Lion Capital of Ashoka
E25488
The Lion Capital of Ashoka is an ancient Mauryan sandstone sculpture from Sarnath featuring four back-to-back lions, revered as a symbol of power, courage, and the spread of Dharma in India.
Aliases (5)
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
capital (architecture)
→
national emblem → sculpture → |
| adoptedAsNationalEmblemBy |
India
→
|
| adoptionDateAsNationalEmblem |
26 January 1950
→
|
| appearsOn |
Indian currency
→
Indian passports → official documents of the Government of India → |
| associatedWith |
Buddhism
→
Dharma → |
| builtDuringReignOf |
Ashoka
→
|
| builtInCentury |
3rd century BCE
→
|
| country |
India
→
|
| creator |
Ashoka
→
|
| currentLocation |
Archaeological Museum Sarnath
→
Sarnath Museum → |
| depicts |
four back-to-back lions
→
four lions → |
| discoveredBy |
F. O. Oertel
→
|
| discoveryYear |
1905
→
|
| dynasty |
Maurya dynasty
→
|
| feature |
24-spoked wheel
→
Ashoka Chakra → bell-shaped lotus → bull relief → cylindrical abacus → elephant relief → horse relief → lion relief → wheel of Dharma → |
| foundIn |
Sarnath
→
|
| heritageStatus |
National symbol of India
→
|
| inscriptionLanguage |
Brahmi script
→
|
| inscriptionType |
Ashokan edict
→
|
| location |
Sarnath
→
|
| material |
polished sandstone
→
sandstone → |
| mountedOn |
Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath
→
|
| orientation |
lions facing four cardinal directions
→
|
| originalFunction |
pillar capital
→
|
| religiousSignificance |
Buddhist pilgrimage site context
→
|
| style |
Mauryan art
→
|
| symbolizes |
Dharma
→
courage → power → righteous governance → sovereignty of India → spread of Dharma → |
| usedAs |
National Emblem of India
→
|
Referenced by (6)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Satyameva Jayate
("Ashoka Pillar Lion Capital")
→
|
associatedWith |
|
State Emblem of India
("Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath")
→
|
basedOn |
|
Sarnath
("Lion Capital of Ashoka (original location)")
→
|
containsArtifact |
|
State Emblem of India
→
|
depicts |
|
Dominion of India
("Lion Capital of Ashoka (from 1949)")
→
|
emblem |
|
Indo-Tibetan Border Police
("Ashoka emblem")
→
|
emblemFeature |