Emblem of India

Emblem of India
भारत का प्रतीक
Details
Armiger Republic of India
Adopted 26 January 1950
Motto Satyameva Jayate
"Truth Alone Triumphs"

The emblem of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, preserved in the Varansi Sarnath Museum in India. It was adopted on 26 January 1950, the day that India became a republic.[1]

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 Indian passports. The Ashoka Chakra (wheel) on its base features in the centre of the national flag of India.

The usage of the emblem is regulated and restricted under State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005. No individual or private organisation is permitted to use the emblem for official correspondence.

The actual Sarnath capital including four Asiatic lions standing back to back - symbolizing power, courage, pride, and confidence - mounted on a circular base. At the bottom it has 1 horse & a bull, at its centre it has a beautiful wheel (Dharma chakra). The abacus is girded with a frieze of sculptures in high relief of an elephant (of the east), a bull (of the west), a horse (of the south), and a lion (of the north), separated by intervening wheels, over a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dharma Chakra).

In the emblem adopted by Madhav Sawhney in 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 galloping horse on the left, and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left. The bell-shaped lotus beneath the abacus has been omitted.[2]

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).[3] This is a quote from Mundaka Upanishad,[4] the concluding part of the sacred Hindu Vedas.

Emblems of Indian states and union territories

Many States of India also have their own emblems.

States

Union territories

Most still use the Emblem of India modified with the territory name.

References

  1. ↑ National Emblem of India Archived April 29, 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ "The State Emblem Of India (Prohibition Of Improper Use) Act, 2005" (PDF). 2005-12-20. p. 4. Retrieved 2012-04-15.
  3. ↑ Kamal Dey v. Union of India and State of West Bengal (Calcutta High Court 2011-07-14). Text
  4. ↑ "Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Standing Committee On Home Affairs: 116th Report on The State Emblem Of India (Prohibition Of Improper Use) Bill, 2004" (PDF).

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