The Shveta-chattra, the “White Umbrella,” was a symbol of sovereign political authority placed over the monarch's head at the time of the coronation. The ruler so inaugurated was regarded not as a temporal autocrat but as the instrument of protective and sheltering firmament of supreme law. The white umbrella symbol is of great antiquity and its varied use illustrates the ultimate common basis of nontheocratic nature of states in the Indian tradition. As such, the umbrella is found, although not necessarily a white one, over the head of Lord Ram, the Mohammedan sultans and Chatrapati Shivaji.
Which one of the following best summarises the above passage?
- The placing of an umbrella over the ruler’s head was a common practice in the Indian subcontinent.
- The white umbrella represented the instrument of firmament of the supreme law and the non-theocratic nature of Indian states.
- The umbrella, not necessarily a white one; was a symbol of sovereign political authority.
- The varied use of the umbrella symbolised the common basis of the non-theocratic nature of states in the Indian tradition.