The national symbols, the anthem and song, the flag's rules, the national holidays and days, and the basics of the Constitution and the states. Each fact carries a tag saying where it came from. Where sources disagree, or where a popular belief is not official, the page says so.
National symbols
The government's National Portal lists thirteen “national identity elements”. Those come first. The tag on each card shows the source; “Portal” is the government's own text.
Also recognized, but not on the portal's list of thirteen
The portal text is a 2012 copy. The live Know India site (knowindia.gov.in) would not load from here, so the descriptions come from the National Portal pages as archived on 14 December 2012. Dates marked “Wikipedia” are not on those pages.
National anthem and national song
Both were settled in one statement on 24 January 1950, two days before the Constitution took effect. Rajendra Prasad, as President of the Constituent Assembly, made no formal resolution, only this declaration:
“The composition consisting of the words and music known as Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of India, subject to such alterations in the words as the Government may authorise as occasion arises; and the song Vande Mataram, which has played a historic part in the struggle for Indian freedom, shall be honoured equally with Jana Gana Mana and shall have equal status with it.” Constituent Assembly Debates, 24 Jan 1950
Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
Dispenser of India's destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind,
Gujarat and Maratha,
Of the Dravida and Odisha and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindhyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganges and is
chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
Thou dispenser of India's destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee.
Full versionAbout 52 secondsThe short version, the first and last lines only, plays for about 20 seconds and is used when drinking toasts in messes.Portal
Origin“Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata”Written in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore on 11 December 1911, first sung publicly on 27 December 1911 in Calcutta. Only the first of its stanzas is the anthem.Wikipedia
The ruleStand to attentionWhenever it is sung or played, except when it is part of a newsreel or documentary, where standing would disrupt the film. Schools may begin the day with community singing.Portal
I bow to thee, Mother,
richly-watered, richly-fruited,
cool with the winds of the south,
dark with the crops of the harvests,
The Mother!
Her nights rejoicing in the glory of the moonlight,
her lands clothed beautifully with her trees in flowering bloom,
sweet of laughter, sweet of speech,
The Mother, giver of boons, giver of bliss.
Composed in Sanskrit by Bankim Chandra Chatterji (Chattopadhyay); first published in 1882 in the novel Anandamath. It was first sung on a political occasion at the 1896 session of the Indian National Congress. Portal · Wikipedia
The rules for Vande Mataram changed in 2026. News reports of a Ministry of Home Affairs order dated 28 January 2026 say the full six-stanza version, about 3 minutes 10 seconds, is now the official rendition at government events and in schools, that it is sung before Jana Gana Mana when both are performed, and that people must stand for it. Older material, including the government portal text above and the “first two verses” wording common on Wikipedia, describes the earlier practice. I could not open the order itself, so this rests on SCC Online and All India Radio, which agree with each other. The six stanzas are not reproduced here.
The flag
A horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom, in equal bands. Width to length is two to three. In the centre of the white band is a navy-blue wheel with 24 spokes, its diameter about the width of the white band. The design is that of the wheel on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. Portal
Saffron stands for strength and courage. White stands for peace and truth. Green stands for the fertility, growth and auspiciousness of the land. Portal
The Constituent Assembly adopted this design on 22 July 1947. It is based on the Swaraj flag of the Indian National Congress, from a design by Pingali Venkayya, with the wheel replacing the charkha. Portal · Wikipedia
Drawn here in approximate screen colors, not the official specified shades.
The Flag Code of India, 2002
In force26 January 2002Three parts: a general description; display by the public, private organizations and schools; display by governments and their agencies.Wikipedia
AmendedDecember 2021Polyester and other machine-made fabric allowed. Before this the flag had to be khadi (cotton, silk or wool, hand-spun and hand-woven).Wikipedia · news reports
Amended19 July 2022The flag may be flown day and night when displayed in the open or on a private house. Earlier it could be hoisted only between sunrise and sunset.News reports
One rule from the Code: as a mark of respect, the National Flag is never dipped to a person or thing. Regimental colors and organizational flags may be dipped. Wikipedia
Respecting the National Flag and the National Anthem is also the first of the Fundamental Duties, Article 51A(a).
