Unknown Artist
Ashoka was the third ruler of the Maurya dynasty in India. For the first eight years of his reign he was a fearsome tyrant who earned the title of Chandashoka or Ashoka the ruthless. In 261 BCE, Ashoka invaded the neighboring state of Kalinga. Even though he won the battle, 300,000 lives were lost. Guilt and remorse from the bloodshed overwhelmed Ashoka and lead him to adopt Buddhism. He then dedicated himself to the propagation of the religion and commissioned many Buddhist monuments.
Ashokan pillars, the earliest known remains of stone sculptures in the Indian subcontinent, are found at Buddhist places of pilgrimage, usually with an animal capital and inscriptions of Ashoka's edicts. The columns (not pictured) reveal foreign influence. Visually similar columns crowned by sphinxes were commonplace in ancient Greece. Further, the placing of animals on Lotiform pillars (shaped like a lotus) is also reminiscent of Achaemenid columns of the First Persian Empire.
This Lion Capital is carved out of a single block of yellow sandstone and features four lions sitting back-to-back on a cylindrical base with a chakra or wheel under each lion. Lions were often used to symbolize Buddha. Next to the chakras are another lion, an elephant, an ox, and a horse, representing North, South, East, and West respectively.
While many Ashokan pillars still exist, the Lion Capital remains a prominent motif in present-day India since its adoption as the national emblem in 1950.
- Maya Tola
P.S. If you're a fan of lions' depictions in art, check out Rosa Bonheur’s magnificent lions and portraits of wildlife here.