The Mauryan Emperor Ashoka, who ruled over the Indian Subcontinent between 268 BC to 232 BC, is known to have erected hundreds of stone pillars across the subcontinent. These pillars known as Ashokan pillars were inscribed with edicts carrying his message of Dhamma (Dharma), or the codes of righteous living. Many of these pillars had mounted capital on top. A capital consisted of three parts - a bell shaped inverted lotus which was inspired by Achaemenid architecture of ancient Persia, an abacus which was either cylinderical, circular or rectangular in shape and was decorated with floral or animal designs, and a mounted animal figure on top of the abacus.
The most celebrated of all Ashokan pillars is the one erected at Sarnath near Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh - the site where Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon. The capital of this pillar is one of the most remarkable piece of Mauryan sculptural art and has been adopted as the National Emblem of Bharat i.e India.
The Sarnath capital consists of the traditional bell shaped inverted lotus, a cylinderical abacus and four Asiatic lions standing back to back atop the abacus. On the abacus are carved four animals that represent the four cardinal directions: a horse (west), an ox (east), an elephant (south), and a lion (north).Each of the animals can also be identified by each of the four perils of samsara (world)
A spoked wheel or chakra separates these animals from one another. The 24 spokes of the Chakra represent the number of hours in a day, and portray the passage of time. The moving animals follow one another endlessly turning the wheel of existence. The four lions atop the abacus, are facing in the four cardinal directions. Their mouths are open roaring or spreading the dharma, the Four Noble Truths, across the land. The lion references the Buddha, formerly Shakyamuni, a member of the Shakya (lion) clan. The lion is also a symbol of royalty and leadership and may also represent the Buddhist king Ashoka who ordered these columns. A spoked wheel or DharmaChakra was originally mounted above the lions but is now missing.
The entire capital is read from bottom to top. The lotus represents the murky water of the mundane world and the four animals on the abacus remind the practitioner of the unending cycle of samsara (world) as we remain, through our ignorance and fear, stuck in the material world. But the chakras (wheels) between them offer the promise of the Eightfold Path, that guide one to the unmoving center at the hub of the wheel. The lions are the Buddha himself from whom the knowledge of release from samsara is possible. And the chakra that once stood at the apex represents moksha, the release from samsara. The symbolism of moving up the column toward Enlightenment parallels the way in which the practitioner meditates on the stupa in order to attain the same goal.
The Lion Capital is one of the greatest specimen of ancient Indian craftsmanship. The capital was carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, and was always a separate piece from the column itself. The carvings on the capital are of highest order. The majestic lions mounted on top of the abacus feature minute detailing. Another remarkable feature of the capital is the fine mirror like polish over the sandstone that has survived 2500 years!
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