^{This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website}

India

I've been reading Abraham Eraly's "Emperors of the Peacock Throne: The Saga of the Great Mughals" (New Delhi: Penguin Books, 2000), and it mentions a flag used by the troops of Shivaji, a warlord who founded a Maratha state in the Deccan region of India in the 17th century, briefly rivaling Mughal power in the area until his death in 1680. Eraly describes the Maratha troops "bellowing their war cry, 'Har, Har, Mahadev!' to invoke the blessings of god Shiva, under whose flag, the Bhagwa Jenda,--a swallow-tailed, deep orange pennant--they fought." (pp. 470-471)

The book also mentions that Mughal emperors presented distinctive banners as symbols of rank for their military commanders, but no information on designs.

Joe McMillan, 26 February 2003

What were probably two of them are in 'Flags at Sea' (Wilson, 1986), page 69, third row from the bottom, last two on the right.

The Surat Grand Mogul flag, known as the Tunkha, was flown at the masthead of the ship of the Admiral of Surat Grand Mogul, a post held, for one year at a time, by the Bombay Marine captain who was Deputy of the Company. His emoluments for the year were said to be twenty times more than the salary of the Governor of Bombay.

David Prothero, 26 February 2003