State Seal of Myanmar

State Seal of Myanmar
Armiger	Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Adopted	2008
Crest	A mullet or
Shield	Gules, a map of Myanmar or surrounded by a laurel of the same
Supporters	Chinthe
Motto	ပြည်ထောင်စု သမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်

The State Seal of Myanmar (Template:Lang-my) is used in all official government documents, including publications.

Description

A red background with the golden Map of Myanmar surrounded by the laurel or olive branches in between two chinthe, the mythical lions, facing opposite one another and the large yellow five-pointed star on top of the map and the entire Arms were surrounded by the traditional Burmese flower and the scroll on the bottom with the Name of the State: Template:My (PYIDAUNZU THANMĂDA MYĂMA NAINNGANDAW) (In Burmese for, REPUBLIC OF THE UNION OF MYANMAR). The new State Seal, as stipulated by Chapter XIII of the 2008 Constitution, was adopted in the 2008 Burmese constitutional referendum.

History

The original coat of arms contained the Burmese text Template:My on the banner, which translates "Union of Burma", as well as three chinthe (the chinthe at the top was replaced by a star). Additionally, the cogwheel was a circle surrounded by Verse 194 of the Buddhavagga in the Dhammapada in Pali: Template:My (samaggānaṃ tapo sukho), which translates to "happiness through harmony" or "well-being through unity."

However, during Ne Win's Socialist rule, the 1974 Constitution adopted a new state seal with the following changes: the coat of arms was modified to accommodate Socialist symbols: a cogwheel, a star at the top, and dual olive wreaths. The words on the banner were also changed to Template:My, which translates "Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma". In 1988, when the State Law and Order Restoration Council staged a coup, the words Template:My ("Socialist Republic") were removed.

The previous state symbol of Burmese monarchs was the green peacock. The use of the green peacock was continued during British colonial times and the State of Burma. The peacock also featured on Burmese rupees as a national symbol.

New state seal

In 2008 a new constitution for Burma was adopted in a controversial referendum. In this new constitution, changes have been made to the coat of arms. The new coat of arms removes the colours blue and dark gold/orange and instead just uses the colours red and gold/yellow. Also, the gear wheel has been removed and replaced with laurel or olive branches and the words on the central portion of the scroll have been changed to Template:My.

Gallery

• 
  Royal coat of arms of the Konbaung dynasty (1852–1885)
• 
  The green peacock was a former symbol of state
• 
  The coat of arms of the Union of Burma (1948–1974)
• 
  The coat of arms of Burma during the socialist period (1974–2008)
• 
  Emblem of the Myanmar Air Force

See also

• Flag of Burma

References

http://www.hubert-herald.nl/Myanmar1.htm