🇮🇳 Chapter 01 · Topic 05 · National Symbols

Currency Symbol & Other National Symbols

Indian Rupee symbol, Saka calendar, national fruit, vegetable, microbe, and other official symbols — complete UPSC & PSC notes.

₹ Indian Rupee Symbol

The Indian Rupee symbol ₹ was designed by D. Udaya Kumar, a postgraduate student of IIT Bombay
Adopted by the Government of India on 15 July 2010
The symbol is a combination of the Devanagari letter “Ra” (र) and the Latin capital letter “R” with two horizontal lines
The two horizontal lines represent the Indian tricolour flag and also the equal sign (=), symbolising equality
India became the 5th country to have a distinct currency symbol (after USA $, UK £, EU €, Japan ¥)
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issues currency notes; coins are issued by the Government of India

📅 National Calendar — Saka Calendar

The Saka Calendar (also called the Indian National Calendar) was adopted on 22 March 1957
It is used alongside the Gregorian calendar for official purposes
The Saka era begins in 78 CE (so Saka year = Gregorian year − 78)
The Saka year has 12 months; the first month is Chaitra (begins 22 March in normal years, 21 March in leap years)
The calendar was reformed by the Calendar Reform Committee chaired by Meghnad Saha
The Saka calendar is used in the Gazette of India and government communications

🥭 Other National Symbols

Symbol	Name	Scientific Name / Details
National Fruit	Mango	Mangifera indica; “King of Fruits”; cultivated in India for over 4,000 years; GI-tagged varieties: Alphonso, Dasheri, Langra, Himsagar
National Vegetable	Pumpkin	Cucurbita maxima; widely grown across India; nutritious; used in traditional cuisine
National Microbe	Lactobacillus delbrueckii	Used in making curd (dahi); declared national microbe in 2012; promotes gut health
National Butterfly	Indian Peacock Swallowtail	Papilio krishna; also called Krishna Peacock; declared 2013; found in Himalayas
National Aquatic Animal	Gangetic River Dolphin	Platanista gangetica; declared 2009; Endangered; blind; uses echolocation
National Heritage Animal	Indian Elephant	Elephas maximus indicus; declared 2010; Endangered; Project Elephant (1992)
National Reptile	King Cobra	Ophiophagus hannah; world’s longest venomous snake; builds nest for eggs
National Currency	Indian Rupee (₹)	Symbol adopted 15 July 2010; designed by D. Udaya Kumar
National Calendar	Saka Calendar	Adopted 22 March 1957; first month = Chaitra; era begins 78 CE
National Oath	National Pledge	Written by Pydimarri Venkata Subba Rao (Telugu author); first used in 1963 in Andhra Pradesh schools

⭐ National Pledge: The National Pledge of India was written by Pydimarri Venkata Subba Rao, a Telugu author, in 1962. It was first used in schools in Andhra Pradesh in 1963 and later adopted nationally. The pledge affirms allegiance to India and its people. It is recited at school assemblies and national events. Unlike the national anthem, the pledge has no specific legal status but is widely used in educational institutions.

✅ Revision Checklist — Currency & Other Symbols

✅ Rupee symbol ₹ = designed by D. Udaya Kumar (IIT Bombay) = adopted 15 July 2010
✅ India = 5th country with distinct currency symbol
✅ Saka Calendar = adopted 22 March 1957 = first month Chaitra = era begins 78 CE
✅ Calendar Reform Committee = chaired by Meghnad Saha
✅ National fruit = Mango = Mangifera indica
✅ National vegetable = Pumpkin = Cucurbita maxima
✅ National microbe = Lactobacillus delbrueckii = declared 2012 = curd-making
✅ National butterfly = Indian Peacock Swallowtail = Papilio krishna = declared 2013
✅ National pledge = written by Pydimarri Venkata Subba Rao = first used 1963 in AP