State emblem of India - Wikipedia State emblem of India State Emblem of India Details Armiger Republic of India Adopted 26 January 1950 Motto Satyameva Jayate ( `` Truth Alone Triumphs '' ) The State Emblem of India, as the national emblem of India is called, is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath, preserved in the Varanasi Sarnath Museum in India. A representation of Lion Capital of Ashoka was initially adopted as the emblem of the Dominion of India in December 1947. The current version of the emblem was officially adopted on 26 January 1950, the day that India became a republic. Contents 1 Usage and description 2 Emblems of national bodies 3 Historic seals and emblems 3.1 Pre-colonial India 3.2 British rule in India 3.3 Portuguese rule in India 3.4 Dominion of India 4 See also 5 References Usage and description The emblem forms a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India and appears on all Indian currency as well. It also functions as the national emblem of India in many places and appears prominently on Indian passports. The Ashoka Chakra ( wheel ) on its base features in the centre of the national flag of India. The usage of the emblem is regulated and restricted under State Emblem of India ( Prohibition of Improper Use ) Act, 2005. No individual or private organisation is permitted to use the emblem for official correspondence. The actual Sarnath capital features four Asiatic lions standing back to back, symbolizing power, courage, confidence and pride, mounted on a circular base. At the bottom is a horse and a bull, and at its centre is a wheel ( Dharma chakra ). The abacus is girded with a frieze of sculptures in high relief of The Lion of the North, The Horse of the West, The Bull of the South and The Elephant of the East, separated by intervening wheels, over a lotus in full bloom, exemplifying the fountainhead of life and creative inspiration. Carved from a single block of sandstone, the polished capital is crowned by the Wheel of the Law ( Dharma Chakra ). In the emblem adopted by Madhav Sawhney in 1950, only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of the abacus, with a bull on the right and a galloping horse on the left, and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left. The bell - shaped lotus beneath the abacus has been omitted. Forming an integral part of the emblem is the motto inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script : Satyameva Jayate सत्यमेव जयते ( English : Truth Alone Triumphs ). This is a quote from Mundaka Upanishad, the concluding part of the sacred Hindu Vedas. Dinanath Bhargava was the man handpicked by legendary painter Nandalal Bose to design the National Emblem as a 21 - year - old. He died at his home in Anand Nagar, Indore, on Saturday evening, the 24th December 2016. He was 89 years old. The original Lion Capital of Ashoka Ashoka Stambha at Indian Museum, Kolkata Early photograph. Photograph at time of discovery. Sarnath pillar capital of Ashoka. Emblems of national bodies Emblem of the Supreme Court of India Emblem of the Central Bureau of Investigation Emblem of the Research and Analysis Wing Historic seals and emblems Pre-colonial India Seal of the Mughal Empire Coat of arms of the British East India Company which ruled most of the subcontinent after the Marathas until 1857 British rule in India Coat of arms of the United Kingdom, used for official documents, publications and correspondence from the Parliament of the United Kingdom during the British Raj ( 1858 - 1947 ) Star of India, official emblem of British India used within India during the British Raj. Portuguese rule in India Coat of arms of Portuguese India ( 1600 - 1935 ) Lesser coat of arms of Portuguese India ( 1935 - 1961 ) Greater coat of arms of Portuguese India ( 1935 - 1951 ) Greater coat of arms of Portuguese India ( 1951 - 1961 ) Dominion of India Coat of arms of the United Kingdom used by the Dominion of India ( August -- December 1947 ) Emblem used by the Dominion of India ( December 1947 - January 1950 ) Emblem of the Constituent Assembly of India See also Symbols of Indian states and territories References ^ Jump up to : `` Press Communique ' - State Emblem '' ( PDF ). Press Information Bureau of India - Archive. Archived ( PDF ) from the original on 8 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` State Emblem ''. Know India. Government of India. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2016. Jump up ^ `` The State Emblem Of India ( Prohibition Of Improper Use ) Act, 2005 '' ( PDF ). 20 December 2005. p. 4. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 19 March 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2012. Jump up ^ Kamal Dey v. Union of India and State of West Bengal ( Calcutta High Court 2011 - 07 - 14 ). Text Jump up ^ `` Rajya Sabha Parliamentary Standing Committee On Home Affairs : 116th Report on The State Emblem Of India ( Prohibition Of Improper Use ) Bill, 2004 '' ( PDF ). Archived from the original ( PDF ) on 8 March 2013. Jump up ^ `` Artist who sketched national emblem dies ''. Times of India. Times of India. Retrieved 16 February 2017. 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Question: significance of horse and bull on national emblem
Answer: the fountainhead of life