The black colour represents the blackness of the country's fertile soil, and the colour of the goddess Kali, whose name means 'Black' in Sanskrit and several northern Indian vernacular languages. The red coloured sun represents the sindoor, or vermillion paste worn by married Hindu women as well as the red tilak or sectarian forehead marking of the goddess worshiping Shakta sect of Hinduism. The colour red is the colour of life, as well as of goddess worship in Hindu culture.

The design is similar to the flag of the modern nation of Bangladesh, a region once known for it's worship of the goddess Kali.