National holidays and days
India has exactly three national holidays, the same everywhere in the country: Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti. Every other holiday is declared by the central government for its own offices, or by each state.
National holiday26 JanuaryRepublic DayThe Constitution came into effect in 1950 and India became a republic. The date was chosen because the Indian National Congress had proclaimed Purna Swaraj, complete independence, on that day in 1930.Wikipedia
National holiday15 AugustIndependence DayIndia became independent in 1947. The Prime Minister raises the flag at the Red Fort each year and addresses the nation.Wikipedia
National holiday2 OctoberGandhi JayantiThe birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, called the Father of the Nation. The UN General Assembly made it the International Day of Non-Violence in 2007.Wikipedia
Other national days: observed nationwide, not holidays
Date
Day
What it marks
Central government holidays, 2026
Date
Holiday
Notes
What this list is. The 18 gazetted holidays for central government offices in 2026. It started as the Department of Personnel and Training's Office Memorandum of 3 July 2025 (F.No.12/2/2023-JCA), which lists 17; I read a government copy of it. Two later changes come from DoPT orders as reported on staff-news sites, because DoPT's own site would not load from here: Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Jayanti on 14 April was added (order of 9 April 2026), and Id-ul-Zuha moved from 27 to 28 May (O.M. of 22 May 2026). Dates of lunar-calendar festivals differ every year, and this list is for 2026 only. States add their own holidays, and banks follow their own calendar. Central employees may also take restricted holidays, which are optional.
The Constitution and the government
Text quoted below is taken verbatim from the Constitution as printed on Bharat Chronicle.
Adopted26 Nov 1949Constitution DayAdopted by the Constituent Assembly. The government declared 26 November Constitution Day (Samvidhan Divas) by gazette notification on 19 November 2015.Wikipedia
In effect26 Jan 1950Republic DayThe Dominion of India became the Republic of India. Article 395 repealed the earlier British Acts.Wikipedia
Article 1“India, that is Bharat, shall be a Union of States.”Both names are official.Constitution
Who does what
Head of stateThe President“There shall be a President of India” (Art. 52). The Union's executive power is vested in the President, who also holds supreme command of the Defence Forces (Art. 53).Constitution
ParliamentPresident and two HousesThe Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and the House of the People (Lok Sabha) (Art. 79). The Vice-President chairs the Rajya Sabha.Constitution · Wikipedia
Lok Sabha543 elected membersThe Constitution allows up to 530 from the states and 20 from Union Territories (Art. 81). Members are directly elected for five years.Constitution · Wikipedia
Rajya Sabha245 members233 elected by the state and UT legislatures plus 12 nominated by the President for literature, science, art and social service. Article 80 allows up to 250. It is never dissolved.Constitution · Wikipedia
Language: what the Constitution actually says
“The official language of the Union shall be Hindi in Devanagari script. The form of numerals to be used for the official purposes of the Union shall be the international form of Indian numerals.” Article 343(1)
English was to continue for fifteen years (Art. 343(2)). The Official Languages Act, 1963, which took effect on 26 January 1965, kept English as an official language alongside Hindi. Court proceedings and the authoritative texts of laws are in English unless Parliament provides otherwise (Art. 348). Constitution · Wikipedia
The Constitution names no “national language”.
