On 11th July, Prime Minister Modi presented the cast of the Indian flag that is displayed on the new Parliament building roof. The four lions’ expression in the sculpture has drawn criticism from a number of opposition groups, who claim that the Modi government has broken the Constitution.
The national Emblem unveiled atop the new Parliament structure drew an objection from historian S Irfan Habib as well.
“It was completely needless and avoidable to tamper with our national Emblem. Why should our lions appear fearsome and distraught? These are the lions from Ashoka that independent India adopted in 1950, “explained Habib.
According to Business Standard, the Central government justified the casting of the national Emblem by claiming that it followed a carefully thought out protocol and was the result of research.
Also, the Emblem designer nullifies the opposition’s allegation by stating that the “emblem looks tampered due to the angle of sight on its large size.”
The recently built Emblem is 6.5 meters high and 4.34 meters broad. It is constructed of bronze and is 9.500 kg in weight. Laxman Vyas and Sunil Deore designed the Emblem, and it was manufactured in Delhi, Jaipur, and Aurangabad.
The bronze sculpture was finished in nine months.
As the Republic’s seal, the national Emblem is one of the most recognizable markers of the country’s identity. On 26th January 1950, ours was adopted from the Lion Capital of one of the Ashoka Pillars. The motto “Satyamev Jayate,” which is derived from the Mundaka Upanishad and means “truth always wins,” was also chosen along with the symbol.
Our country’s Emblem features four lions facing four different directions mounted back to back on a circular abacus. They stand for valor, pride, strength, and assurance.
Three engravings of bulls, horses, and elephants are added to a circular abacus on which the lions are perched. The four stages of Gautam Buddha’s life are thought to be represented by the animals, including the lions. Lions represent the level of enlightenment.
Taurus, the sign of the Buddha, is represented by the bull. The elephant symbolizes his beginning. The horse represents the journey he took after delivering his opening sermon in the citadel.
Dharmachakras or Ashok Chakras are used to divide the animals. The inverted lotus, India’s official flower, serves as the foundation for the aforementioned building. It does not, however, form a component of the Emblem.
Only one Ashok Chakra is visible in the front of the National Emblem’s 2D representation, which also includes a galloping horse to the left and a bull to the right of it. The Buddhist Dharma Chakra is thought to be related to the Ashok Chakra.
According to historians, the four animals—a lion for the north, an elephant for the east, a horse for the south, and a bull for the west—are thought to be the guardians of the four cardinal directions.
In 250 BC, the Lion Capital was built in Sarnath. In Uttar Pradesh’s Sarnath, Buddha delivered his inaugural sermon. Friedrich Oscar Oertel excavated it in 1905. And when the country gained independence, while the leaders were searching for a national symbol, liberation fighter and civil service employee Badruddin Tyabji and his wife Surayya Tyabji recommended using the Lion Capital as the Emblem.
While Constitution was being written, Dinanath Bhargava was chosen to create the National Emblem. Bhargava drew the Constitution’s opening page’s Emblem while being guided by Nandalal Bose, who created illustrations for the document.