Chatra (umbrella)

India and Tibet

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. 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.