Emblem row: Historians say aggressive lions lack basic essence of Ashokan originals

Animated or aggressive? Debate over the emblem atop the new Parliament building rages with several historians dismayed that the essence of the original “protective” Ashokan lions has been effaced while others say the differences are minuscule and no two pieces of art can be identical.

Indias emblematic lions have been under a close scanner since Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week unveiled the cast of the national emblem. The discourse it evoked was immediate and polarised.

According to several historians, including Harbans Mukhia, Rajmohan Gandhi, Kunal Chakrabarti and Nayanjot Lahiri, the new lions are “dissimilar” when compared to the Ashokan specimens and dont exude the same calm and peace.

Fellow historian Paromita Das Gupta disagreed, arguing that the lions in the recent cast look bigger and more animated, true to the animals character.

“The artists who created them are more than 2,500 years apart, hence the craftsmanship will understandably differ. It cannot be a carbon copy as no two works of art are identical,” the assistant professor at Hyderabads Mahindra University told

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