhikaiji Cama at an international socialist congress in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1907, an early instance of the movement's own symbol appearing on a world stage.
What it represents: Wikipedia describes a flag tied to the 1905 partition of Bengal: eight white lotuses on the upper green band said to represent the eight provinces, a sun and crescent on the red band, and the Vande Mataram slogan on a central yellow band. It gives no designer and no firm launch date, and ties the name Calcutta flag to a flag raised by Bhikaji Cama at Stuttgart on 22 August 1907. Flags of the World reports the Calcutta flag as reportedly first hoisted on 7 August 1906 with the lotuses, Vande Mataram and a sun, crescent and star, with its designers and band order disputed. The sources read do not cover the link to Anandamath or the meaning of the sun and crescent.
Attestedhow we know this
Wikipedia (Flag of India): a flag linked to the 1905 partition of Bengal with eight lotuses, a sun and crescent, and Vande Mataram on a central band; no designer or launch date. Flags of the World (historical flags of India, citing Singh, Nair and the Congress website): the Calcutta flag with eight lotuses, Vande Mataram in Devanagari and a sun, crescent and star, reportedly first hoisted on 7 August 1906 at Parsee Bagan, Calcutta; designers disputed.
Not established: Band order and colours differ between the sources (FOTW: red, yellow, green; Wikipedia: green, yellow, red); the designer and exact hoisting are disputed; the page's Anandamath link is not in either source.
Paint guide
ProportionsNo fixed ratio; informal movement banner.
LayoutGreen / saffron / red horizontal bands; eight white lotuses on the green band; "Vande Mataram" lettered across the saffron band; sun and crescent on the red band.
Green#0B6E3F
Saffron/yellow#F9D616
Red#A4302A
Union Jack canton on dark blue, Star of India badge in the fly
1858 – 1947
British Raj (Crown rule)
Crown colonyQueen VictoriaOfficial religious neutrality
Migration & conquest:Emigration: indentured laborers to British colonies (to 1917)
Ruling house:Sisodia Dynasty (Mewar)
Who & why: after the failed rebellion of 1857 (the Indian Mutiny / First War of Independence, depending on the historiographical tradition), the British Crown abolishes East India Company rule via the Government of India Act 1858 and takes direct control. Queen Victoria is proclaimed Empress of India in 1877. Crown rule lasts ninety years, marked by famine, sweeping infrastructure and administrative change, two World Wars in which Indian troops serve in large numbers, and a steadily growing nationalist movement that this rule never fully suppresses (see entries 12–15).
What it represents: the flag of British India under Crown rule: the Union Jack with the Order of the Star of India badge. Wikipedia describes the Civil Ensign of British India (1880 to 1947) as a Red Ensign with the badge in the fly, and lists a Blue Ensign with the badge for the Royal Indian Marine; Flags of the World also dates a Blue Ensign with the badge to 1879 and says a Red Ensign with the badge was semi-official on land. The blue field shown here is the marine form; the civil ensign was red, and the sources do not say how widely any of them flew.
Attestedhow we know this
Wikipedia (Flag of British India): a Red Ensign with the Union Jack in the canton and the Star of India in the fly, the Civil Ensign of British India 1880-1947; Wikipedia (Historical Indian flags) also lists a Blue Ensign with the Star of India for the Royal Indian Marine, 1863-1947. Flags of the World (British Rule in India): the Blue Ensign with the Star of India badge became the ensign of H.M. Indian Marine in 1879, a Red Ensign with the badge was a semi-official land flag, and the Viceroy flew the Union Flag with the badge from c.1885 to 1947.
Not established: The field colour depends on the use: red for the civil ensign, blue for the marine ensign; the card shows the blue form. Dates for the blue ensign differ (1863 on Wikipedia, 1879 on FOTW). How widely these flags flew on land is not stated.
Paint guide
ProportionsNo fixed civil ratio; shown at 3:2.
LayoutDark blue field; Union Jack canton; Star of India badge (star with central device) in the fly.
