The National Emblem that will crown India’s new Parliament

The National Emblem that will crown India’s new Parliament

Subject: Governance

Context:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveiled the National Emblem cast on the roof of the new Parliament building.

National Emblem:

• The state emblem of India was an adaption from the Sarnath ‘Lion Capital of Asoka’
• The ‘Lion Capital’ has four lions mounted back to back on a circular abacus.
• The frieze of the abacus is adorned with sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull, and a lion separated by intervening Dharma Chakras
• The new National Emblem is cast at the top of the Central Foyer of the new Parliament building, the 6.5-metre-high National Emblem is made of bronze, and weighs 9,500 kg
• A supporting structure of steel weighing around 6,500 kg has been constructed to support the Emblem.

State Emblem:

• The Lion Capital depicts four Asiatic lions sitting next to one another on a cylindrical base with four Ashok Chakras carved on it. The lions represent courage, pride, power and
• The national emblem, in 2D vision, shows only three lions. In the 2D vision, only one Ashok Chakra is visible in the front with a galloping horse, a bull and an elephant. Below the Lion Capital in the national emblem, the country’s national motto ‘Satyameva Jayate’ is written in Devnagiri script, which means ‘Truth alone triumphs.’
• The Ashok Chakra symbolises the ‘wheel of Dharma (religion) or law’ in Buddhism. Ashok built Sarnath back in 250 BC and the pillar was known as Ashok Stambh.

Regulation surrounding the emblem

• The national emblem is a symbol of the Indian government, and is the official seal of the President of India and the central and state governments. It is a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India, and appears on all Indian currency as well as passports.
• Before the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act (2005) and the State Emblem of India (Regulation of Use) Rules (2007), the use of the national emblem was governed by a set of executive instructions, without any legal sanctions. However, these two acts now legally regulate its use.
• The 2007 Act puts down rules regulating who may use the national emblem and how.
• According to the Schedule of the 2005 Act, “The State Emblem of India shall conform to the designs as set out in Appendix I or Appendix II” of the Act.
• However, the Act also mentions that the central government has the right “to do all such things (including the specification of design of the emblem and its use in the manner whatsoever) as the Central Government considers
• necessary or expedient for the exercise of the foregoing powers.” The central government, therefore, has the freedom to make changes to the designs of the emblem specified in the Act’s appendices.
• By making amendments to this act, the central government could legally change the national emblem entirely.

History

• The national emblem, adopted by the Republic of India on 26 January 1950, is an adaptation of the Lion Capital that stood atop the Ashoka Pillar in Uttar Pradesh’s Sarnath.
• The pillar, built by the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, stands at the site of Buddha’s First Sermon where he is believed to have shared the Four Noble Truths (the dharma or the law), and represents India’s sovereignty and its birth as a republic.
• The original structure features four Asiatic lions seated back to back facing the four cardinal directions. The lion references the Buddha, who was known as the ‘Lion of the Shakyas’ (Shakyasimha) in reference to the clan of his birth, the Shakyas.
• The lions are seated atop a circular abacus with a frieze of sculptures of a bull, a horse, a lion and an elephant facing the four directions. The sculptures are in high relief, and a dharma chakra can be seen between the bull and the horse.
• Some Buddhist interpretations say the sculptures represent different stages of Buddha’s life, while some contend, they represent the reign of Emperor Ashoka (himself a Buddhist), while the wheels are interpreted to represent his enlightened rule. Below the abacus is a base shaped like a lotus, an important symbol of Buddhism.
• The Lion Capital was chosen by India in 1950 as a reaffirmation of independent and contemporary India’s “ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill“, values espoused by the Buddha and Emperor Ashoka through the Lion Capital.
• The adaptation of the Lion Capital for India’s national emblem was sketched by Dinanath Bhargava, an artist chosen by legendary painter Nandalal Bose.
• In the national emblem, only three of the lions are visible, and the lotus base is omitted. A bull and a horse are visible beneath the lions, separated by a dharma chakra. The motto “Satyameva Jayate” – Truth alone Triumphs – is written in Devanagari script below the profile of the Lion Capital.

What is Central Vista Redevelopment Project?

• It refers to the ongoing redevelopment to revamp the Central Vista, India’s central administrative area located near Raisina Hill, New Delhi.
• The Central Vista was first designed by architect Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, when the capital of the British Raj was moved from Calcutta to Delhi.
• It was inaugurated in January 18, 1927, by then Governor General of India Lord Irwin
• The new building will have six granite statues of important personalities, four galleries each for the two Houses of Parliament, three ceremonial foyers, three India galleries, and one Constitution gallery
• Bimal Patel of HCP Designs, Ahmedabad, is the architect in charge of the building, which is triangular in shape, and incorporates architectural styles from around India