In a remarkable historical breakthrough, an ancient flag of Ayodhya—believed to have been forgotten since the Mahabharata era—has been rediscovered by noted indologist Lalit Mishra. The discovery, first confirmed through the pictorial Ramayana of Mewar and later verified in Valmiki Ramayana’s Ayodhya Kand, has sparked national attention ahead of its ceremonial hoisting at the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are scheduled to attend the flag hoisting ceremony on November 25. The event will coincide with the completion of the main structure of the Ram Temple, which includes the sanctum, first floor, and six surrounding temples dedicated to various deities including Shiva, Ganesha, Hanuman, Sheshavatar, Annapurna, Bhagwati, and Suryadev.
🌼 What Makes the Rediscovered Flag Unique?
The ancient Ayodhya flag features three sacred symbols:
- Om — representing eternal cosmic sound and divinity
- The Sun (Surya) — symbolising Lord Ram’s lineage from the Suryavansh
- The Kovidara Tree — a unique hybrid of Mandar and Parijat, believed to be created by Rishi Kashyap
The Kovidara tree, central to the flag’s identity, was long forgotten in tradition. Mishra initially confused it with the Kachnar tree due to their shared botanical names. With the support of botanists from Banaras Hindu University, the identity of the Kovidara was finally re-established.
📜 Why the Flag Was Lost After Mahabharata
According to Mishra, the flag disappeared from collective memory after Ayodhya’s king Brihadbal was killed in the Mahabharata war. Following his death, the kingdom fell into decline, and traditions related to the flag and the sacred tree faded away.
Even Kalidasa, centuries later, described the beauty of the tree but did not link it to Ayodhya’s flag—proof that the tradition had been broken.
Across nearly 300 known versions of the Ramayana, none mentioned this ancient flag, making the rediscovery even more significant.
🔍 How It Was Identified
- Mishra first spotted the flag in a Mewar Ramayana painting.
- He then located textual evidence in Valmiki Ramayana’s Ayodhya Kand.
- BHU botanists Prof. Gyaneshwar Chaube and Prof. Abhishek Dwivedi confirmed the identity of the Kovidara tree.
- Scholars have now proposed a genetic study to validate ancient plant hybridisation techniques that may date back thousands of years.
The rediscovered flag will now return to Ayodhya after centuries, symbolising both cultural revival and ancient scientific knowledge.
Originally published on 24×7-news.com.
