Naval Ensign

Source: The Indian Express

Context:

Indian Navy’s new ensign was unveiled on Friday by Prime Minister, at the commissioning of INS Vikrant in Kochi.

New Naval Ensign:

• The new ensign has the national flag on the upper canton(top left corner) & a blue octagon encompassing the National Emblem sitting atop an anchor.
• The anchor, depicting steadfastness has now imposed on a shield inscribed with the Navy’s motto, Sam No Varunah in Devanagari.
• The octagonal shape represents the eight directions, symbolizing the Navy’s multi-directional reach & operational capability.
• The octagon, with a golden double border, has inspired by the Raja Murray seal of the Maratha emperor Shivaji, which was adopted when he was 16 years old.
• The new Naval ensign has replaced the one that carried the Saint George’s Cross with the Tricolor in the canton.
• The ensign was essentially a successor to the pre-independence ensign of the Indian Navy which had Red George’s Cross on a white background with the Union Jack of the United Kingdom on the top left corner.

Marathas & Indian Navy:

• Indian Navy always acknowledged the sea-faring prowess of the Maratha empire under Shivaji.
• It has been named a training establishment in Lonavla INS Shivaji and a shore-based logistics & administrative hub of Western Naval Command, Mumbai INS Angre.
• The use of the octagonal design of the seal of Shivaji on the new Naval Ensign is a formal stamp on the umbilical ties of the Indian Navy with the navy of the Maratha empire.

Shivaji’s Navy:

• Shivaji’s empire reached the west coast after 1656-5 when his dominions touched Kalyan.
• In the same year, he decided to establish a navy to protect his territory from the Siddis and to secure ports & merchant ships to ensure smooth maritime trading that brought in revenue & customs duty.
• His vision for establishing a naval wing of his military was based on his belief in ‘Jalameva yasya, balameva tasya’(he who rules over the seas is powerful).
• Between 1661-1663, the naval wing of the Maratha empire came into existence, its peak included 400 old ships.
• These included battleships, other vessels of varying shapes, and purposes like pal, grab, trade, etc.
• According to ‘A History of the Maratha Navy & Merchant ships,’ Shivaji’s navy tasted its first success when he used 85 ships to attack Basuru.
• Shivaji also ordered the construction of the naval fort, the Vijaydrug, the twin to Sindhudarg fort in 1653.
• Many of the forts remained unconquered and were used by Marathas for strategic purposes to keep a watch on enemies approaching via the sea.
• The Maratha Navy continued to be a formidable force even after Shivaji, led by admirals like Angre.
• The Maratha empire fought the Mughals, the Dutch, and the English at sea and held its own against all of them.

NEW NAVAL ENSIGN