The Bharat Ratna medallion is shaped like which leaf?

The correct answer is B, the peepal leaf. The Bharat Ratna medallion is made in toned bronze in the shape of a peepal leaf, with a platinum sun and the words Bharat Ratna in Devanagari on the front, and the State Emblem of India with the motto Satyameva Jayate on the back.

Option A, the banyan leaf, is wrong although the banyan is the national tree of India, which is what makes the option tempting. Option C, the lotus leaf, is placed here because the lotus is the national flower and because the Padma awards take their name from the lotus; the Padma medallions carry a lotus pattern, not a leaf shape. Option D, the mango leaf, has ritual significance but no place in this design. One more detail is worth carrying: the original 1954 design was a circular gold medal, which was replaced within a year by the leaf now in use.