Jump to content

Chatra (umbrella)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Chhatra" redirects here. For other uses, see Chatra.
Chatra
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

[edit]

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 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

[edit]
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

[edit]
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.[4]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ "Collections-Virtual Museum of Images and Sounds". vmis.in. American Institute of Indian Studies.
  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.
  4. ^ NTUC Fairprice, Royal Umbrella Fragrant Rice 5KG, 2017.

Bibliography

[edit]
[edit]
  • Media related to Chatras at Wikimedia Commons
Stub icon

This Hinduism-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chatra_(umbrella)&oldid=1258917896"
pFad - Phonifier reborn

Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


Alternative Proxies:

Alternative Proxy

pFad Proxy

pFad v3 Proxy

pFad v4 Proxy