Known as the National Emblem of the Republic of India, the State Emblem of India represents the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, preserved in the Sarnath Museum near Varanasi, India. In December 1947, a depiction of the Lion Capital of Ashoka was primarily adopted as the emblem of the Dominion of India. The four lions stand on a short cylindrical base that has four Ashok Chakras corresponding to each lion bust and reliefs of four more animals in between them – the lion, the bull, the elephant and the galloping horse. The National Emblem is the symbol of sovereignty for India.
Below the representation of the Lion Capital, the words Satyameva Jayate is written in Devnagari Script, which is also the National Motto of India. The words are a quote from Mundaka Upanishad, the last and most philosophical of the four Vedas and is translated as ‘Truth alone triumphs’.
