<Li> Since ancient times, lion statues adorned palaces and temples and other important buildings in India, and in Buddhist culture, the lion was depicted as the protector of Dharma . In Hinduism lions are associated with Gods and Goddesses . Narasimha (Narasingh or Narasinga--man - lion) is described as an incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu within the Puranic texts of Hinduism and is worshiped as "Lion God". Thus, Asiatic lions are considered sacred by all Hindus in India . A lion - faced dakini also appears in Hinduism and Tibetan Buddhism . The Hindu deity is known as Narasimha and the Tibetan Buddhist form is known as Siṃhamukhā in Sanskrit and Senge Dongma (Wyl . seng ge gdong ma) in Tibetan . The lion is found on numerous flags and coats of arms all across Asia and Europe, and also appears on the Emblem of India and on the flag of Sri Lanka . Singhāsana, meaning seat of a lion, is the traditional Sanskrit name for the throne of a Hindu kingdom in India and Sinhalese kingdom in Sri Lanka since antiquity . </Li> <Li> The surnames Singh, Singha and Sinha are related to the Prakrit word siṁgha and Sanskrit word siṃhḥ which refer to lions, tigers and leopards . These are common Hindu and Sikh surnames dating back over 2000 years to ancient India . They originally only used by Rajputs, a Hindu kshatriya or military caste in India since the seventh century . After the birth of the Khalsa brotherhood in 1699, the Sikhs adopted the name "Singh" at the direction of Guru Gobind Singh . As this name was associated with higher classes and royalty, this action was to combat the prevalent caste system and discrimination by last name . Along with millions of Hindu Rajputs today, it is also used by up to 10 million Sikhs worldwide . The Sinhalese people are the majority ethnic group of Sri Lanka . The name' Sinhala' translates to "lion's blood" or "lion people" and refers to the myths regarding the descent of the legendary founder of the Sinhalese people 2500 years ago, Prince Vijaya, who is said to have migrated from Singhapur (Simhapura or Singur). The words "singha" or "singham" meaning "courageous lion" are used as an ending of many surnames, such as "Weerasingha" used by the Sinhala people, and "Veerasingham" used by the Tamil people . The name Sinhala comes from the belief that Vijaya's paternal grandfather was a lion . An alternative theory places Singhapur in modern Sihor, which happens to be close to the Gir Sanctuary . </Li> <Ul> <Li> The lion makes repeated appearances in the Bible, most notably as having fought Samson in the Book of Judges . </Li> <Li> Having occurred in the Arab world, particularly the Arabian Peninsula, the Asiatic lion has significance in Arab and Islamic culture . For example, Surat al - Muddaththir of the Quran criticizes people who were averse to the Islamic Prophet Muhammad's teachings, such as that the rich have an obligation to donate wealth to the poor, comparing their attitude to itself, with the response of prey to a qaswarah (Arabic: قَـسْـوَرَة ‎ ‎, meaning "lion", "beast of prey", or "hunter"). Other Arabic words for' lion' include' asad' (Arabic: أَسَـد ‎ ‎) and' saba' ' (Arabic: سَـبَـع ‎ ‎), and they can be used as names of places, or titles of people . An Arabic toponym for the Levantine City of Beersheba (Arabic: بِـئـر الـسَّـبـع ‎ ‎) can mean "Spring of the Lion ." Figures with a reputation for bravery, like Ali ibn Abi Talib and Hamzah ibn Abdul - Muttalib, who were loyal kinsmen of Muhammad, were given titles like "Asad Allah" (Arabic: أَسَـد الله ‎ ‎, "Lion of God"). </Li> <Li> The lion is the basis of the lion dances that form part of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations, and of similar customs in other Asian countries . Chinese guardian lions and their Eastern, Southeastern and Southern Asian counterparts depicted in Chinese art were modeled on the basis of lions found in Indian temples . Buddhist monks, or possibly traders, possibly brought descriptions of sculpted lions guarding the entry to temples to China . Chinese sculptors then used the description to model "Fo - Lions" (Fo (Chinese: 佛) is a character for the Buddha) temple statues after native dogs (possibly the Tibetan Mastiff) by adding a shaggy mane . Depictions of these "Fo - lions" have been found in Chinese religious art as early as 208 BC . The Tibetan Snow Lion (Tibetan: གངས ་ སེང ་ གེ ་; Wylie: gangs seng ge) is a mythical animal of Tibet . It symbolizes fearlessness, unconditional cheerfulness, the eastern quadrant and the element of Earth . It is said to range over mountains, and is commonly pictured as being white with a turquoise mane . Two Snow Lions appear on the flag of Tibet . Many East Asian borrowed from the Sanskrit word for lion . </Li> <Li> In the Burmese and Sinhalese animal and planetary zodiac, the lion is the third animal zodiac of the Burmese and the sixth animal zodiac of the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka . </Li> <Li> Cambodia has a native martial art called L - bukkatao (Khmer: ល្បុក្កតោ, Pounding a lion). </Li> <Li> The island nation of Singapore (Singapura) derives its name from the Malay words singa (lion) and pura (city), which in turn is from the Sanskrit siṃha (सिंह) and pura (पुर). According to the Malay Annals, this name was given by a 13th - century Sumatran Malay prince named Sang Nila Utama, who, on alighting the island after a thunderstorm, spotted an auspicious beast on shore that his chief minister identified as an Asiatic lion . Recent studies of Singapore indicate lions have never lived there, unlike the tiger . Therefore, the animal seen by Sang Nila Utama would more likely have been a tiger, though it would be odd for them not to recognize one . </Li> <Li> Depictions of the Mesopotamian lion show that it was an important symbol of Ancient Iraq . It is depicted in Ninevan reliefs . Depictions on the Ishtar Gate of Babylon also has a well - known statue of the lion, and in Nimrud . The lion has an important association with the figure Gilgamesh, as demonstrated in his epic . Construction for Iraqi capital city of Baghdad began in July, 764 CE, so that it occurred under the lion's astrological sign, Leo . </Li> <Li> The symbol of the lion is closely tied to the Persian people . Achaemenid kings were known to carry the symbol of the lion on their thrones and garments . The name' Shir' (also pronounced' Sher') (Persian: شیر ‎ ‎ ‎) is a part of the names of many places in Iran and Central Asia, like those of city of Shiraz and the Sherabad River, and had been adopted into other languages, like Hindi . The Shir - va - Khorshid (Persian: شیر و خورشید ‎ ‎ ‎, "Lion and Sun") is one of the most prominent symbols of Iran, dating back to the Safavid dynasty, and having been used on the flag of Iran, until 1979 . Nevertheless, in Persian literature, as with Indian literature, the lion is rivaled by the tiger . This is demonstrated in the book Anvar - i - Suhayli (Persian: اَنوارِ سُهيلى ‎ ‎ ‎, "Lights of the Canopus"). </Li> <Li> The lion was an objective of hunting in the Caucasus, by both locals and foreigners . The locals were called' Shirvanshakhs' . </Li> <Li> The Nemean lion of pre-literate Greek myth is associated with the Labours of Herakles . Scythian art from Ukraine dated to the 4th century BC depicts Scythians hunting very realistically portrayed lions . </Li> </Ul> <Li> The lion makes repeated appearances in the Bible, most notably as having fought Samson in the Book of Judges . </Li>

Which is the home of the asiatic loin