Why change in National Emblem’s original structure has stirred controversy

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently unveiled India’s National Emblem, which will be cast and placed on the roof of the new Parliament building. 

A number of opposition groups have criticised the sculpture’s four lions’ expressions, claiming that the Modi government has violated the Constitution.

The National Emblem:

Four lions facing four different directions are mounted back to back on a round abacus. They represent bravery, pride, power, and assurance.

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A bull, a horse, and an elephant are engraved on the circular abacus on which the lions sit. The other animals, including the lions, are thought to represent Gautam Buddha’s four stages of life. Lions symbolise the state of enlightenment.

Dharmachakras or Ashok Chakras separate animals. The upsidedown lotus, India’s official flower, provides as the structure’s foundation. It, however, does not form part of the Emblem.

The structural change:

“It is certainly a fresh version and not a copy of the original Lion Capital. The mane has highly varied detailing. When compared to the Sarnath version, the new model’s lion’s mane has a bolder, more abstract look and is more rhythmic”- Shivaji Panikkar, an art historian told Down To Earth.

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An ancient sculpture known as the Lion Capital of Ashoka was created around 280 BCE, during the reign of the Mauryan Empire. The Lion Capital of Ashoka, he added to the journal, has a far more refined and flawless form. He identified more distinctions. The original building was made of Chunar sandstone, not metal casting, like the present replica.

In contrast to the one yellow sandstone block used to construct Ashoka’s lion capital, this structure was constructed in many pieces before being put together.

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What is the new structure’s dispute about?

The new building is distinct from the original and appears “ferocious” with its exposed teeth, claim the opposition parties.

Congress asserts that the word “Satyamev Jayate” has been erased from the new structure atop the Parliament building.

Some opposition figures have compared the lion capital to a threatening, growling variation of the magnificent and graceful Ashokan lion, completely misunderstanding the lion capital’s intended message of peace.

The Modi administration disregarded the criticism. “Perspective and a sense of proportion. The perception of beauty is well known to depend on the observer. The same is true for both calm and fury ” – Hardeep Singh Puri, minister of housing and urban affairs for the Union, answered.