Dark blue#00247D
Union Jack red#A4302A
Company striped ensign: red/white stripes, Union Jack canton
1757 – 1858
British East India Company rule
Company ruleRobert CliveNo official state religion (Company neutrality)
Migration & conquest:Conquered by: British East India Company (1757–1857)Emigration: first indentured laborers overseas (from 1834)
Ruling house:Sisodia Dynasty (Mewar)
Who & why: Robert Clive's victory at the Battle of Plassey in June 1757 gives the East India Company effective control of Bengal, and the Company steadily expands its administrative and military reach across the subcontinent over the following century, governing through a mix of direct control and subsidiary alliances with local rulers — including, nominally, the Mughal emperor himself, whose court survives as a titular authority until 1857 (see entry 9). The 1857 rebellion, brutally suppressed on both sides, ends Company rule entirely; Parliament transfers all governance to the Crown the following year.
What it represents: the Company's own ensign: alternating red and white horizontal stripes, usually thirteen, with a Union flag in the canton (the 1606 Union flag from about 1707, the 1801 Union flag afterwards), flown on Company ships; Flags of the World and Wikipedia's article on the flag both date its end to the Company's nationalisation in 1858 (FOTW: the Company ceased operations in 1864). Neither source mentions forts. The claim that it was a precursor of the US flag has no written evidence according to Wikipedia.
Attestedhow we know this
Flags of the World (East India Company flags): red and white horizontal stripes, usually thirteen, with a canton that carried the Union flag from about 1707 and the 1801 Union flag afterwards; the Company ceased operations in 1864. Wikipedia (Flag of the British East India Company): red and white stripes with a canton changing from the English flag to the Great Britain flag and, from 1801, the Union Flag; the Company was nationalised in 1858 and its flag lost official status.
Not established: Neither source states use on forts; FOTW says the ensign was restricted to eastern waters from 1676; the claimed link to the US flag has no written evidence per Wikipedia.
Paint guide
ProportionsNo fixed civil ratio; shown at 3:2.
LayoutThirteen alternating red and white horizontal stripes; Union Jack canton.
Red#A4302A
White#F4EFE1
Union Jack blue#00247D
the same imperial banner, faded — real power shifting elsewhere
1707 – 1857
Mughal decline & British ascendancy
EmpireBahadur Shah IIslam (Mughal state religion)
Migration & conquest:Conquered by: Nader Shah's Persian invasion (1739)
Ruling house:Sisodia Dynasty (Mewar)
Who & why: after Aurangzeb's death in 1707, the empire fragments under weak successors, regional revolts, and Maratha, Sikh, and Afghan incursions, while the East India Company steadily converts commercial privilege into territorial control (entry 10). The Mughal emperor remains the nominal sovereign — other rulers, including the British, continue to seek his formal sanction for decades — even as actual power drains away. The line ends when the British exile the last emperor, Bahadur Shah II, after the 1857 rebellion, formally abolishing the dynasty. This whole era is covered in depth on its own page.
What it represents: the Mughal imperial standard continued as a lion-and-sun banner, green on Wikipedia's account, but neither Wikipedia nor Flags of the World dates it to 1707 to 1857 or says how it was used in the empire's decline. The faded plain gold sun or star shown here is an illustration device, not a documented flag.
Not yet checked against sourceshow we know this
Wikipedia (Flags of the Mughal Empire): the imperial standard (alam) was primarily moss green with a lion and sun facing the hoist, other paintings show scarlet or green fields; it does not date the standard to 1707-1857. Flags of the World (India before British rule): imperial standard and emperor's flag both with a lion and the sun behind it, a simplified army banner; no dates.
Not established: Both sources show a lion with the sun, not the plain gold star on the card. Neither says the banner was used, or faded, between 1707 and 1857. Page text hedged accordingly.
Paint guide
ProportionsNo fixed ratio recorded.
LayoutGreen field, gold sun/star emblem; see the Mughal page for period-specific variants.
Green#0B6E3F
Gold#F9D616
green field, gold sun/star emblem — imperial peak
1526 – 1707
Mughal Empire (founding to peak)
EmpireBaburIslam (Mughal state religion)
Migration & conquest:Immigration: Persian & Central Asian Mughal elites
Ruling house:Sisodia Dynasty (Mewar)
Who & why: Babur, a Timurid prince, founds the empire with his 1526 victory at Panipat; his descendants — especially Akbar, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb — expand it into one of the wealthiest and most powerful states in the early modern world, ruling most of the subcontinent at its height. This span is covered in depth, phase by phase, on its own page; it is summarized briefly here only to keep this page's own timeline unbroken.
