Lion Capital of Asoka
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Image:Emblem of India.svg The Lion Capital of Ashoka is a sculpture of four lions standing back to back. It was originally placed atop the Ashoka pillar at Sarnath, now in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The pillar, sometimes called the Ashoka Column is still in its original location, but the Lion Capital is now in the Sarnath Museum. The Lion Capital is the national emblem of India.
The capital contains four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus, with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull, and a lion, separated by intervening spoked chariot-wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the capital was believed to be crowned by a 'Wheel of the Law' (Dharma Chakra), which has now been lost.
Symbolic significance
The Asoka Column, standing at its original location since the 3rd century BC, is believed to be the same spot where the Buddha first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emancipation to the four quarters of the Universe; This is represented by the four lions pointing to the four cardinal directions. The four small animals girding the abacus represent the four cardinal directions. The lotus in full bloom, which also acts as the base of the abacus, represents the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration.
National emblem of India
In the emblem adopted by the Government of India on January 26, 1950, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on the right and a horse on the left and the outlines of other wheels on the extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The words Satyameva Jayate from the Mundaka Upanishad, meaning 'Truth Alone Triumphs', are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script. These words are the official motto of the Indian Republic.