This is the famous original sandstone sculpted Lion Capital of Ashoka preserved at Sarnath Museum which was originally erected around 250 BCE atop an Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath. The angle from which this picture has been taken, minus the inverted bell-shaped lotus flower, has been adopted as the National Emblem of India showing the Horse on the left and the Bull on the right of the Ashoka Chakra in the circular base on which the four Indian lions are standing back to back. On the far side there is an Elephant and a Lion instead. The wheel “Ashoka Chakra” from its base has been placed onto the center of the National Flag of India.
The Emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.
Emperor Ashoka the Great erected the capital atop an Ashoka Pillar to mark the spot where Gautama Buddha first taught the Dharma and where the Buddhist Sangha was founded. In the original there are four Asiatic lions, standing back to back, mounted on a circular abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening Dharmachakra or Ashoka Chakra wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. It was carved out of a single block of polished sandstone.
The version used as the Emblem does not include the fourth lion (since it is hidden from view at the rear) or the bell-shaped lotus flower beneath. The frieze beneath the lions is shown with the Dharma Chakra in the center, a bull on the right and a galloping horse on the left, and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left.
Forming an integral part of the Emblem is the motto inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script: Satyameva Jayate सत्यमेव जयते (English: “Truth Alone Triumphs”)..
It was adopted as the National Emblem of India on 26 January 1950, the day that India became a republic.
The emblem forms a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India, and appears on all Indian currency as well. It also sometimes functions as the national emblem of India in many places and appears prominently on the diplomatic and national Passport of the Republic of India.
See also
- “Indian Lion” is another name for the “Asiatic Lion.” Critically endangered, it survives only in India today.
- Lion Capital of Asoka
- Ashoka Pillars
- Ashoka Chakra
- National Flag of India
- Sarnath Museum
- Emblems of Indian States
External links
- The State Emblem of India or the National Emblem of India
- “National Insignia”, Embassy of India, Washington D.C., USA
- State Emeblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005 at the Ministry of Home Affairs web sitePDF (25 KiB)
- Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950
- The National Emblem displayed on the Homepage of Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India
- The National Emblem displayed on the Homepage of Ministry of Environment & Forests, Government of India
- For Pictures of the famous original “Lion Capital of Ashoka” preserved at the Sarnath Museum which has been adopted as the “National Emblem of India” and the Ashoka Chakra (Wheel) from which has been placed in the center of the “National Flag of India” – See “lioncapital” from Columbia University Website, New York, USA
Coats of arms of Asia
Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan1 · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Burma (Myanmar) · Cambodia · China · Cyprus · East Timor1 · Egypt1 · Georgia1 · Hong Kong · India · Indonesia1 · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan1 · Korea (North Korea · South Korea) · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Macau · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Nepal · Northern Cyprus2 · Oman · Pakistan · People’s Republic of China · Palestinian territories3 · Philippines · Qatar · Republic of China · Russia1 · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Taiwan · Tajikistan · Thailand · Turkey1 · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen1
1 Transcontinental country · 2 Only recognised by Turkey · 3 Not fully independent.
This article about government in India is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
Retrieved from “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emblem_of_India”
Categories: Indian government stubs | Indian culture | National coats of arms | National symbols of IndiaHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since March 2007