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The Lion Capital of Ashoka is a sculpture of four lions standing back to back. It was originally placed atop the Aśoka pillar at Sarnath, now in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The pillar, sometimes called the Aśoka Column is still in its original location, but the Lion Capital is now in the Sarnath Museum. The Lion Capital is the national emblem of India.

The capital contains 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 spoked chariot-wheels over a bell-shaped lotus. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the capital was believed to be crowned by a 'Wheel of the Dharma' (Dharmachakra), which has now been lost.

The Lion Capital is the zoomorphic representation of the sun god.

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Indian art | Indian culture | National symbols of India

Emblème de l'Inde

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Lion Capital of Asoka".

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