Chatra (umbrella)

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"Chhatra" redirects here. For other uses, see Chatra.
Chatra
File:Buddha, standing under umbrella, inscribed Gift of Abhayamira in 154 GE 474 CE in the reign of Kumaragupta II.jpg
The Buddha under a chatra inscribed "Gift of Abhayamira in 154 GE" (474 CE), Gupta art from the reign of Kumaragupta II, now held by the Sarnath Museum.[1]
Translations of
Chatra
Englishceremonial umbrella or parasol
Sanskritछत्र/छत्त्र, छत्ररत्न
(IAST: chatra/chattra, chatraratna)
Palichatta
Burmeseထီး
Chinese伞/傘, 伞盖/傘蓋
(Pinyin: sǎn, sǎngài)
Japanese傘, 傘蓋
(Rōmaji: san/kasa, sangai)
Khmerឆ័ត្រ
Korean산(傘), 산개(傘蓋)
(RR: san, sangae)
Tibetanརིནཆེན་གདུགས,[2] གདུགས་ནི།
(rin chen gdugs, gdugs ni)
Thaiฉัตร
(RTGS: chat)
Glossary of Buddhism

The chatra or chhatra, also known under various translations including the ceremonial, state, royal, or holy umbrella or parasol, is a symbol of royal and imperial power and sanctity in Indian art and a symbol of holiness in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism. There are also various specific forms, including 3-, 7-, 8-, and 9-tiered chatra and the bejewelled chatraratna.

India and Tibet

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In India, the chatra was an ancient symbol of kingship and emperorship, representing both kingly power and righteousness. In particular, it is employed in depictions of chakravartis, the supposed holy emperors over the entire earth. It is also reckoned as one of the ashtamangala, the eight holy symbols of enlightened sages and buddhas, in Digambar Jainism, Vajrayana Buddhism, and other Dharmic faiths.

In Hindu mythology, Chatra can itself be recognized as a deity, yidam, and ishta-devata.[citation needed] More often, it is an emblem of various gods including Varuna, Ganesha (particularly during Ganesh Chaturthi), Revanta, Surya, Vishnu in his Vamana avatar, and Vishvakarman.

In the chakra systems of Dharmic faiths and traditional Indian and Tibetan medicine, the chatra is used as a symbol of the sahasrara, the crown chakra.

Myanmar

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Main article: hti

In Burmese culture, the chatra is known as the hti. It is used as regalia and employed at the crowns of Burmese pagodas.

Thailand

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Main article: Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella

In Thai culture, the chatra developed into the white Royal Nine-Tiered Umbrella, part of the country's regalia. Properly, only a crowned king may use the 9-tiered umbrella, uncrowned kings and other members of the royal family being restricted to a 7-tier form. The 9-tiered chatra is used as the logo of Royal Umbrella rice.

See also

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References

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Footnotes

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  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Sarat Chandra Das (1902). Tibetan–English Dictionary with Sanskrit Synonyms. Kolkata: Bengal Secretariat Book Depot, p. 69.
  3. ^ Osmund Bopearachchi, Emergence of Viṣṇu and Śiva Images in India: Numismatic and Sculptural Evidence, 2016.

Bibliography

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  • Error creating thumbnail: File missing Media related to Lua error in Module:Commons_link at line 62: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). at Wikimedia Commons
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