What it represents: a green imperial standard (alam) with a lion and sun facing the hoist, traced by Wikipedia to Timur's practice; Flags of the World likewise shows the imperial standard and the emperor's flag with a lion and the sun behind it. The plain gold sun or star-burst drawn here is a simplification that the sources read do not support, and neither gives a date range for one flag across 1526 to 1707.
Not yet checked against sourceshow we know this
Wikipedia (Flags of the Mughal Empire): the imperial standard (alam) was primarily moss green with a lion and sun facing the hoist, traced to Timur; a Padshahnama painting shows green fields with a couchant lion and rising sun and a 17th-century caption describes a green standard with a gold sun. Flags of the World (India before British rule): imperial standard and emperor's flag with a lion and the sun behind it.
Not established: Both sources agree on a lion-and-sun emblem, green predominating on Wikipedia, so the card's plain gold star on green is not what they describe; neither gives a 1526-1707 date range for a single flag. Left unreviewed until the card is redrawn.
Who & why: Qutb-ud-din Aibak, a former slave-general (Mamluk) of the Ghurid Empire, establishes an independent sultanate at Delhi in 1206. Five successive dynasties — Mamluk, Khalji, Tughlaq, Sayyid, and Lodi — rule from Delhi over the next three centuries, at times controlling most of the subcontinent, introducing Indo-Islamic architecture and administration and repelling repeated Mongol invasions. The sultanate ends in 1526 when Babur defeats the last Lodi sultan at Panipat, founding the Mughal Empire.
What it represents: no single sultanate flag survives with confidence across five different ruling dynasties; the crescent-and-banner motifs shown here are informed reconstructions, not a documented state flag. Wikipedia's infobox shows a flag taken from the Catalan Atlas of about 1375, a grey flag with a black strip dated 1320 to 1413 and attributed to the Tughlaq dynasty, and adds that there is no evidence it was actually used by the Delhi Sultanate.
Not yet checked against sourceshow we know this
Wikipedia (Delhi Sultanate): the infobox shows a flag 'according to the contemporary Catalan Atlas (c. 1375)', with no design described. Wikipedia (Historical Indian flags): the Catalan Atlas flag, a grey flag with a black strip left of centre, dated 1320-1413 and attributed to the Tughlaq dynasty, with the note that there is no evidence it was actually used by the Delhi Sultanate (citing Kadoi 2010). Flags of the World (India before British rule) does not cover the Sultanate.
Not established: No source supports the dark red field with a gold crescent on the card, which the page already calls a reconstruction; no flag for the 1206-1320 or 1413-1526 dynasties is covered.
Paint guide
ProportionsN/A — no single flag attested across five dynasties.
LayoutDark red field with gold crescent and blade motifs, as an informed reconstruction.
Dark red#7C2E1F
Gold#F9D616
placeholder — many regional kingdoms, no one banner
c. 550 – 1206
Medieval regional kingdoms
Fragmented kingdomsNo single ruler documentedHinduism / Buddhism (varied by kingdom)
Ruling house:Chola Dynasty
Who & why: after the Gupta Empire's decline, the subcontinent fragments into numerous regional powers over six and a half centuries — among them Harsha's short-lived north Indian empire, the Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas in the Deccan, the Pala and Gurjara-Pratihara dynasties in the north and east, and the Chola Empire in the south, which at its 11th-century peak projects naval power as far as Southeast Asia. No single polity governs the subcontinent as a whole during this span, which ends with the establishment of the Delhi Sultanate in 1206.
What it represents: dozens of royal emblems and temple banners exist across these kingdoms (the Chola tiger standard among the best-attested), but no single flag can represent this fragmented, multi-centered era; shown here honestly blank rather than picking one dynasty to stand for all of them.
Placeholder imagehow we know this
This page's own caption calls the image a placeholder: «placeholder — many regional kingdoms, no one banner».
Not established: Whether a flag, banner or standard existed in this period was not checked. The colour shown is not evidence of one.
