Pooja Room Singhasan in Teak with Carved Chhatri and Lion Arms

The chhatri on top of this piece is one block of teak, and almost all the work in it happens on the side nobody will ever see.

Carve an umbrella shape as a solid dome and it reads exactly as what it is - a lump of wood with a scalloped edge. What makes it read as a canopy is the underside: it has to be hollowed out so the rim is thin, so that light passes under the edge and the shape appears to be a cover rather than a mass. That hollowing is done blind, from below, with curved tools working into a space the carver cannot easily see into.

The difficulty is keeping the wall an even thickness all the way round. A canopy that is thicker on one side does not just look wrong - it sits on a slender stem, so uneven weight puts a bending load on that stem permanently, in one direction. The carver checks the thickness constantly by feel, pinching the rim between finger and thumb and comparing one point against the point opposite.

When it is done, the canopy is light, even, and balanced over its stem - and the only visible evidence of any of it is a rim that looks impossibly thin from across the room.

Frame: solid teak throughout, hand-carved by master Indian artisans, with traditional joinery at every junction.

Canopy: carved chhatri with a scalloped skirt, hollowed underneath, raised on a turned stem and topped with a finial.

Crest: two facing birds over a pierced central motif.

Back: large rondel with a plain oval centre inside a scrolling vine band, a rope moulding and an outer leaf border.

Arms: carved lion heads at both ends of the seat, with pierced panels behind them.

Seat: wide open solid teak bench platform.

Apron: carved panels across the front and both sides.

Legs: carved legs finishing in paw feet.

Finish: pale natural teak as photographed. Any polish tone can be matched, and gilded or coloured highlights can be added.

Cushion: none as photographed. A fitted cushion in any fabric can be made for the seat.

Size: custom sizes made to order - final measurements confirmed in writing before production.

Photography: images on this page are of the actual product, not renders.

The canopy travels as its own problem. It stands highest, projects widest, and sits on the thinnest section in the whole piece - so it is packed as a separate protected assembly within the main carton, cradled so that no load ever passes down through the stem.

A foam ring supports the canopy under its rim, spreading its weight to the packaging rather than to the stem below it. The finial above gets its own collar. Lower down, the crest birds, the lion heads, the rondel edge and the paw feet each get shaped collars of their own, and the pierced side panels are supported with foam fitted into their voids so the carved bridges cannot flex.

A soft non-abrasive layer covers all the polished surfaces first - on a pale teak, marks show more readily than on a dark polish, so nothing coarse is allowed near it. Corrugated panels then build a rigid shell around everything, with the base blocked and braced and the outer carton edge-reinforced. It all unwraps by hand, no blades needed.

Free PAN-India delivery is included in the price. No zone rates, no distance surcharge, no separate freight line at checkout - the same cost delivered to Kozhikode as to Kanpur.

Dent-free arrival is guaranteed. The piece leaves in multi-layer protective packaging, travels with handlers briefed on pierced and figure carving, and is checked at each transfer point. If anything is not right when you open it, tell us and we make it right - the guarantee is ours to honour, not the transporter's.

Because it is carved to order, production begins once your size, finish and carving details are confirmed in writing. If the singhasan is being built around particular murtis, send us their measurements at enquiry so the seat width and canopy height are set correctly around them. We give a realistic timeline in writing, keep you updated as the work progresses, and send a dispatch note with an expected delivery window.

The solid teak frame and joinery carry a 20-year warranty. That covers the legs and apron, the bench seat, the lion-head arms and side panels, the rondel back, and the stem and canopy above it. If a joint opens or a member fails within those twenty years, we repair or replace it.

A lifetime warranty against termite damage runs alongside with no end date. Teak's own oils are why termites avoid it, and our seasoning and finishing routine is built to keep those oils working, so the timber is guaranteed for as long as the piece is yours.

The chhatri and its stem are the parts owners naturally worry about, and they are covered in full - the stem is jointed into the crest as a structural member, not glued on as an ornament. All of it holds because the piece is made start to finish in our own workshop by the master Indian artisans who build everything we sell, from timber we season ourselves. Registration is automatic with the order.