The State Seal of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (Burmese: ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော် နိုင်ငံတော်အထိမ်းအမှတ်တံဆိပ်) is the national emblem used in all official government documents, including publications. As the seal is an official symbol, State Seal Law and State Seal Rules were established regarding appropriate usage of it. The current layout of the state seal of Myanmar was partially inspired by that of the coat of arms of the United Kingdom, and, since Myanmar's independence from Great Britain, it has changed three times.
Description and symbolism (a) In the center of the State Seal is the map of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. On each side of the map is a sprig of Eugenia with 14 leaves. The map of the country represents the territorial shape of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and the sprigs of Eugenia represent a sign of victory. (b) On either side of the sprigs Eugenia is an artistically rendered Burmese royal lion (Chinthe). The lion on the left faces to the left, and the lion on the right faces to the right. The two lions signify sovereignty, courage, diligence, and the suppression of all dangers, great and small, with equal effort. The placement of the two lions guarding either side of the map of the country signifies the protection of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. (c) The inscription "Republic of the Union of Myanmar" is displayed on a ribbon at the bottom of the State Seal. The expression "Union" is placed under the lion on the left, the expression "Republic" is in the center under the map of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and the expression "Myanmar" are placed under the lion on the right. (d) At the top of the State Seal, a five-pointed star points directly upwards. Just as a star shines in the sky with its own natural light, the star signifies that Myanmar stands as a sovereign and independent nation. (e) On each side of the star are traditional Burmese floral designs (Kanote). These floral branches signify the high level of Myanmar's cultural heritage and its existence with its own culture. (f) The State Seal is depicted in golden yellow on a red background, and the outlines of the seal are drawn in black. The color red signifies courage and decisiveness, while the golden-yellow color signifies that which is cherished and valued.
Usage The State seal can be used for the following:
The Presidential Palace. In/on the vehicles of the President. Central Parliament Buildings (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, Pyithu Hluttaw, and Amyotha Hluttaw), Union-level government offices, State and Regional Hluttaw Buildings, Offices of State and Region Government, Self-Administered Zones and Divisions. Ministries and their dependent agencies' offices, courts, and organizations or departments permitted to do so by the Union Government. Embassies, consulates, and other representations. Objects used in State Receptions. Banknotes and stamps. Organizations given permission by the President. Official documents of Central Parliaments and State & Region, the Union Government and ministries, the State, Region and SAZ and SAD Governments, the organizations and departments given permission by the Union Government. State meetings and ceremonies.
History
Colonial Era
British colonial rule in Burma (1886–1942, 1945–1948) After being annexed by the British Empire, the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom was adopted. After Burma was separated from India, the green peacock on a yellow was adopted as the national symbol and badge of Burma, in 1939. But the coat of arms was still the coat of arms of United Kingdom. This coat of arms would later serve as the basis for the design of the State Seal of the newly independent Union of Burma.
Japanese Era
State of Burma (1943–1945)
The State of Burma, a Japanese puppet state, adopted a circular State seal bearing a stylized, golden peacock in 1943.
First design of the State Seal
(1948–1974)
The first design of the State Seal of Burma, adopted by the Constituent Assembly of Burma in 1947, contained the Burmese text ပြည်ထောင်စု သမတမြန်မာ နိုင်ငံတော်။ on the banner, which means "Republic of Union of Myanmar" (the same as the text in the current State Seal except the spelling of the word that mean President or Republic: သမတ), as well as three lions. Additionally, there was a circle surrounding the map of the country containing Verse 194 of the Buddhavagga in the Dhammapada in Pali: သမဂ္ဂါနံ တပေါ သုခေါ (samaggānaṃ tapo sukho), which translates to "Happy is the practice of those in harmony." It was adopted at the independence of the country on 4 January 1948.
Second design of the State Seal (1974–1988)
The 1974 Constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma adopted a new State Seal with Socialist symbols : a pinion (cogwheel) with 14 teeth, surrounding the map of Myanmar, surrounded by two paddy ears, the two artistic Burmese lions besides the branches: The left lion facing to the left and the right lion facing to the right, The words ပြည်ထောင်စု ဆိုရှယ်လစ်သမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်, which means "Socialist Republic of the Union of Myanmar", on the ribbon banner at the bottom. It was adopted together with the new State flag and the 1974 constitution on 3 January 1974. The original publications of 1974 constitution shows the State flag with full colours, but it shows the State seal only in white and black. But in the official usage, it is always yellow and black. The e-book version of the 1974 constitution from Myanmar Law Information System shows the blue State seal from Wikipedia in place of the State seal.
SLORC Modification (1988–2011)
On 19 October 1988, the State Law and Order Restoration Council enacted a law which replaces the expression "Socialist Republic of the Union of Myanmar" with the expression "Union of Myanmar". The State Seal was modified as the country name in State Seal Law had been replaced: the words ဆိုရှယ်လစ်သမ္မတ ("Socialist Republic") were removed.
Third design of the State Seal (2011-2025)
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