| THRONE OF KINGS
Marble throne, Golestan Palace, Tehran
King Vikramaditya Throne
There is a unique similarity between Marble throne in Golestan Palace and the throne of King Vikramaditya. The original throne of King Vikramaditya is lost due to unknown reasons but it is said that his throne contained 32 fairies.
King Vikramaditya was Agni Vanshi Rajput and Agni Vanshi Rajputs are originally from Sistan, Iran. Agni Vanshi where Agni means fire and Vanshi means Clain.
This is the reason why we see a lot of similarities between Iran and Bharat (India).
Marble throne, Golestan Palace, Tehran :
The marble throne was built from 1747 to 1751 for Fat'h Ali Shah Qajar.
It was designed by Mirza Baba Shirazi Naqqash-Bashi and royal stonecutter Ostad Mohammad Ibrahim Isfahani.
It consists of 65 marble stone pieces from a mine in Yazd. The throne's supports are carved in the shape of men, women, fairies, and demons.
The Royal Balcony of the Marble Throne is said to be built during the reign of Karim Khan Zand but it has been changed several times during the Qajar period.
The twin stone columns of the balcony were transferred to Tehran by the order of Agha Mohammad Khan from Shiraz.
King Vikramaditya Throne :
Unfortunately the throne of King Vikramaditya is lost due to unknown reasons.
The
lost throne of King Vikramaditya :
A statue of Raja Bhoj at Bhopal, Bharat However, a few years later his kingdom was plagued with attacks from wild animals from the surrounding woods. After numerous complaints from his subjects, Raja Bhoja decided to hunt down the attackers. He gathered a small hunting party and headed for the woods. After a few hours of hunting, the king was satisfied with the outcome of the hunt and decided to head back. On their way home, the group was extremely worn-out and hungry.
While trudging along, one of the members of the group noticed a garden. He informed the king who in turn ordered the group to proceed towards it. Up close, the entire group was awe-struck. The garden was nothing they had ever seen. It was loaded with exotic fruits and flowers and shone bright under the sun. Together, the royal party entered the garden. They noticed a man standing on a raised platform and smiling down on them, as if he had no worldly tension whatsoever. He seemed genuinely pleased with the royal party’s arrival. He said, “My name is Sarvan. Please, Your Highness. Treat yourself to some fruits from my humble garden.”
Hearing this, they started helping themselves pick fruits. Sarvan said, “Your Majesty, just relax. I will fetch some of the juiciest fruits for you myself”. He started making his way down the platform. As soon as he got down, his expression changed. He became exasperated with the group for picking his fruits. He screamed, “How dare pick my fruits without my permission?”. The king was taken aback. The man looked like he was in some dreamland before and had been shaken back to reality. He noticed that Sarvan’s mood shifted when he got down the platform. One of the royal helpers started pacifying the man and told him that he was the one who authorized them to pick the fruits. However, the man didn’t seem to recall the incident. The king interceded and told the man that he would like to buy the garden. Sarvan hesitated but the king said he is willing to pay double the total worth of the land. After pondering over the offer for a while, he agreed to hand over the ownership to His Royal Highness.
The king was fascinated with the platform which so rapidly shifted the mood of the man. After arriving at the palace, he ordered few of his men to go and dug up the platform. He was convinced that something was hiding in the earth underneath it, which had the power to influence behavior. After a few days of excavation, they found the source. A magnificent throne made of solid gold. There were 32 steps which led to the seat of the throne. The throne itself was embedded with precious jewels. On the 32 steps that led to the seat, there were intricately carved images of beautiful Apsara (angels in Hindu Mythology) with hype-realistic expression.
The team decided to clean the throne and haul it back to the capital. However, when they tried to move it, the throne wouldn’t budge. Brahmins (priests) were called and rituals performed. Once the rituals were over, the throne allowed itself to be lifted. It took many days, but it made its way to the Raja’s palace. Everyone present in the court were mesmerized with the magnificence of the throne. It was absolutely majestic and radiated an aura of power, which heightened the excitement around the room. The king was immediately drawn towards it and decided that this shall be his new throne and shall be placed at the heart of his court for everyone to bask in its grandeur.
A day was picked for the auspicious occasion of the king ascending his new throne. Raja Bhoj was dressed in his best attire and was accompanied by a group of his ministers and trusted advisers. Everyone gathered in the court to witness the event. The king walked towards the throne. As he was about to take his first step, the lips of the Apsara’s image on the first step started moving. She was laughing. The king, taken aback asked “Who are you?”. The image, still laughing replied, “First, tell me Your Highness. What are you trying to do?” Raja Bhoj said, “I am trying to sit on this throne”. He felt kind of silly having to express his intentions to an inanimate carving. The statue continued, “This throne belongs to King Vikramaditya. He was the mightiest and bravest king in all of history. Nothing you have done can be compared to half of the glory he has achieved in his lifetime. Why are you trying to sit on a throne of which you are not worthy?”.
King Vikramaditya, seated on his throne at Ujjain, Bharat The king was speechless. He was supposed to be a descendant of King Vikramaditya. But he knew full well of the greatness and magnanimity of his ancestor. King Vikramaditya’s stories were legends. He also remembered the story of Lord Indra (the king of heavens and the god of lighting, rain, thunder, and war) gifting a majestic throne to Vikramaditya for his generosity. Bhoja wanted to know more about his great ancestor. He asked, “O Apsara of the throne, please tell me about King Vikramaditya”.
She started narrating a story about the king and his greatness. As the story ended, Raja Bhoj acknowledged that he indeed was not worthy of the throne. Every day for the next 31 days, he came to the throne. Every day, one Apsara from each step told a story of King Vikramaditya’s deeds. And every day Bhoja conceded his defeat. Finally, after the last Apsara finished narrating another epic tale, Raja Bhoj announced, "Today, I realize. I am not worthy of this throne which once belonged to my ancestor, King Vikramaditya. There is truly no one who can match his magnanimity and greatness."
Hearing this, bright shimmering lights same soaring out of the throne. 32 transparent faces of the Apsaras appeared in the streak of light and they collectively said, “ We are nymphs and we once resided in Mount Kailash alongside Lord Shiv and his wife, Goddess Parvati”. Then they let out a sigh and hung their heads in shame saying, “We wanted to make Lord Shiv fall in love with us and take us as his brides. However, Goddess Parvati saw through our plan and cursed us to be statues in the steps of this throne. We could only be freed if someone from King Vikramaditya’s bloodline listened to all the epic tales of his life, patiently.” They continued, “Today, you have freed us my Lord and for this we shall remain eternally grateful. Know this very well, you are as humble and magnanimous as your ancestor. You’re worthy of his throne. You can ask us for any boon”.
The king deeply humbled and in tears said, “I wish the stories of my ancestor King Vikramaditya is remembered by all the generations to come. May his legends remain immortal and inspire others to achieve greatness.” The Apsaras smiled and nodded in agreement and vanished. Raja Bhoj ascended the throne and this time around, he truly felt worthy of the throne. |
