, 3rd century BCE,
Sarnath Museum The
emblem forms a part of the official letterhead of the
Government of India and appears on all Indian
currency as well. It also functions as the national emblem of India in many places and appears prominently on
Indian passports. Usage of the emblem is regulated and restricted under
State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005, under which no individual or private organisation is permitted to use the emblem for official correspondence. The
Ashoka Chakra (Ashoka wheel) on its base features in the centre of the
National Flag of India. The actual Sarnath
capital features four
Asiatic lions standing back to back, symbolising power, courage, confidence and pride, mounted on a circular base. At the bottom is a horse and a bull, and at its centre is a
Dharma chakra. The
abacus is girded with a
frieze of sculptures in high relief of The Lion of the North, The Horse of the West, The Bull of the South and The Elephant of the East, separated by intervening wheels, over a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. Carved from a single block of sandstone, the polished capital is crowned by the
Wheel of Dharma. In the emblem finally adopted, 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. A horse and a bull are represented right below the abacus. The bull represents hard work and steadfastness, while the horse represents loyalty, speed, and energy. The bell-shaped lotus beneath the abacus has been omitted. Forming an integral part of the emblem is the
motto inscribed below the abacus in
Devanagari script:
Satyameva Jayate (; translation: "
Truth Alone Triumphs"). This is a quote from the
Mundaka Upanishad, the concluding part of the sacred Hindu
Vedas. == Emblems of National Bodies ==