India celebrates its Independence Day on 15th August each year. In 2025, it is India’s 78th Independence Day today, and we discuss 9 interesting facts about India’s Independence Day in this article.
The British crown ruled India from 1858 to 1947. Before that, it was Britain’s East India Company that was in power from 1757 to 1857.
If we consider the most important rebellion that took place against the British, it was the famous Indian Rebellion of 1857. However, following this rebellion, the British stronghold on the Indian subcontinent was stronger than ever before.
Overall, India’s independence bears testimony to the selfless sacrifice of many numerous fighters. They bravely fought the British by immersing themselves in India’s freedom movement. The British were, then, ousted for good on 15th August, 1947.
The story of India’s independence is long and elaborate and has been a longstanding subject in cinema and literature. In this article, we discuss some important facts associated with India’s independence that many readers are unlikely to be aware of.
9 interesting facts about India’s Independence Day
1. India’s National Anthem was adopted as late as 1950
When India earned its independence in 1947, the nation had no official national anthem. It was over 2 years later, on 24th January 1950 that ‘Jan Gan Man’ by Rabindranath Tagore was adopted as the National Anthem. Tagore had originally composed this melody in 1911 as Bharoto Bhagyo Bidhata.
2. The first hoisting of the Indian flag took place in 1906
It was on 7th August 1906 that the Indian flag was first hoisted. Back then, the flag would have 3 stripes, in red, yellow, and green.
Then, a decade and a half later, in 1921, Pingali Venkayya designed the initial variant of our current national flag. However, the final version of our flag, which has three stripes in saffron, white, and green and the 24-spoke Ashoka Chakra, was hoisted on 15th August 1947 after being adopted on 22nd July of the same year.
3. 15th August for India’s Independence Day was chosen by Lord Mountbatten
Lord Mountbatten chose 15th August as the date for India’s independence, as this was the day Japan had surrendered to Allied forces.
4. Vande Mataram, India’s national song, used to be a part of a novel.
‘Vande Mataram,’ our national song, appears in Anandmath, a novel by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in the 1880s. Rabindranath Tagore first sang this song in 1896. Finally, on 24th January 1950, Vande Mataram was adopted as our national song.
5. Rabindranath Tagore has composed Bangladesh’s National Anthem.
In 1905, Rabindranath Tagore wrote ‘Amar Sonar Bangla.’ When Bangladesh’s liberation war took place in 1971, they adopted the initial 10 lines of the song as their national anthem.
6. CMs unfurled the National Flag on Independence Day on M. Karunanidhi’s request
On all Indian Independence Days up to 1973, it was the governors of the respective states who unfurled the National Flags and not the CMs. M. Karunanidhi, Tamil Nadu’s CM, then wrote to Indira Gandhi, who was India’s PM, highlighting the different practices prevalent in Delhi. The central government accepted this suggestion.
7. Other countries that celebrate their respective Independence Days on 15th August
India is not the only country that celebrates its Independence Day on 15th August, and 5 other countries are also included in the list. They are Liechtenstein, Bahrain, the Republic of Congo, South Korea, and North Korea.
8. The last state to join Indian Territory was Goa.
Goa was the last state to join the Indian Territory and did so in 1961, much after India’s independence on 15th August, 1947. Thereafter, Goa was under the Portuguese. However, the Portuguese gave in to India’s military action in 1961, and Goa was annexed under Indian Territory.
9. Only one destination manufactures the Indian flag.
The Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha (KKGSS), located in Dharwad, Karnataka, owns exclusive rights to manufacture and supply the Indian flag. This is as defined by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Only handwoven and hand-spun cotton khadi bunting is used to manufacture the national flag.
These are 9 interesting facts about India’s Independence Day, and we hope that you enjoyed reading them. If you would like to add to any of these facts or have some more to share, please feel free to do so in the comment section.
