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

The differences between the new emblem and the original Lion Capital of Ashoka at Sarnath are very much visible, said Rajmohan Gandhi, a historian currently teaching at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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.

India's 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.