Description

There are 15 panels in two rows, each panel with a caption. The captions and symbols in the panels reveal that this is a Cakravartin and his 14 jewels.

A Cakravartin or ‘universal monarch‘ has 14 magical ‘jewels’ – ratna – he can use as he wishes, which he needs to become a universal monarch. There is a standard order for the 14 jewels, used here. The first seven are either persons representing official functions that are useful for a king or animals valuable in conquest or battle. The remaining ones are objects.

Top level

This shows the universal monarch on the left, facing the first five of his jewels, who are all human beings. In the first panel is the universal monarch himself and an attendant with a fly-whisk, with the caption cakravartti.

Moving right, the following panels show the jewel along with its name and number in the sequence:

  1. purohita – chaplain, priest-jewel
  2. senāpati – general-jewel who leads the army
  3. gāthāpati – treasurer-, steward- or manager-jewel, who manages the finances and who can provide enough food for an army
  4. vārddhika – carpenter or architect jewel, who can build a city in a day
  5. strī-ratna – woman-jewel or chief queen

Bottom level

This depicts the rest of the 14 jewels. The iconography of the inanimate objects is hard to work out without knowledge of the jewels. Moving from the left, the jewels are:

  1. gaja-ratna – elephant-jewel, which is a powerful animal in the army
  2. aśva-ratna – horse-jewel, which is invaluable in battle and immensely strong
  3. cakra-ratna – discus-jewel, which is an important weapon and form of transportation
  4. chatra-ratna – royal umbrella-jewel, which is an insignia of kingship and protects from the rain
  5. daṇḍa – staff-jewel or sceptre, which can protect a whole army from the weather
  6. carma-ratna – skin-jewel, which can provide enough wheat for an army in a day
  7. ṣaḍaga – sword-jewel
  8. nala or bhakiṇī – cowrie-jewel, which makes the night as light as day and protects against poison. The standard form of the word is kāgiṇī or kākiṇī
  9. maṇi-ratna – gem-jewel, which shines so brightly it illuminates darkness and protects against illness, attacks and so on.