 |
| an. wikimedia.org |
lions being used in all government bonds, passports, stamp papers, court stamps, etc. This unique carving once topped one of Ashoka's pillars at Sarnath.
 | |
|
 |
| Geographical spread of known pillar capitals. en.wikipedia.org |
|
| an. wikimedia.org |
The following are interesting facts about Ashoka's pillars:
01. They are the earliest known stone pillars with inscriptions and in the earlier period before 3rd century BC only wooden pillars topped by animal sculptures in copper metal existed; none have survived.
 |
| Ashok's edicts, locations indmaps.com |
 |
| Saranath lion capital upload.wikimedia.org |
Above image; Ashoka pillar with lion capital, with Wheels of the moral Law represent; 3rd century BCE; the most celebrated of the Ashokan pillars. This is the site of Buddha's First Sermon where he shared the Four Noble Truths (the dharma or the law). The pillar remains in the same place where it was originally sunk into the ground, but the capital is now on display at the Sarnath museum Among the 24 spokes in the wheel, 12 represent 12 sufferings............
 |
| Bull capital, atop Ashok pillaren.wikimedia.org |
03. Among the seven remaining complete capitals, five with lions, one with an elephant and one with a zebu bull are well-recorded. One of them, the four lions of Sainath, has become the State Emblem of India.
04. Two pillars were relocated by Firoz Shah Tughlaq to Delhi and under the Mogul rule, many of these pillars were relocated with the removal of animal capital. The rulers were against idolatry They transported the pillars dragging them over a hundred plus miles from original place to the new location.
05. The average height of the pillars is 40 to 50 feet, each weighing as much as whopping 50 tons.
 |
| Ashoka pillar- Delhi-Meerut. Delhi-Meerut en.wikipedia.org |
 |
| Ashoka's pillar, with no capital Feroz Shah kotla, Delhi. Alamy |
Above images: Ashoka pillar in the image are without the capital, apparently broken in transit or removed as Delhi rulers were against idolatry.........................
06. These pillars were meant to commemorate the visit of Ashoka to those places.
07. The pillars are carved from two-types of sandstone (buff colored and fine grained) quarried from Chunar near Varanasi or red-white colored from Mathura region. It seems the pillars were transported to their sites, before or after carving, however, it is not clear.
08. That the carvings are uniform suggests that they were done in the same region by the craftsmen and then taken to different places for erection. It seems that the selected stone was taken from Mathura and Chunar to various sites where the pillars are located now, and there it was cut to size and carved by talented craftsmen
09. The pillars, basically, consist of four component parts in two pieces: the three sections of the capitals make a single piece, often made of a different stone to that of the monolithic cylindrical, circular shaft to which they are attached by a large metal dowel.
The shaft tappers upwards.
10. The amazing feature of the Mauryan art is the crowning animals shown either seated or standing, always in the round and chiseled as a single piece with the abaci (slab on the capital of column).
11. The Ashoka's pillar edicts are mainly monolithic i.e. cut out a single piece of stone. They do not stand on base. The inscriptions have definite cultural and religious connotations.
.
12. Unlike Persian pillars that contain human figurine, Ashokan pillars contain the animal capital atop the pillar. Yet another distinction is Ashoka's cylindrical pillars taper upward and differ from Persian pillars that have uniform cross section through-out.
07. The pillars are carved from two-types of sandstone (buff colored and fine grained) quarried from Chunar near Varanasi or red-white colored from Mathura region. It seems the pillars were transported to their sites, before or after carving, however, it is not clear.
08. That the carvings are uniform suggests that they were done in the same region by the craftsmen and then taken to different places for erection. It seems that the selected stone was taken from Mathura and Chunar to various sites where the pillars are located now, and there it was cut to size and carved by talented craftsmen
09. The pillars, basically, consist of four component parts in two pieces: the three sections of the capitals make a single piece, often made of a different stone to that of the monolithic cylindrical, circular shaft to which they are attached by a large metal dowel.
The shaft tappers upwards.
 |
| Ashoka's pilla, Sanchi.letsseeindia.com |
10. The amazing feature of the Mauryan art is the crowning animals shown either seated or standing, always in the round and chiseled as a single piece with the abaci (slab on the capital of column).
11. The Ashoka's pillar edicts are mainly monolithic i.e. cut out a single piece of stone. They do not stand on base. The inscriptions have definite cultural and religious connotations.
.
12. Unlike Persian pillars that contain human figurine, Ashokan pillars contain the animal capital atop the pillar. Yet another distinction is Ashoka's cylindrical pillars taper upward and differ from Persian pillars that have uniform cross section through-out.
 |
| One of the Pillars of Ashoka, in Vaishali.en.wikipedia.org |
13. Five of the pillars of Ashoka possibly marked the course of the ancient Royal highway from Pataliputra to the Nepal valley - two at Rampurva, one each at Vaishali, Lauriya-Araraj and Lauria Nandangarh.
 |
| Vaishali lion of Ashoka upload.wikimedia.org |
Above image: The four lions on the Indian National Emblem symbolize power, courage, confidence, and pride........
14. The Vaishali lion of Ashoka is quite impressive, so is the depiction of a lion at Nineveh.
15. Ashoka' source of inspiration could be: Achaemenid column with lotus capital and animals, Persepolis, 6th-4th c. BCE.
16. Foreign influences could be noticed in the carving of capital, so is the design in the abacus - Greek art.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillars_of_Ashoka
.jpg)
.jpg)
