VEER SURENDRA SAI INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

VEER SURENDRA SAI INSTITUTE OF MEDICAL SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

Veer Surendra Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (VSSIMSR) formerly called V.S.S. Medical College and Hospital situated by the side of Hirakud Dam. Established in 1959, it imparts medical education at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The crest of the university is a circle with a base holding a shield. The shield holds heads of three lions joined together supported by the wheel of Konark and staff of caduceus or the Staff of Hermes, depicted as a stick entwined by two snakes and surmounted wings, which bear the year of the institution’s establishment. The shield has a border line. The shield is supported by an open book. The ensconcing circular border has the name of the university and at the base its motto in Sanskrit ‘सदयं ह्रुदयं परहिते नित्यम्’ meaning ‘Compassionate Heart is Always in the Welfare of Others’ is written. The shield denotes protection, courage, heritage, authority and bravery. The staff with the snake has long been a symbol of medicine and the medical profession. It originates from the story of Asclepius, who was revered by the ancient Greeks as a god of healing and whose cult involved the use of snakes. The wheel of Konark symbolises the wheel of life, which is ever evolving. The symbolism of triple lion heads is not widely recognised or associated with any specific meaning or cultural significance. However, in general, the lion is a powerful and revered symbol in many cultures around the world. It is often associated with qualities such as strength, courage, nobility and leadership. The number three has significance in many religious and philosophical traditions, often representing a triune nature or unity of three distinct elements. In this sense, the triple lion heads could symbolise a harmonious balance or integration of three essential qualities, such as mind, body, and spirit or past, present and future.