1948 State Seal We can get the official description and symbolism from the meeting of the Constituent Assembly of Burma on 1 August 1947 which approved and adopted the State Flag and the State Seal for the then-future Burma.
Marks • The map of Myanmar with land and water borders is in the centre. • A circular ribbon bearing the State Motto "သမဂ္ဂါနံ တပေါ သုခေါ" (in Pāḷi, "samaggānaṃ tapo sukho" meaning "The ardent practice of those in harmony is the cause of happiness", from Verse 194 of the Buddhavagga in the Dhammapada) surrounds the map. • Three kesarājā lions, decorated with traditional floral arabesques in the Myanmar way, are protecting and defending. One lion on the top, one lion on the left side and one lion on the right side of the circular ribbon. The lion on the top faces straightly, the lion on the left side faces towards the left and the lion on the right side faces towards the right. • The expression "ပြည်ထောင်စု သမတ မြန်မာ နိုင်ငံတော်။" meaning "Republic of the Union of Myanmar." is inscribed on the ribbon at the foot of the State Seal. The expression "ပြည်ထောင်စု" is placed under the left lion, the expression "သမတ မြန်မာ"is placed at the centre under the circular ribbon, the expression "နိုင်ငံတော်" is placed under the right lion.
Symbolism • In the traditional view of ancient sages, the nature of lion gives the natures of bravery, diligence, extinguishing any size of danger with the same effort, purity and virtue. Such characteristics can make Myanmar honoured and they are the ones that Myanmar citizens should imitate. • Being surrounded by three lions means defending and protecting Myanmar. In the view of secular astrology, divisible by three means the end of all evil events. • Lion and Myanmar are regarded as compatible paring according to secular astrology. • Lion and traditional floral arabesques are inserted and decorated, so it is assumed as giving respect to an ancient traditional Myanmar culture appropriate for the modern Union of Myanmar. • The State Motto is the reminder to bulid up unity and harmony forever.
1974 State Seal The
Council of Ministers of the
Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma issued the Order No. 16 with the title "
Specification of the Symbols Included in the State Seal and Detailed Explanations and Descriptions Concerning the Symbols Included in the State Seal" () on 9 October 1974, officially giving the descriptions and meanings of the symbols.
Specifications Marks • At the top of the State Seal is a star with five vertices. • At the center of the State Seal is a pinion. It has fourteen teeth of equal size. On the pinion is the map of Myanmar. The pinion is encircled with two ears of paddy. • The key line of the pinion is at the exact middle of its bottom. • The two ears of paddy have their bottoms meet with each other as well as their tops meet with each other. Each ear of paddy has 13 pairs of 2 grains. There is only one grain at the top. There is one grain at the bottom where the two ears of paddy meet. There are 55 grains of paddy in total. • The northernmost end of the map of Myanmar on the pinion is in the middle of the two topmost teeth, and the southernmost end of the map of Myanmar is in the middle of the first and the second bottommost teeth on the left. • There is an artistic Myanmar lion on each side of the ears of paddy. The lion on the left side faces towards the left and the lion on the right side faces towards the right. • The lions have 3 crests and 3 manes. • The expression “the Socialist Republic of the Union of Myanmar” is inscribed on the ribbon at the foot. The expression “the Union” is placed under the left lion, the expression “Myanmar” is placed under the right lion, and the expression “the Socialist Republic” is placed at the elevated centre. • The floral arabesques are on either side of the ears of paddy and the star. • The two main floral a
Symbolism • The white star is the continued recognition of the revolutionary tradition. • The map of Myanmar is to make the State of Myanmar be distinct and famous. • The ears of paddy and the pinion are the representations for peasants and workers who are the two fundamental social classes of building the socialist system. • The two lions are the symbols in use according to the tradition of Myanmar. • The floral arabesques are to beautify in accordance with the art of painting.
1989-2011 As of 2025, websites of some embassies are still featuring the image and description of the pre-2011 State Seal in English as follow. • At the center of the State Seal is a pinion with fourteen equal-sized cogs on which the map of Myanmar is superimposed. The pinion and the map are encircled with two ears of paddy. • The ears of paddy are flanked on each side by an artistic Myanmar Lion. The lion on the right side faces towards the right and the one on the left side faces towards the left. • The words "The Union of Myanmar" are inscribed in Myanmar below the lions and the ears of paddy. • At the top of the State Seal is a star with five vertices. • Myanmar floral designs are etched on either side of the ears of paddy and the star.
2011-2025 Marks The 2010 version of the State Seal Law does not included the symbolism but the description of the marks contained in the State Seal as follow: • At the centre of the State Seal is the map of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The sprigs of eugenia containing fourteen leaves each are on either side of the map; • The sprigs of eugenia are flanked on each side by an artistic Myanmar lion. The lion on the left side faces towards the left and the lion on the right side faces towards the right; • The expression “Republic of the Union of Myanmar” is inscribed on the ribbon at the foot of the State Seal. The expression “the Union” is placed under the left lion, the expression “the Republic” is placed at the centre under the map of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the expression “Myanmar” is placed under the right lion; • At the top of the State Seal is a star with five vertices that indicate above uprightly; • Myanmar traditional floral arabesques are on either side of the star. • The specimen of the State Seal is as shown in the appendix.
Symbolism Before 2025, the only official symbolism we could get is from the National Convention. The symbolism presented at the meeting on 22 December 2006 is published in English as follow: • Concerning the State, the National Convention has adopted the fundamental principles “sovereign power of the State is derived from the citizens and is in force in the whole country” and “the State shall be known as the Pyidaungsu Thamada Myanmar Naing-Ngan Daw (the Union of the Republic of Myanmar)” Hence, the State Seal should include the map of the Union of Myanmar. • In accord with the adopted fundamental principle “the State shall be known as the Pyidaungsu Thamada Myanmar Naing-Ngan Daw”, the words “Pyidaungsu Thamada Myanmar Naing-Ngan Daw” should be included in the State Seal. • The white star that is the symbol of the anti-colonialist and anti-Fascist struggles launched with the people’s strength should also be included in it. • The Seal should be decorated with the picture of the lion king used as a tradition in the State seals of the Union Myanmar, and Myanmar traditional floral arabesque. == Gallery ==