Paint guide
ProportionsN/A — no single attested flag for the era.
reconstructed wheel emblem after the Ashoka Chakra motif
Who & why: Chandragupta I founds the dynasty around 320 CE, and successors including Samudragupta and Chandragupta II expand it across most of northern India, presiding over what is widely called classical India's golden age — major advances in mathematics (the concept of zero), astronomy, medicine, and Sanskrit literature and art. The empire weakens under Hunnic (Hephthalite) invasions from the late 5th century and effectively dissolves by the mid-6th century into successor regional kingdoms.
What it represents: no Gupta state flag is documented; Gupta coinage and inscriptions do show wheel (chakra) and Garuda motifs associated with royal authority, echoing the earlier Mauryan chakra, and the wheel shown here is a reconstruction gesturing at that visual continuity rather than a specific surviving banner. The sources read (Wikipedia and Flags of the World) do not cover this period or its flag.
Not yet checked against sourceshow we know this
Wikipedia (Gupta Empire) describes Garuda on Gupta coins and seals (a Kumaragupta I coin reverse shows Garuda standing with spread wings; Ramagupta coin types include a Garuda and a Garudadhvaja type) but mentions no Gupta flag and no wheel on coinage. FOTW (India) does not mention a Gupta flag.
Not established: The Garuda motif is supported by Wikipedia; the wheel (chakra) motif on coinage and any Gupta banner are not in the sources read. Only the part of the Gupta article before character 100,000 was read.
Paint guide
ProportionsN/A — no attested flag; reconstructed emblem shown.
LayoutDark red field, gold wheel (chakra) motif, centered.
Dark red#7C2E1F
Gold#F9D616
placeholder — Shunga, Satavahana, Kushan and other regional powers
c. 185 BCE – 320 CE
Post-Mauryan regional kingdoms
Fragmented kingdomsNo single ruler documentedHinduism / Buddhism (varied by kingdom)
Migration & conquest:Immigration: Central Asian peoples (Indo-Greeks, Shakas, Kushans)
Who & why: the Maurya Empire collapses after the assassination of its last emperor around 185 BCE, and the subcontinent splits among successor and rival powers over the following five centuries — the Shunga and later Satavahana dynasties in the north and Deccan, Indo-Greek and Indo-Scythian kingdoms in the northwest, and the Kushan Empire, which at its height links India to Central Asia and the Silk Road trade. This bridging span ends with the rise of the Gupta Empire around 320 CE.
What it represents: as with the medieval bridging entry above, no single flag can honestly represent this genuinely fragmented, multi-power span; shown here blank rather than assigning one dynasty's symbol to the whole era.
Placeholder imagehow we know this
This page's own caption calls the image a placeholder: «placeholder — Shunga, Satavahana, Kushan and other regional powers».
Not established: Whether a flag, banner or standard existed in this period was not checked. The colour shown is not evidence of one.
Paint guide
ProportionsN/A — no single attested flag for the era.
the Ashoka Chakra motif, reconstructed from the Sarnath pillar
c. 322 – 185 BCE
Maurya Empire
EmpireChandragupta MauryaBuddhism (patronized under Ashoka)
Migration & conquest:Conquered by: Alexander the Great (Punjab, 326 BCE)
Ruling house:Maurya Dynasty
Who & why: Chandragupta Maurya unifies most of the subcontinent into a single empire beginning around 322 BCE, the first to do so at this scale. His grandson Ashoka (reigned c. 268–232 BCE) expands it further, then, after witnessing the human cost of the Kalinga War, converts to Buddhism and turns to policies of non-violence, religious tolerance, and public works — recorded on edicts carved into pillars and rocks across the empire. The empire declines after Ashoka's death and ends with the assassination of its last ruler around 185 BCE.
What it represents: Ashoka's pillars, most famously the Lion Capital at Sarnath, carry a 24-spoke dharma wheel (chakra) representing the Buddhist wheel of righteous law — the same wheel, in modified form, that centers the modern Indian flag (entry 16) and appears on the national emblem. No cloth flag from this period survives; the emblem shown here reconstructs the pillar carving rather than a documented banner. The sources read (Wikipedia and Flags of the World) do not cover this period or its flag.
