Parasol in India

[Sergei]

Dear N.Ganesan,
please acept my respectful greetings.

> Please help me with this question:
> In temples, a (white) parasol is held over the deity in procession
> (utsavam/ta. uurvalam) routinely. Kings are regularly described
> having a parasol while in court. Does this imagery of a king under
> parasol occur in late vedic texts? What about the epics?

        As far as srutis are concerned, no idea, but Monier-Williams Sanskrit
dictionary may provide some notes on the occurance of the word chatra
(parasol) in srutis (and smrtis).
        As far as smrtis are concerned, there are some verses in Bhagavata Purana
where the word chatra is used in this context:

        Bhagavata Purana        8.10.18: bala-vyajana-chatragryaih (said of Bali Maharaja)
                                8.18.14: dyaus chatram jagatah pateh (said of Vamana)
                                8.18.23: chatram sa-dandam sa-jalam kamandalum (same)
                                9.10.42: sveta-cchatram marut-sutah (Rama & Hanuman) [exactly a WHITE
parasol]

        Also in the great Vaisnava work Caitanya-caritamrta (by Krsnadasa Kaviraja
Gosvami) Hera-pancami (Laksmi-vijaya) festival is mentioned. Chatra
(parasol) is among the articles used for worship of Laksmi:

        Caitanya-caritamrta, Madhya-lila        14.107-109: ara chatra-camare (verse 109)
                                                        14.128-129: chatra-camara-dhvaja (verse 129)

With best wishes,
Sergei Schmalz.