War in Ancient India c14.2

c14.2

The origin and use of flags can be traced to the earliest Indian literature, the Ṛg Veda Samhitā. The term *dhvaja* occurs twice in this Veda.¹ Besides *dhvaja*, we meet with a good number of expressions for a banner in Vedic literature. These are Akra,² Kṛtadhvaja,³ Ketu,⁴ Bṛhatketu,⁵ Sahasraketu.⁶ It appears that the Vedic host aimed their arrows at the banners of the enemy. The idea was that once the banner was captured, or struck, a claim was made for success in the battle over the enemy. Ketu was a pennon small flag as contrasted with Bṛhatketu or the big flag. Sahasraketu may be a thousand flags or it may be interpreted as a knight who had brought under control a thousand flags of enemies. Ketu by itself may mean a hero or a chief. We are told that banners and drums were counted among the insignia of ancient Vedic kings. This tradition is seen in the Atharva Veda which has an unmistakable reference to a flag with the device of the Sūrya (the Sun God).