Ancient

The Indian ancient synonym for a flag is Dhvaja. A dhvaja has been defined as a symbol of an army or a king, carried on a staff. According to Ramayana dhvaja was attached to a yasti and then fixed on the chariot. However, in the strictest sense of the word, the term dhvaja implies three things, namely, the pataka (the place of cloth or any other substance that floats in the air) the Ketu (the crest or the emblem made on the pataka), and the yasti (the pole or staff that carries the pataka). Most scholars, epigraphics, and numismatists use the terms dhvaja and pataka as a synonym.