| The State emblem is an
adaptation from the Sarnath Lion
Capital of Ashoka. In
the original, there are 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 wheels
over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of
a single block of polished sandstone,
the capital is crowned by the Wheel of
the Law (Dharma Chakra).
In the State emblem, adopted by the
Government of India on 26 January
1950,only three lions are visible, the
fourth being hidden from view. The wheel
appears in relief in the center of the
abacus with a bull on
right and a horse on
left and the outlines of other
wheels on extreme right and
left. The bell-shaped lotus
has been omitted. The words
Satyameva Jayate from Mundaka
Upanishad, meaning ‘Truth Alone
Triumphs’, are inscribed below
the abacus in Devanagari script.
|
