History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.202

v4.c62.202

The Bṛhatsaṁhitā of Varāhamihira (chap. 48) lays down that the *paṭṭa* (tiara) for the king and others should be made of pure gold, that their length should be double of the breadth in the middle of it, that there should be five aigrettes in the king's tiara, three in the queen's and yuvarāja's, one in that of the commander-in-chief and none in the one that the king may give to a person as a mark of favour. Utpala in his com. on the Bṛhatsaṁhitā says that *paṭṭa* is the same as *mukuṭa*, while acc. to the Nītimayūkha (p. 13) and other works *paṭṭa* is tied on the forehead and *mukuṭa* (crown) is placed on the king's head. Vide Rājanītiprakāśa (pp. 54-55) and Rājadharmakaustubha (p. 324) for further details. The Viṣṇudharmottara (II. 14) describes the characteristics of *bhadrāsana* (the throne) for the king; vide also Rājanītiprakāśa pp. 51-52. It must be made of gold, silver or copper or a tree from which milky juice oozes when cut, it was to be one cubit and half high for a *samrāṭ*, 1¼ cubit for a king and one cubit high for a feudatory (*sāmanta*).