Dhvaja
cylindrical flag or banner in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, one of the eight auspicious symbols
Dhvaja (Sanskrit: ध्वज, romanized: Dhvaja, lit. 'flag'; Tibetan: རྒྱལ་མཚན, Wylie: rgyal-msthan) is the Sanskrit term for a banner or a flag. Flags are featured in the iconography, mythology, and architecture of Indian religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. They are one of the ashtamangala, the eight auspicious emblems of these religions.
Hinduism
In Hindu iconography, deities are often portrayed with flags, often represented carried or present alongside their mounts. Such flags are often venerated due to their association of a given deity, and also due to the fact that they are regarded to be imbued by their divine attributes. A flag staff or a votive column (dhvajastambha) is often erected in front of temples or on top of their roofs. These columns are regarded to symbolise the world axis, and a pillar between earth and heaven.
A chapter from the epic Mahabharata describes the various flags and their devices borne by the warriors of the Kurukshetra War:
Abhimanyu - Deer
Arjuna - Hanuman
Ashvatthama - Lion's tail with golden rays
Bharata - Tree
Bhima - Lion
Bhishma - Tree
Drona - Kamandalu
Duryodhana - Serpent
Ghatotkacha - Wheel
Indra - Sword
Jayadratha - Boar
Kama - Makara
Karna - Elephant
Kartikeya - Peacock
Kripa - Bull
Nakula - Deer
Sahadeva - Swan
Shiva - Nandi
Vishnu - Garuda
Yudhishthira - Moon
Tibetan architecture
Within the Tibetan tradition, a list of eleven different forms of the victory banner is given to represent eleven specific methods for overcoming "defilements" (Sanskrit: klesha). Many variations of the dhvaja's design can be seen on the roofs of Tibetan monasteries (Gompa, Vihara) to symbolize the Buddha's victory over four maras.
In its most traditional form, the victory banner is fashioned as a cylindrical ensign mounted upon a long wooden axel-pole.
“Dhvaja” enters the record as cylindrical flag or banner in Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, one of the eight auspicious symbols. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Dhvaja, cylindrical and flag can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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