India is a country in South Asia. It is made up of 28 states and 8 union territories. Most of the states and union territories of India have their own state emblem, seal or coat of arms which is used as an official governmental symbol, while five states and five union territories use the National Emblem of India as their official governmental seal.
Some of the autonomous administrative divisions established by the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India have adopted their own symbols.
The State Emblem of India is the national emblem of the Republic of India and is used by the union government, many state governments, and other government agencies. The emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, an ancient sculpture dating back to 280 BCE during the Maurya Empire. The statue is a three dimensional emblem showing four lions. It became the emblem of the Dominion of India in December 1947, and later the emblem of the Republic of India. The State Emblem of India is an official seal of the Government of India. It is used as the national emblem of India and appears on official documents, currency and passports.
The Star of India refers to a group of flags used during the period of the British Raj in the Indian subcontinent. India had a range of flags for different purposes during its existence. The Princely states had their own flags which were to be flown alongside the British flag as a symbol of suzerainty. The official state flag for use on land was the Union Flag of the United Kingdom and it was this flag that was lowered on Independence Day in 1947. The flag of the governor-general of India was defaced with the Star of India. The civil ensign and naval ensign were the Red Ensign or Blue Ensign, respectively, defaced with the Star of India emblem.
The Emblem of Tamil Nadu is the official state emblem of Tamil Nadu and is used as the official state symbol of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
A national emblem is an emblem or seal that is reserved for use by a nation state or multi-national state as a symbol of that nation. Many nations have a seal or emblem in addition to a national flag.
A national coat of arms is a symbol which denotes an independent state in the form of a heraldic achievement. While a national flag is usually used by the population at large and is flown outside and on ships, a national coat of arms is normally considered a symbol of the government or the head of state personally and tends to be used in print, on armorial ware, and as a wall decoration in official buildings. The royal arms of a monarchy, which may be identical to the national arms, are sometimes described as arms of dominion or arms of sovereignty.
The Emblem of Uttarakhand is the official state seal used by the Government of Uttarakhand and is carried on all official correspondences made by State of Uttarakhand. It was adopted by the newly formed Interim Government of Uttarakhand at the establishment of the state on 9 November 2000.
The Emblem of Uttar Pradesh is the official seal of the government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The emblem was originally designed in 1916 for the then United Provinces of Agra and Oudh and continued in use following Indian Independence in 1947.
The Emblem of Jammu and Kashmir is an official symbol used to represent the government of Jammu and Kashmir, a region administered by India as a union territory.
The Emblem of Chandigarh is the official seal of the government of the Indian union territory of Chandigarh.
The Emblem of Ladakh is the symbol used to represent the government of Ladakh, a region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent currently administered by India as a union territory. It was adopted following the creation of the union territory of Ladakh on 31 October 2019.
The Emblem of Punjab, India is the official state emblem of the State of Punjab, India and it is used as the official symbol of the Government of Punjab, India.