Lion capital of Sarnath

Also called: Sarnath lion capital, Lion capital of Ashoka · Topic: The Mauryan Empire · NCERT: Class 7, Ch 5 "The Rise of Empires"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Kings, Farmers and Towns"

Meaning

The Lion capital of Sarnath is the polished sandstone top (capital) of the pillar that Ashoka set up at Sarnath, near Varanasi. It shows four lions standing back to back above a round drum. The drum carries an elephant, a bull, a horse and a lion, with a dharmachakra (wheel) between each pair of animals.

It is called the finest piece of Mauryan sculpture. [2] Free India chose it as the State Emblem, and its wheel sits at the centre of the national flag. [4] Because of this link to modern India, it is one of the most tested Mauryan monuments.

Explanation

Background: why Ashoka put it at Sarnath

• Sarnath is a holy Buddhist place.
• The Buddha gave his first teaching (the first sermon) here.

• So a pillar here honoured the start of the Buddha's teaching.

• Ashoka used stone to send messages.

• After the Kalinga war, Ashoka (reigned c. 265–238 BCE, according to one source) felt deep sorrow at the killing. He then had moral lessons cut into stone for people to read. [6]

• Pillars, edicts (royal orders cut in stone) and stūpas (relic mounds) together carried his message across the empire. [5][6]

• The pillar itself is 15.25 m high. The lion capital sat on top of it. [2]

Main features: style and material

• Material: sandstone made in one piece.
• The Mauryan polish
• The stone was rubbed until it shone like glass.

• This mirror-like shine is the mark used to identify Mauryan-age stone work.

• The four lions

• They stand back to back and face the four directions.

• They stand for royal power.

• The drum (abacus) below the lions

• It carries four animals: elephant, bull, horse, lion.

• A dharmachakra (the wheel of the Buddha's teachings, also called the "wheel of law") separates each animal from the next.

• Base: the drum rests on a bell-shaped inverted lotus. This is the standard form of Mauryan pillar capitals in textbook descriptions.

• Meaning in one line: the lions show the king's power, and the wheels show the Buddha's teaching. Political power and religious message appear in a single carving.

Later life: from Mauryan pillar to national symbol

• Discovery and care
• The capital was found in Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) digs. [2]

• It is kept in the Sarnath Site Museum. The museum was set up in 1904 and is India's earliest site museum. [2]

• The State Emblem of India

• The capital was chosen as India's national emblem. [4] It was adopted on 26 January 1950, the day the Constitution came into force.
• In the emblem, only three lions can be seen. The fourth is hidden behind them.
• The emblem leaves out the bell-shaped lotus. The drum shows a wheel in the centre, a bull on the right and a horse on the left.

• The motto written below it is satyameva jayate, meaning "truth alone triumphs".

  • The full line is satyameva jayate nānṛitam, meaning "truth alone triumphs, not falsehood".
  • It comes from the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣhad.

• The national flag: the dharmachakra from the capital sits at the centre of the white band.

Time, place and evidence

• Period: Mauryan Empire, in the reign of Ashoka (c. 3rd century BCE). The note gives his reign as c. 265–238 BCE, but other books give slightly different dates. [6]
• Place: Sarnath, near Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh). This is where the Buddha gave his first sermon. [2]
• Key person: Ashoka, the Mauryan emperor who supported Buddhism and spread dhamma (his set of moral rules for everyone, whatever their religion).
• How we know about it
• Archaeology: the capital itself was found in ASI excavations. It is now in the Sarnath Site Museum (1904). [2]
• Style evidence: the high Mauryan polish shows that the work belongs to the Mauryan age.

• Official records: the Government of India's National Portal describes it as the State Emblem. [4]

• Heritage status: the "Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath" has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List (PIB release). [3]

Don't confuse with

• Sanchi lion capital: this Ashokan capital also has four lions, but it comes from Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh). The Sarnath capital is the one used as the State Emblem.
• Rampurva bull capital: this Mauryan capital from Bihar shows a single bull, not four lions.
• Dhauli elephant: a life-size elephant cut out of the living rock at Dhauli, near Bhubaneswar (Odisha). Only its front part is carved, and an Ashokan edict is cut on the rock below. It is rock-cut, not a pillar capital. [5]
• Bodh Gaya vs Sarnath: the Buddha gained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. He gave his first sermon at Sarnath, and the lion capital belongs to Sarnath.

Prelims Hooks

• Sarnath lion capital → Ashoka (Mauryan dynasty) → stands on a 15.25 m pillar at the site of the Buddha's first sermon. [2]
• Animals on the drum: elephant, bull, horse, lion, separated by dharmachakras. Trap: the four lions on top are separate from the four animals on the drum.
• In the State Emblem, three lions are visible, with a bull on the right and a horse on the left of the wheel. The motto satyameva jayate is taken from the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣhad. [4]
• The capital is kept in the Sarnath Site Museum (1904), India's earliest site museum. [2]
• The glass-like polish is the key mark of Mauryan stone work. Use it to pick the "Mauryan" option in art questions.
• The dharmachakra from the capital appears at the centre of the national flag. [4]

Mains Points

• Art as a state message
• The lions stand for royal power, and the wheels stand for the Buddha's teaching.
• Ashoka used pillars, edicts and stūpas as one communication system across a huge empire. [5][6]

• The capital is a good GS-I example of art that carries political and religious meaning together.

• Continuity into modern India

• The new Republic took the Sarnath capital as its State Emblem, put its wheel on the flag, and took its motto from the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣhad. [4]

• In doing so, it chose an ancient, pan-Indian symbol linked to peace and dhamma, not a regional or dynasty-based one.

• Heritage and technical skill

• The polished, one-piece stone work shows advanced Mauryan craft skill.
• The capital's care in India's first site museum and Sarnath's UNESCO listing show how ancient heritage is protected today. [2][3]

Related concepts

• Rampurva bull capital
• Lauriya Nandangarh pillar
• Vaishali lion pillar
• Dhauli elephant

Read more

• Mauryan art and everyday life