About India: Indian National Emblem
What is a National Emblem?
A national emblem is an emblem or seal that is reserved for use by a nation state or multi-national state as a symbol of that nation. National emblems may appear on many things such as the national flag, coat of arms, or other patriotic materials.
History of the National Emblem
The emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion on an Ashoka pillar erected by Emperor Ashoka to mark the spot where Gautama Buddha first taught and where the Buddhist religion was born.
The emblem was adopted by the Government as the National emblem of India on 26th January 1950. Dinanath Bhargava sketched and illuminated India’s National Emblem and it is a part of the official letterhead of the Government of India and appears prominently on the diplomatic and national Passports of India. The emblem is also shown on the Indian Currency.
The Indian National Emblem
The Emblem is an adaptation of the Lion Capital of Asoka at Sarnath. In the original, there are four lions, mounted back to back, on a circular abacus, which itself rests on a bell-shaped lotus. The frieze of the abacus has sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion separated by intervening Dharma Chakras.
Indian National Emblem
The profile of the Lion Capital showing three lions mounted on the abacus with a Dharma Chakra in the centre, a bull on the right and a galloping horse on the left, and outlines of Dharma Chakras on the extreme right and left was adopted as the State Emblem of India on January 26, 1950. The bell-shaped lotus was omitted. The motto Satyameva Jayate, which means 'Truth Alone Triumphs', written in Devanagari script below the profile of the Lion Capital is part of the State Emblem of India
The National Emblem can be displayed in the following public buildings:
- Rashtrapati Bhawan
- Parliament House
- Supreme Court
- Central Secretariat buildings
- Raj Bhawan or Raj Niwas
- State Legislature
- High Courts
- Secretariat buildings of the States or the Union territories
- Premises of India’s Diplomatic Mission Abroad
- Residences of Heads of Missions in the countries of their accreditation
- At the entrance doors of buildings occupied by India’s Consulates abroad
List of Symbols of the Indian States and Union Territories
The states and union territories of India each have a distinctive set of official symbols as listed below
| States | Flower | Tree | |
| Andhra Pradesh | Bluewater lily | Neem | |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Foxtail orchid | — | |
| Assam | Foxtail orchid | Hollang | |
| Bihar | Kachnar | Peepal | |
| Chhattisgarh | Rhynchostylis gigantea | Sal | |
| Goa | Plumeria Rubra | Terninalia crenulate | |
| Gujarat | Marigold | Mango tree | |
| Haryana | Lotus | Pipal | |
| Himachal Pradesh | Pink Rhododendron | Himalaya Cedar | |
| Jharkhand | Palash | Sal | |
| Karnataka | Lotus | Sandalwood | |
| Kerala | Indian Laburnum | Coconut tree | |
| Madhya Pradesh | Madonna lily | Shala tree | |
| Maharashtra | Jarul | Mango tree | |
| Manipur | Siroi lily | Uningthou | |
| Meghalaya | Lady’s Slipper Orchid | Gamhar | |
| Mizoram | Aiting | Mesual Ferrea | |
| Nagaland | Tree rhododendron | Alder | |
| Odisha | Asoka | Aswattha | |
| Punjab | Gladiolus | Shisham | |
| Rajasthan | Rohida | Khejari | |
| Sikkim | Dendrobium Nobile | Rhododendron Niveum | |
| Tamil nadu | Kandhal | Palmrah | |
| Telegana | Tangidi Puvvu | Jammi Chettu | |
| Tripura | Mesua Ferrea | Agar | |
| Uttar Pradesh | Palash | Sita Ashok | |
| Uttarakhand | Brahm Kamal | Buransh | |
| West Bengal | Night-flowering jasmine | Chatim tree | |
| Union Territories | |||
| Andaman & Nicobar islands | Andaman Pyinma | Andaman Padauk | |
| Chandigarh | Dhak flower | Blue Jacaranda | |
| Delhi | Alfalfa | Flamboyant | |
| Dadar& Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | — | — | |
| Lakshadweep | Strobilanthes kunthiana | Breadfruit | |
| Puducherry | Cannonball | Vilva tree | |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Rhododendron ponticum | Chinar tree | |