Chatra (umbrella)

The chatra (from Sanskrit: छत्र, meaning "umbrella")[lower-alpha 1] is an auspicious symbol in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.

Chatra
The Buddha, standing under a Chatra umbrella, inscribed: "Gift of Abhayamira in 154 GE" (474 CE) in the reign of Kumaragupta II. Gupta art. Sarnath Museum.[2]
Translations of
Chatra
EnglishUmbrella
SanskritChatra
PaliChatta
Burmeseထီး
Chinese伞/傘, 伞盖/傘蓋
(Pinyin: sǎn, sǎn gài)
Japanese傘, 傘蓋
(rōmaji: san/kasa, sangai)
Khmerឆ័ត្រ
Korean산(傘), 산개(傘蓋)
(RR: san, sangae)
Tibetanརིནཆེན་གདུགས, གདུགས་ནི།[1]
(rin chen gdugs, gdugs ni)
Thaiฉัตร
(RTGS: chat)
Glossary of Buddhism

The chatra in various traditions

According to Hindu mythology, it is the emblem of Varuna, also considered an embodiment of kingship. Chatra is also a deity, yidam and ishta-devata. In various Dharmic traditions it is an accoutrement of chakravartin. A number of deities are depicted with chatra, and they include Revanta, Surya, and Vishnu (in his Vamana avatar). The chatra is cordoned amongst the symbols that approach universality within the numerous octavalent suites or sets of Ashtamangala, e.g., in the Digambar Jain tradition, and the Vajrayana tradition.

In Dharmic tradition iconography, traditional Tibetan medicine thangkas and Ayurvedic diagrams, the chatra is uniformly represented as the Sahasrara.

In Vajrayana Buddhism, the umbrella or parasol is included in the 'Eight Auspicious Signs' or Ashtamangala.

The chhatra shares a similar symbolic value to the baldachin, refer image of Vishvakarman.

The Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella is one part of the royal regalia of Thailand, and appears in connection with this role in the logo of Royal Umbrella rice.[3]

  • A chatra crowning Vāsudeva-Krishna on a coin of Agathocles of Bactria, circa 180 BCE.[4]
  • Statue of a Bodhisattva crowned by a chatra, Mathura art.
  • Umbrella with Eight Auspicious Motifs, circa 1st-2nd Century CE. Mathura Museum
  • Vishvakarman, Divine Architect of Vedas in a modern Hindu representation: note chhatra.
  • A modern statue of Chandragupta Maurya under a chatra.
  • A closeup of Shwedagon Pagoda's hti.
  • The Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella (Nobapadol Mahasvetachatra) attached to a throne inside a hall in the Grand Palace, Bangkok. Only a crowned king can use an umbrella with nine-tiers, until then he must make do with only seven.
  • King Prajadhipok of Thailand signs a constitution within the Ananta Samakhom Hall. A large white chatra is seen nearby his throne.
  • A "Saptapadol Mahasvetachatra" (seven-tiered-white-umbrella) hangs over the urn of Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda of Thailand whilst the urn is being moved up to the Great Chariot of Victory, the seven-tiered umbrella denotes her rank as a royal princess.
  • "Nobapadol Mahasvetachatra" (nine-tiered-white-umbrella) over the funeral pyre of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
  • Chatra kept in office of Tijara Jain temple, Rajasthan
  • A Chatra symbol
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See also

Notes
  1. Also chatraratna (Sanskrit: छत्ररत्न "jewelled/precious parasol"

References

Footnotes
  1. Sarat Chandra Das (1902). Tibetan-English Dictionary with Sanskrit Synonyms. Calcutta, India: Bengal Secretariat Book Depot, p.69
  2. "Collections-Virtual Museum of Images and Sounds". vmis.in. American Institute of Indian Studies.
  3. NTUC Fairprice, Royal Umbrella Fragrant Rice 5KG, 2017.
  4. Osmund Bopearachchi, Emergence of Viṣṇu and Śiva Images in India: Numismatic and Sculptural Evidence, 2016.

Bibliography
  • Media related to Chatra at Wikimedia Commons


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