RAS question
The Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka became India's national emblem. It originally had:
Correct answer: (B) Four lions sitting back-to-back on an abacus with a Dharma Chakra below.
The Sarnath Lion Capital originally had four Asiatic lions mounted back to back on a circular abacus, with Dharma Chakras separating the animal figures below.
Explanation
The Sarnath Lion Capital is the original sculptural source from which India’s State Emblem was adapted. The official schedule to the State Emblem of India Act describes the Lion Capital as four lions mounted back to back on a circular abacus. On the abacus frieze are an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion, separated by intervening Dharma Chakras; the abacus rests on a bell-shaped lotus. The emblem adopted for official use shows the profile view with three lions visible, a Dharma Chakra in the centre, the bull and horse on either side, and the lotus omitted. Therefore, the MCQ’s substance is the original Sarnath composition, not merely the visible three-lion profile of the State Emblem.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Six lions is wrong because the official description of the Lion Capital specifies four lions, not six.
- (C) One lion is wrong because the original capital was a group of four lions mounted back to back on the abacus.
- (D) Two lions is wrong because the Sarnath Lion Capital is defined by four lions, even though only three appear in the adopted profile view.
Concept
This tests Mauryan art through the Sarnath Lion Capital and its later use as India’s State Emblem. It matters for RAS because the question joins art-history identification with national-symbol details such as the abacus, Dharma Chakra and adopted profile.