Question

The four headed Lion capital from Ashoka’s pillar at _________ is our National emblem.
A) Sanchi
B) Sarnath
C) Pataliputra
D) Ujjain

Answer 1

Hint: The national emblem has 4 faces which means directions i.e. North, South, East and West.Our national capital symbol is preserved in Varanasi. It was initially adopted as the emblem of the Dominion of India in December 1947.

Complete answer:
An adaptation of the Lion Capital of Ashoka from 250 BCE at Sarnath, kept in the Sarnath Museum near Varanasi, is the State Emblem of India, as the Republic of India's national emblem. There are four lions in 4 separate directions, namely north, east, south and west. In December 1947, a depiction of the Lion Capital of Ashoka was initially adopted as the Dominion of India symbol.

On 26 January 1950, the day when India became a republic, the present design of the symbol was formally adopted. The real capital of Sarnath features four Asian lions, mounted on a circular base, standing back to back, symbolizing strength, bravery, trust, and pride. There is a horse and a bull at the foot, and a wheel in the middle (Dharma chakra).

The abacus is framed by a frieze of high relief statues of The Lion of the North, The Horse of the West, The Donkey of the South and The Elephant of the East, divided by intermediate wheels, in full bloom over a lotus, representing the fountainhead of creation and artistic inspiration. Carved from a single block of sandstone, the Wheel of the Statute crowns the polished capital (Dharma Chakra).

Sanchi is a town in Madhya Pradesh and Ujjain is a city and a district in Madhya Pradesh. Pataliputra which is now Patna is the capital of Bihar. However, Sarnath (Option B) which is 10 km from Varanasi is the right answer because our national emblem is located there.

Hence the correct answer is option ‘B’.

Note:
i) The motto written below the abacus in the Devanagari script is an integral part of the emblem: Satyameva Jayate which means "Truth alone triumphs".
ii) It is a passage from the closing section of the ancient Hindu Vedas, Mundaka Upanishad.
iii) Our national emblem is used on Passport, Indian currency and even used as a seal or on coat of arms which are used as official governmental symbols.