On top of the thirty-two broad steps alighting from the Forecourt towards the portico of the Rashtrapati Bhavn is the Bull Capital of an Ashokan Pillar. The naturalistic bull conveys life in both plasticity and volume. Sculptural refinement is discernible
in his pronounced zebu hump. Its sculpting suggests a velvet soft touch to the stone while the sharp ears in communion with quivering nostrils permeate a sense of alertness. Small eyes reveal innocence of this bull, fittingly positioned atop a decorated band
of floral ornamentation resting on an inverted lotus.
The Bull and the Buddha in the Durbar Hall were both part of antiquities sent to London in 1947-48 for an exhibition of Indian antiquities. On their return, the entire collection was displayed in the Rashtrapati Bhavan and formed the nucleus of the National
Museum collection. The Rashtrapati Bhavan home to the entire collection till 1960 when the Museum building was completed. The Bull and the Buddha were retained in the Rashtrapati Bhavan as a result of the personal interest taken by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru,
India’s first Prime Minister and C. Rajagopalachari, the first Indian Governor General.