The Eighth Schedule lists the 22 languages the Constitution recognizes, verbatim in this order. It is a list of recognized languages, not of official or national ones. Constitution
Rights and duties
Part III · Articles 12–35Fundamental RightsEquality (14–18). Freedom, including speech, life and personal liberty (19–22, with 21A, the right to education for ages 6 to 14). Against exploitation (23–24). Freedom of religion (25–28). Cultural and educational rights of minorities (29–30). Constitutional remedies (32).Constitution
Part IVA · Article 51AEleven Fundamental DutiesFrom abiding by the Constitution, the National Flag and the National Anthem, to protecting the environment and safeguarding public property. All eleven follow, verbatim.Constitution
Article 51A, the eleven duties, verbatim
It shall be the duty of every citizen of India—
(a) to abide by the Constitution and respect its ideals and institutions, the National Flag and the National Anthem;
(b) to cherish and follow the noble ideals which inspired our national struggle for freedom;
(c) to uphold and protect the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India;
(d) to defend the country and render national service when called upon to do so;
(e) to promote harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood amongst all the people of India transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities; to renounce practices derogatory to the dignity of women;
(f) to value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture;
(g) to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wild life, and to have compassion for living creatures;
(h) to develop the scientific temper, humanism and the spirit of inquiry and reform;
(i) to safeguard public property and to abjure violence;
(j) to strive towards excellence in all spheres of individual and collective activity so that the nation constantly rises to higher levels of endeavour and achievement;
(k) who is a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education to his child or, as the case may be, ward between the age of six and fourteen years.
States and Union Territories
28 states and 8 Union Territories, matching the First Schedule of the Constitution as printed on Bharat Chronicle. Capitals are from Wikipedia. States govern themselves; Union Territories are governed by the Union, although Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir have elected legislatures. For a map and each one's census figures, see Rajya.
State
Capital
Union Territory
Capital
Recent changes. Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh on 2 June 2014. Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh became separate Union Territories on 31 October 2019. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were merged into one Union Territory on 26 January 2020. Wikipedia
National honors
Counts are as of the date shown and keep changing, so treat them as snapshots.
Highest civilian awardBharat RatnaInstituted 2 January 1954, for “exceptional service/performance of the highest order” in any field. The first recipients, in 1954, were C. Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and C. V. Raman.Wikipedia
Civilian awards, ranks 2 to 4Padma Vibhushan, Bhushan, ShriAll instituted 2 January 1954. Second, third and fourth in order after the Bharat Ratna. The Padma awards are announced around Republic Day.Wikipedia
Highest wartime gallantryParam Vir ChakraFor “most conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy”. Instituted 26 January 1950, effective from 15 August 1947. Awarded 21 times as of January 2018; the first recipient was Major Somnath Sharma.Wikipedia
Highest peacetime gallantryAshoka ChakraOpen to military personnel and civilians. 87 recipients as of 2026; the first, in 1952, was Havildar Bachittar Singh.Wikipedia
Commonly said, but not official
Four things most people believe, and what the government's own statements say.
“National language”NoneThe Constitution designates an official language of the Union (Hindi in Devanagari) and English continues alongside it. It names no national language. Twenty-two languages are recognized in the Eighth Schedule.Constitution · Wikipedia
“National sport”None declaredHockey is the usual answer and India's men's team has won eight Olympic golds, but replies to RTI queries from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports say no sport has been declared the national game. One 2012 reply is cited on Wikipedia.Wikipedia · news reports
“National flower”Lotus, but never notifiedThe lotus appears on the government portal. Yet in a written Rajya Sabha reply on 10 July 2019, Minister of State for Home Nityananda Rai said no notification had been issued for a national flower by the Environment Ministry.Press report · Portal
“National reptile”King cobra: unconfirmedIt is listed as one on Wikipedia, with no adoption date. It is not among the portal's thirteen elements, and I found no official notification for it.Wikipedia
Sources and what is verified
Read from the primary text: the Constitution's articles and Eighth Schedule (from Bharat Chronicle), the government portal's symbol descriptions, the anthem and song texts, the anthem rules, the Constituent Assembly statement of 24 January 1950, and the July 2025 DoPT holiday memorandum. Rests on secondary sources: the two 2026 holiday changes, the 2026 Vande Mataram order, the 2021 and 2022 Flag Code amendments, the 2019 Rajya Sabha reply (read only in press summaries), and every item tagged Wikipedia. Check anything you will rely on against the official source.
Know India, “National Identity Elements of India” (thirteen pages), National Portal, archived 14 Dec 2012.