Nagpur's skyline now features a heavyweight symbol of national pride. In an engineering feat, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has installed a massive 1,200-kilogram Ashoka Stambh, the National Emblem of India, atop the Ashok Chakra-inspired rotary at Ashok Square. This installation has transformed the city's busiest junction into Nagpur's most recognisable infrastructure landmark.
Artisans and Engineering
The massive replica of the Ashoka Stambh was sculpted by Nagpur's artisans. Mounted high above the five-armed elevated rotary, the giant National Emblem featuring four lions has been crafted using Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) material. It was lifted into place using heavy cranes. Officials have currently kept the Ashoka Stambh covered and are expected to formally unveil it closer to the inauguration of the flyover corridor.
Design and Structure
The installation is described as one of the most unique visual elements ever integrated into a road infrastructure project in the region. The towering structure has become the defining centrepiece of the massive five-armed rotary constructed at Ashok Square under the ambitious Rs 998 crore Indora–Dighori Flyover Project. Designed to resemble the Ashok Chakra when seen from a bird's eye view, the installation features 24 spoke-like steel cables radiating outward from a central pylon. At the heart of the structure stands a 22-metre-high vertical pylon with a diameter of approximately one metre. The Ashoka Stambh installed atop the pylon stands nearly 3.8 metres tall, while its base measures approximately 1.5 metres in diameter.
Symbolic Urban Landmark
The Ashok Chakra-inspired design had drawn attention due to its engineering and aesthetics; the addition of the National Emblem has elevated the rotary into a symbolic urban landmark. Located at one of the city's busiest traffic junctions, the rotary forms a crucial component of the 4-kilometre-long Kamal Square-Reshimbagh elevated corridor, which itself is part of the larger Indora–Dighori Flyover Project. The corridor includes two major flyovers connecting Kamal Square to Reshimbagh Square and Bhande Plot Square to Dighori.
Connectivity and Impact
Once operational, the Ashok Square rotary will feature multiple entry and exit ramps, providing connectivity towards Nandanvan, Ganeshpeth Bus Stand, and Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), while allowing uninterrupted elevated movement towards Reshimbagh Square from Kamal Square. It is the city's second elevated rotary after the five-armed rotary developed during the Pardi flyover project. However, with the addition of the Ashoka Stambh and the Ashok Chakra-inspired design, the new rotary is poised to emerge as one of Nagpur's most recognisable infrastructure icons.
