Kingdom of Nepal, before 1961

The Kingdom of Nepal is the only country in modern times with a non-rectangular flag. It is a combination of two triangular pennons or pennants, and the final shape is of two overlapping right triangles. The smaller upper triangle displays the moon, symbolising the king and the larger lower triangle displays the sun, symbolising the Rana family, whose hereditary prime ministers were the real power behind the throne until 1960. The faces show a “tilak”, the sign of Vishnu, on the forehead. The flag’s colour is crimson red, the national colour and the symbol of bravery, while the border is blue, the colour of peace. The shape of the sun and moon symbols were not standardised and could look different until the flag became official, and the faces were removed.