Not yet checked against sourceshow we know this
Wikipedia (Flag of India): the Ashoka Chakra comes from the Lion Capital of Ashoka. Wikipedia (Maurya Empire): Nehru proposed in July 1947 that the 24-pointed Buddhist Wheel of Dharma on the Lion Capital at Sarnath be the central feature of the national flag. FOTW (India): the wheel is the wheel of the law of the 3rd-century BC Maurya emperor Ashoka. Flags of the World (India before British rule) has nothing on the Maurya.
Not established: Neither Wikipedia nor FOTW says the Maurya used any flag; the 24-spoke wheel on the pillar is documented, but the card is a reconstruction of the pillar, not a banner. Only the part of the Maurya article before character 100,000 was read.
Paint guide
ProportionsN/A — no attested cloth flag; reconstructed pillar emblem shown.
LayoutDark red field, white/stone-colored 24-spoke wheel (chakra), centered.
Dark red#7C2E1F
Stone white#F4EFE1
placeholder — Vedic clans and the sixteen Mahajanapadas
c. 1300 – 322 BCE
Vedic period & early historic kingdoms (Mahajanapadas)
Fragmented kingdomsNo single ruler documentedVedic Brahmanism (early Hinduism)
Who & why: this long bridging span covers the transition from the late Indus Valley Civilization through the Vedic period — the era of the Rigveda and the other Vedic texts, composed by Indo-Aryan-speaking peoples across the north Indian plains — into the sixteen Mahajanapadas ("great realms"), the regional kingdoms and oligarchic republics recorded by the 6th century BCE, among them Magadha, Kosala, and Avanti. Magadha steadily absorbs its neighbors over this period, laying the direct groundwork for the Maurya Empire that follows.
What it represents: no flag, royal or otherwise, is documented from this long span; textual sources describe chariot standards and clan totems but nothing that functions as a fixed territorial flag. Shown here honestly blank, bridging the gap between the Indus Valley Civilization and the Maurya Empire rather than inventing a symbol.
Placeholder imagehow we know this
This page's own caption calls the image a placeholder: «placeholder — Vedic clans and the sixteen Mahajanapadas».
Not established: Whether a flag, banner or standard existed in this period was not checked. The colour shown is not evidence of one.
Paint guide
ProportionsN/A — no attested flag.
placeholder — Bronze Age civilization, no state symbols survive
c. 3300 – 1300 BCE
Indus Valley Civilization
CivilizationNo single ruler documentedState religion unknown (script undeciphered)
Who & why: one of the world's earliest urban civilizations flourishes along the Indus River and its tributaries (in present-day Pakistan and northwest India), with major planned cities at Mohenjo-daro and Harappa featuring advanced sanitation, standardized weights, and extensive trade networks reaching as far as Mesopotamia. Its script remains undeciphered, so its political structure — whether centralized states, city-states, or something else — is still debated among archaeologists. The civilization declines gradually from around 1900 BCE, for reasons still debated (climate shifts and river-course changes are leading theories), fading into smaller Late Harappan cultures by roughly 1300 BCE.
What it represents: no flag, banner, or comparable state symbol is documented or can be attributed to the Indus Valley Civilization with any confidence; its undeciphered script and the absence of monumental royal imagery (unlike contemporary Egypt or Mesopotamia) leave no basis for a reconstruction. Shown here honestly blank rather than invented.
Placeholder imagehow we know this
This page's own caption calls the image a placeholder: «placeholder — Bronze Age civilization, no state symbols survive».
Not established: Whether a flag, banner or standard existed in this period was not checked. The colour shown is not evidence of one.
Paint guide
ProportionsN/A — no attested flag.
Reading the tags
Civilization — no attested central state
Fragmented kingdoms — multiple regional powers, no single crown
Empire — a single sovereign ruling most of the subcontinent
Sultanate — Islamic monarchy centered on Delhi
Company rule — a chartered trading company exercising sovereign power
Crown colony — direct rule by the British Crown
Independence movement — an unofficial party or protest banner, not a state flag
Republic — sovereign under its own constitution
Leader — the named ruler most associated with the era's start
State religion — the official/established faith, not the population's
Find the records
Family history research for India lives in a different project, Record Atlas, which maps which archive actually holds the paper for a given place and era.