 The state emblem of India is an alteration from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka. In the original, there are 4 lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a architectural ornament carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull & a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell shaped lotus. The state emblem is carved out of a single block of polished sandstone.
The state emblem is adopted by the Indian Government on 26th January 1950. But in that state emblem, there are only 3 lions visible. That's the 4th being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus with a bull on right and a horse on left & the outlines of other wheels on extreme right & left. The bell-shaped lotus has been removed. The words Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka Upanishad are autographed below the abacus in Devanagari script. |
