The Sarnath lion capital, from which the symbol of the republic of India was derived, has a message if someone wishes to hear. This object made of delicate sandstone, about 2.31 metres or 7.5 feet in height, is, above all other images to be found in India, the most significant to this country. This image needs to be protected and respected for the symbolic value it holds for our country today, as we are about to celebrate another Independence Day.

Sarnath, in Uttar Pradesh, is one of the most beautiful sites in the world. It marks the place where the Buddha delivered his first sermon, taught his first disciples, set up the first Buddhist sangha or order, and introduced the world to his doctrine of ahimsa and non-injury to others. Sarnath is just 10 kilometres north of Varanasi, and was said to be a peaceful forest teeming with deer at the time of the Buddha. It was in this tranquil place that the reluctant Buddha was persuaded by his followers to teach and speak of his experience of enlightenment that took place under the Bodhi tree at Bodh Gaya, in Bihar.

This site continued to be held in esteem for centuries by many rulers and devotees, and stupas, dharamshalas and statues were erected in this place to commemorate this great event of the Buddha’s first sermon and his gentle teachings of peace.

Sarnath, it appears from the profusion of sculptures found here, became an attractive pilgrimage centre and a busy workshop for artists. The collection of sculptures to be found in the ASI museum here stand testimony to the fervent artistic and religious activity at Sarnath more than a thousand years ago. The most important sculpture found here is the lion capital.

Polished stone

The four lions formed a capital that once crowned a free-standing pillar erected by Emperor Asoka at the holy site of Sarnath. What one does not see on all Indian coins or representations of the Sarnath lion capital is that the original was made of pale yellowish-gray speckled sandstone that has been polished and burnished like metal, so that its surface still shines today after 2,000 years.

This art of highly polished sandstone sculptures is associated with the times of the Mauryan emperor Asoka of the 3rd century BC. Asoka turned to Buddhism after the dreadful battle of Kalinga when he realized that the human and financial price of war was no longer tenable. Once he converted, he erected throughout his kingdom pillars carrying Buddhist symbols to mark places of special religious significance.

The middle path

The Sarnath lion capital has four lions seated back to back and their snarling (smiling?) faces gaze toward the cardinal directions — North, South, East and West — that they protect. Below is a band with four wheels separated by fine renditions of four animals. The emblem of the wheel signifies the law of dharma, of spiritual progress (surely not merely material progress).The dharmachakra is a potent Buddhist symbol because it signifies the historic importance of Sarnath. For it is here that the Buddha set the spiritual wheel in motion by preaching of dharma and showing people the middle path.

Separating the four wheels are symbolic attributes that each devotee should acquire: the patient devotion of the majestic bull, the trustworthy strength and wisdom of the elephant, the ever-fearless vigilant power of the lion, and the swiftness and grace of the horse. The dharmachakra, the bull, an elephant, a lion and a horse — symbols of duty, wisdom, devotion, strength,vigilance and speed — were chosen as the seal of the Indian republic. This one sculpture of great depth and vision is open to interpretation and can speak volumes, if anyone is listening.