State Emblem of India atop of the New Parliament building
- June 9, 2022
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
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State Emblem of India atop of the New Parliament building
Subject: History
Section: Art and Culture
Context
- The government may install the state emblem on the top of the under construction New Parliament building.
New Parliament building
- The government has set the ambitious October 2022 deadline for completion of the massive project with the aim to hold the next winter session of parliament in the new building.
- The emblem will be more than 20 feet tall.
- The state emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion capital of Ashoka.
- The new Parliament building with a built-up area of approximately 60,000 metre square, is set to come up on plot number 118 of the Parliament House Estate, which currently houses a reception, boundary walls and other temporary structures.
- The central foyer has been renamed the Constitution Hall as it is expected to display the Constitution for public viewing. A library will also come up near the central foyer.
- It will have sculptures of parliamentarians and images representing the diversity of India. At one side of the Constitution Hall will be the Constitution gallery, where the Constitution will be displayed.
- The triangular complex is designed to include 120 offices with six separate entrances for MPs and VIPs, including the Speaker and the vice president.
State emblem of India
- The national emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital, originally found atop the Ashoka Column at Sarnath, established in 250 BC.
- The capital has four Asiatic lions—symbolising power, courage, pride and confidence—seated on a circular abacus.
- The abacus has sculptures of a bull, a horse, a lion and an elephant.
- In the national emblem, three lions are visible; the abacus shows a bull and horse separated by a dharma chakra; the outlines of two more dharma chakras are visible on either side of the abacus.
- While Buddhist interpretations say the animals represent different phases of the Buddha’s life, non-religious interpretations say they depict the reign of emperor Ashoka in the four geographical directions, while the wheels depict his enlightened rule.
- The capital was adopted as the national emblem on January 26, 1950. It was chosen as a symbol of contemporary India’s reaffirmation of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill.