National Emblem / Coat of Arms · India

State Emblem of India

Officially designated Reported

The State Emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath. The motto "Satyameva Jayate" (Truth alone triumphs), from the Mundaka Upanishad, is inscribed below it in Devanagari script.

The State Emblem of India is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, a sculpture from about the 3rd century BCE discovered at Sarnath near Varanasi. The original shows four Asiatic lions standing back to back on a circular abacus; in the emblem three lions are visible, with a wheel (chakra) in the centre of the base, a bull on the right and a galloping horse on the left.

The words Satyameva Jayate – "Truth alone triumphs", from the Mundaka Upanishad – are inscribed below in Devanagari script. The emblem was adopted on 26 January 1950, the day the Constitution came into force. It appears on government documents, currency and passports, and its use is regulated by the State Emblem of India (Prohibition of Improper Use) Act, 2005.

Sources & references

  1. National Portal of India – National Identity Elements – Government of India , retrieved 10 Oct 2026 Reported