The correct option is The National Emblem of Independent India.
Explanation
The Sarnath Lion Capital is a sculpture originally placed atop the Ashoka Pillar at Sarnath by Emperor Ashoka around 250 BCE. It marks the site of the Buddha's first sermon, known as the Dharmachakraparivartana.
Detailed Analysis:
- The Government of India adopted the Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath as the National Emblem on January 26, 1950.
- In the original sculpture, there are four Asiatic lions standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull, and a lion separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus.
- In the adopted National Emblem:
- Only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden from view.
- The wheel appears in relief in the center of the abacus with a bull on the right and a horse on the left.
- The bell-shaped lotus base (inverted lotus) was omitted.
- The crowning wheel (Dharmachakra) which originally sat atop the lions is also not part of the official emblem representation, though the wheel on the abacus remains central.
- The motto Satyameva Jayate ("Truth Alone Triumphs") from the Mundaka Upanishad is inscribed below the abacus in Devanagari script.
Key Takeaway:
The National Emblem of India is a specific adaptation of the Mauryan Sarnath Lion Capital, adopted on January 26, 1950, which excludes the inverted lotus base found in the original artifact.