It shows the splendour of Ranjit Singh's court and is decorated with richly worked sheets of gold. The distinctive cusped base of this throne is composed of two tiers of lotus petals. The lotus is a symbol of purity and creation and a
Lotus throne has traditionally been used as a seat or throne for Hindu gods. It is thought that as the Maharaja was renowned for the simplicity of his appearance and dislike of ceremony he rarely sat on this throne, preferring to sit cross-legged on carpets. The throne was part of the State Property taken by the
East India Company in 1849 after their annexation of the Punjab in the
Second Anglo-Sikh War. It was taken to London from
Lahore and displayed with other treasures of the
British Empire at the
Great Exhibition in 1851. It then went on display in the
India Museum, also in London. Indian student Rakhal das Haldar visited it there and recorded that "it was painful to see the state chair of gold of the late Lion of Punjab
Ranjit Singh with a mere picture upon it". The throne later passed to the
Victoria & Albert Museum, where it is currently housed under inventory number 2518(IS). During the late twentieth century it was the subject of a repatriation claim by a Sikh regional organisation supported by the Indian government. The claim was rejected by the museum. ==Bibliography==