Singhasan Battisi
The Throne Beneath the Mound
King Bhoj ruled from the busy city of Ujjain. People knew him as a thoughtful ruler who listened carefully before making a decision. Beyond…
Ratnamanjari: The First Guardian of the Golden Throne
King Bhoj stood before the golden throne that had been discovered beneath an ancient mound. Thirty-two beautifully carved guardians…
Chitralekha: The Guardian of Discernment
The next day, King Bhoj returned to the golden throne. His priest advised him not to hurry: each guardian had a truth to tell. As Bhoj…
Satyabhama: The Guardian of Courageous Compassion
King Bhoj returned to the golden throne and approached the third step. An emerald-clad guardian opened her eyes. “I am Satyabhama, the…
Chandrakala: The Guardian of Fair Prosperity
King Bhoj returned to the golden throne and approached the fourth step. A guardian in moonlit lavender opened her eyes. “I am Chandrakala…
Lilavati: The Guardian of Effort and Fortune
King Bhoj approached the fifth step of the golden throne. A guardian dressed in mustard and wine-red opened her eyes. “I am Lilavati…
Kamakandala: The Guardian of Courageous Generosity
The next day King Bhoj returned to the golden throne. As he approached the sixth step, Kamakandala came to life. “This seat belonged to a…
Kamodi: The Guardian of the Endless Bowl
King Bhoj returned with his priests and advisers, determined to reach the seventh step. Before his foot touched it, the guardian Kamodi…
Pushpavati: The Guardian of the Flying Horse
When King Bhoj reached the eighth step, Pushpavati opened her eyes. “A marvellous invention can carry a ruler farther than wisdom has…
Madhumalati: The Guardian of Lasting Generosity
King Bhoj came to the ninth step in a cheerful mood. Madhumalati awakened and said, “It is pleasant to give a grand gift. It is harder to…
Prabhavati: The Guardian of the Impossible Promise
At the tenth step, Prabhavati awoke in deep violet. “Courage should end a cruel condition, not pass it to someone with less power,” she told…
Padmavati: The Guardian of the Moonlit Rescue
King Bhoj approached the eleventh step. Before he could place his foot upon it, Padmavati awoke in lotus-pink robes. “Vikramaditya did not…
Kanivati: The Guardian of the Greater Giver
At the twelfth step, Kanivati awoke and addressed King Bhoj. “A generous ruler must be able to admire generosity in another,” she told Bhoj…
Trilochani: The Guardian of Fair Exchange
The thirteenth guardian, Trilochani, awoke in forest-green robes. “Judgment is easy when the judge loses nothing,” she said. “Vikram once…
Vishvavati: The Guardian of Wind and Water
Vishvavati awoke upon the fourteenth step. “A wise invitation does not demand that a guest cause harm merely to prove his presence,” she…
Anupavati: The Guardian of Careful Judgment
On the fifteenth step, Anupavati awoke. “A ruler who mistakes suspicion for proof may destroy the very wisdom his kingdom needs,” she warned…
Sundaravati: The Guardian of the Wedding Road
Sundaravati awoke on the sixteenth step and asked Bhoj to hear how Vikram protected a promise that was not his own. In Ujjain lived a…
Satyavati: The Guardian of the Four Gems
Satyavati awoke on the seventeenth step. She told Bhoj that Vikram once heard of Sheshnag’s radiant underground realm and wished to see it…
Ruparekha: The Guardian of Living Imagination
Ruparekha awoke on the eighteenth step. Two travelling yogis came to Vikram after a long debate. One said the mind commanded the senses and…
Tara: The Guardian Beyond Signs
Tara awoke on the nineteenth step. A celebrated scholar of bodily signs noticed bare footprints marked, according to his books, with symbols…
Chandrajyoti: The Guardian of Thoughtful Devotion
Chandrajyoti awoke on the twentieth step. In the sacred month of Kartik, Vikram arranged a moonlit festival of devotion. Scholars, rulers…
Anurodhavati: The Guardian of Steadfast Reunion
King Bhoj approached the twenty-first step. Anurodhavati awoke and said, “A promise to relieve suffering must be followed with patient…
Anuparekha: The Guardian of Nature and Learning
At the twenty-second step, Anuparekha asked whether wisdom comes from birth or teaching. Vikram and his chief minister had once argued over…
Karunavati: The Guardian of the Hidden Past
Karunavati awoke on the twenty-third step. When Vikram took responsibility for the kingdom, he reorganized the court and selected twenty…
Chitrakala: The Guardian of the Night Investigation
At the twenty-fourth step, Chitrakala told of a strange exchange Vikram observed beside a river. A woman drying her hair and a merchant’s…
Jayalakshmi: The Guardian of Open-Handed Help
Jayalakshmi awoke on the twenty-fifth step. A travelling bard returned after visiting many courts and rulers, yet had earned almost nothing…
Vishvavati: The Guardian of the Gifted Merit
On the twenty-sixth step, Vishvavati reminded Bhoj that life is brief and no ruler carries treasure beyond it. Vikram learned this during an…
Jagajjyoti: The Guardian of Indra’s Blessing
Jagajjyoti awoke on the twenty-seventh step. During a court discussion someone declared that no sovereign could equal Indra, ruler of heaven…
Manmohini: The Guardian of Wise Determination
At the twenty-eighth step, Manmohini told how Vikram heard that the ancient King Bali’s generosity surpassed that of ordinary rulers. Rather…
Vaidehi: The Guardian of the Road to Heaven
Vaidehi awoke on the twenty-ninth step. Vikram once dreamed of a golden palace surrounded by flowering gardens. Its rooms held jewels…
Rupavati: The Guardian of the Four Reformed Thieves
Rupavati awoke on the thirtieth step. Unable to sleep one night, Vikram dressed plainly and walked through Ujjain to learn what happened…
Kaushalya: The Guardian of the Buried Legacy
Kaushalya awoke on the thirty-first step. Six months before Vikram’s death, the lotus Shiva had given him faded. Remembering the promised…
Bhanumati: The Final Guardian of the Throne
Bhanumati, the thirty-second and final guardian, awoke as Bhoj approached once more. She first completed the history of the throne. After…