An Emblem is an object or a representation that functions as a symbol. A distinctive badge, design, or device. An allegorical picture usually inscribed with a verse or motto presenting a moral lesson. An object chosen to represent an idea, a quality, a country etc.
Our country India also has an Emblem which is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion, capital of Emperor Ashoka the Great, as preserved in the Sarnath Museum situated near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.
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 Indian National Emblem, modeled on the Lion Capital, features 3 lions. The fourth lion is hidden from sight since it is positioned at the rear end, so is the bell-shaped lotus flower situated beneath. The frieze beneath the lions is shown with a wheel in the center, a bull on the right, a galloping horse on the left, and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left. The wheel at the centre of the abacus symbolizes the "Dharma Chakra.
The three lions, represent power, courage and confidence, and rest on a circular abacus girded by four smaller animals that are separated by intervening wheels. These four animals are the guardians of the four directions:
- The lion of the north,
- The elephant of the east,
- The horse of the south and
- The bull of the west.
The abacus rests on a lotus in full bloom, instancing the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration.
Inscribed below the emblem in Devnagri script is the motto 'Satyameva Jayate' meaning "Truth Alone Triumphs". It is a quote from the Mundaka Upanishad, the concluding part of the sacred Hindu Vedas.
The Lion Pillar was adopted as the National Emblem of India on 26 January 1950, the day India became a republic.
The National emblem is used only for official purposes and commands the highest respect and loyalty. It is the official seal of the President of India and Central and State Governments. It forms a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India.
It also appears prominently on all Indian currency as well as on the diplomatic and national Passport of the Republic of India.
The wheel on it, known as "Dharma Chakra" or popularly "Ashoka Chakra", has even been placed onto the center of the modern National Flag of India.
the national emblem of India stands as a symbol of modern India's reassertion of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill. To the 1 billion Indians, it serves as an inspiration and is a matter of pride. To the world, it stands as glowing symbol of independent India's identity and sovereignty.
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The National Flag of India.
