The famous Lion Capital of Ashoka was originally erected at Sarnath. Ashoka commissioned the polished sandstone capital in the 3rd century BCE, probably around 250 BCE, to mark Sarnath, where Buddhist tradition says Gautama Buddha delivered his first sermon.
The capital shows four Asiatic lions seated back-to-back on a circular abacus. Beneath them are a lion, elephant, bull, and galloping horse, separated by Dharma wheels. A large wheel once stood above the lions, but only fragments survive.
The monument was carved from a single block of sandstone and formed the top of an Ashokan pillar. The pillar later broke and was buried, while the capital was excavated at Sarnath in 1904–05. The original sculpture is now preserved in the Sarnath Archaeological Museum.
A common mix-up is confusing the original site with the capital's modern location. The sculpture remains in the museum, but its historical setting—and the pillar it crowned—was Sarnath. Its design became the basis of India's national emblem.