In December last year the Maoists declared, among others, the Kirat (Kirant)
Autonomous State out of the districts: Solukhumbu, Sankhuwasabha, Okhaldhunga,
Khotang, Bhojpur and Udayapur. There is no mention of its flag, but there is a
"national" flag of the Kirati people which, as some claim, represented the
Kirat-Desh (Kirat Country) in the very ancient War of Kurukshetra, described in
the Hindu epic of Mahabharata and dated sometime between 5561 BC to 800 BC. If
so, it predates, by a long shot, the Dannebrog. It is also claimed, the Kirat
flag served as a model for the Nepali flag and some are suggesting it should be
adopted as the new national flag for Nepal.
Wikipedia says about Kirati
people: "Kirat-or Kirati- means people with lion nature. It is derived from
two words Kira-Lion and Ti- people and it also means people from the mountain.
They are indigenous ethnic Kirati group of Nepal. It includes the Limbu, Rai,
Yakkha and Sunuwar ethnic groups. The Kirat were the earliest inhabitants of the
Kathmandu Valley. Dhimal, Hayu, Koch, Thami, Tharu, Chepang, and Surel ethnic
groups also consider themselves to be of Kirati descent." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirat
By no means I'm claiming it is the oldest
flag in the world. It's just a suggestion derived from the postings on several
Nepali forums. Chrystian Kretowicz, 17 January 2010
Historical significance behind the
design of Nepal flag In the ancient War of Kurukshetra, described in the
Hindu epic of Mahabharata dating back to some 800 BC, there is mentioned that
Yalambar, the first King of Nepal took part part in this great war. There is no
mention of its flag, but there is a national flag of the Kirati people which, as
some claim, represented Nepal in this great war. It is also claimed, the Kirat
flag served as a model for the Nepali flag and some are suggesting it should be
adopted as the new national flag for Nepal. The
origin of the unique double triangle of Kirat flag symbolizes the Kirat and
Nepal during vedic age(1500BC - 600BC). That's how the Nepal flag is believed to
have derive from as some scholars have uncovered the secret now.
Here's
the brief insight into Kirat flag. There are three significant meanings in the
Kirat flag.
Color: The saffron yellow (golden yellow) represents that sun will never
set in Kiratdesa (Nepal). That Kiratdesa viz Nepal will last as long as the
sun. The golden yellow also represents the Mongolian people who are
"gold-like" in appearance with this phrase "Kairatam vesam asthaya
kancana-druma-sannibham" "Taking up a Kirata resemblance, like unto a tree
of gold" (IV,35,2)
Shape: The unique double triangle of Kirat flag symbolizes the Kiratas
and Kiratdesa (Nepal) during Vedic age which is over 5000+ years ago. The
double triangle also represents the Himalayas which was a homeland of
Kiratas (Mongolian people). The border of the flag is in red. The red border
symbolizes the brotherhood among the Mongolian. It also symbolizes Kiratas
as brave and resilient.
Symbol: Finally the center of the flag is encircle with bow & arrow. The
circle represents the universe, both external and internal. The inner circle
represents the Mother earth. The outer circle represents the sky or the
Father sky. This symbolizes the Kirat as being harmony with nature which is
their aspect of their culture & religion. The circle is white symbolizing
the purity of their culture & religion. The bow & arrow symbolizes Kiratas
as warriors.
The fact this significant piece of Nepali history was
hidden from the world was because of the censorship
imposed by the previous Hindu Shah-Rana leaders. But with the abolition
of last Nepali monarch and the establishment of a federal democratic
republic of Nepal in May 28, 2008, this is one of the many facts of
Nepali history that is coming into daylight. Source: Courtesy: New
Spotlight & NTY 2011
Sources: Temples of the Nepal valley By
Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, 2009 Namah Shivaya Shantaya By Shrii Shrii Anandamurti,
2005 Fragile Mountains By MK Limbu, 2005 The brick and the bull: an
account of Handigaun, the ancient capital of Nepal By Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, 2002
The ancient settlements of the Kathmandu Valley By Sudarshan Raj Tiwari, 2001
A Cultural History of the North-East India: [The Kiratas (Bodo etc.) By B.
Chakravarti, 2000 "In The Kingdom Of The Gods" By Desmond Doig, 1999
Politics of Culture: A Study of Three Kirata Communities in the Eastern
Himalayas by Tanka Bahadur Subba, 1999 Social history of Nepal By Tulasi Rama
Vaidya, Triratna Manandhara, Shankar Lal Joshi, 1993 The Kiratas in Ancient
India By G.P Singh, 1990 Kirata-jana-krti (The Indo-Mongoloids-The
Contribution To The History And Culture Of India) by Suniti Kumar Chatterji,
1974 Ancient Nepal By D. R. Regmi, 1969 History of Nepal By Shew Shunker
Singh, Gunanand and Daniel Wright, 1966
zachary harden
image by Chrystian Kretowicz, 17 January 2010