Bhagwa dhwaj

Bhagwa Dhwaj
UseMainly in Hinduism
Proportion37.5:37.5
Adopted
DesignFlag of the Maratha Empire with a double pennant.

The Bhagwa Dhwaj (Hindi: भगवा ध्वज, romanized: bhagvā dhvaj, lit. 'saffron flag') is a saffron-colour flag used primarily in Hinduism.[1]

Saffron is also considered a sacred colour in Sikhism, it used to feature in the Nishan Sahib until the SGPC hukamnama in 2024, on the Nishaan Sahib[2].[3]

It has been described as "swallow-tailed and of a deep saffron color emblematic of the followers of god Mahādeva".[4]

In modern times, variations of a saffron flag were adopted by Hindu nationalist organisations – the Hindu Mahasabha in 1915 and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh in 1925;[5] the saffron flag is believed to be a guru, or supreme authority, in the latter.[6][7]

  1. ^ "The Bhagwa Dhwaj (Saffron Flag)". Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (UK). 28 October 2023. Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 28 October 2023.
  2. ^ Singh, Surjit (29 July 2024). "Nishan Sahib at gurdwaras to be blue or yellow". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  3. ^ "What is the flag outside the gurdwara?". World Sikh Organization of Canada. Retrieved 19 September 2023.
  4. ^ Lord Egerton of Tatton (18 January 2013) [1880]. Indian and Oriental Arms and Armour. Courier Dover Publications. pp. 171–. ISBN 978-0-486-14713-0.
  5. ^ Anand, Arun (19 July 2021). "Why the saffron flag is revered as 'guru' & worshipped by RSS swayamsevaks". The Print. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.
  6. ^ Chitkara, M.G. (2004). Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh National Upsurge. APH Publishing Company. pp. 175–197. ISBN 81-7648-465-2.
  7. ^ "जानिए क्यों है राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ का गुरु 'भगवा ध्वज'..." Panchjanya. 3 July 2023. Archived from the original on 11 July 2023. Retrieved 19 September 2023.