Singhasan in Carved Teak with Lion Arms and Elephant Heads

Count the lotus petals around the back medallion on this singhasan. Every one has the same sweep, the same depth and the same lift at the tip - and none of them was drawn from a template.

The trick is older and simpler than a template. A carver's gouges each have a fixed curve, numbered by how tightly they bend. To cut a petal, the carver chooses the gouge whose curve already matches the petal's edge, stands it upright on the marked line and taps it once. The tool itself is the pattern. The next petal uses the same gouge, so the next edge is identical - not approximately, but exactly, because it is the same steel making the same shape.

The whole border is set out that way: one gouge for the outer sweep, another for the hollow inside the petal, a third for the point where two petals meet. A row of a hundred petals uses three tools and no drawing at all after the first setting-out.

It is why hand carving from a workshop like ours has an evenness people often assume must be machine work. It is not. It is the discipline of choosing the right tool and then not deviating from it for the length of an entire border.

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

Arms: seated lions carved in the round from solid stock, forming the arm supports.

Back posts: carved elephant heads with lowered trunks at the base, rising into turned and ringed finials.

Back: arched panel with a plain oval centre inside a lotus-petal and bead border, under a pierced carved crest.

Seat rail: a row of carved lotus buds along the front.

Base: stepped plinth with a rounded front step and carved edge moulding.

Finish: deep hand polish showing the grain. Lighter or darker tones can be matched, and gilded or coloured highlights can be added on the crest and borders.

Seat: solid teak as photographed. A fitted cushion in any fabric can be added.

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 projecting carving is what needs protecting here - the lions' heads and paws, the elephant trunks, the turned finials and the pierced crest all stand proud of the body of the piece and would take any impact first.

Each of them is given its own shaped foam collar before anything else happens. A soft non-abrasive layer covers the polished surfaces so nothing coarse touches the finish. The lotus row along the seat rail is protected with a continuous foam strip rather than individual pieces, so no pressure lands between the buds.

Corrugated panels then build a rigid shell around the whole singhasan, and because it is heavy the base is blocked and braced so the weight rests on the plinth rather than being carried by the carving. The outer carton is edge-reinforced so stacked weight in transit is taken by the packaging. Everything unwraps by hand, layer by layer, with no blades needed near the carving.

Free PAN-India delivery is included in the price. No zone pricing, no distance surcharge, no separate freight line at checkout - the same cost delivered to a home in Rajkot as to one in Ranchi.

Dent-free arrival is guaranteed. The piece leaves in multi-layer protective packaging, travels with handlers briefed on deeply carved furniture, 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 sits with us, not with the transporter.

Because it is carved to order, production begins once your size, finish and any highlight detailing are confirmed in writing. Carving of this depth takes real time, and we give you a realistic timeline at that point rather than an optimistic one, with updates as the figures, the panel and the polish progress, and a dispatch note with an expected delivery window.

The solid teak frame and its joinery are covered for 20 years. On a singhasan that means the plinth, the seat frame, the lion figures that carry the arms, the back posts and the arched back panel - every structural part. 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 it, with no end date. Teak's natural oils are what keep termites away, and our seasoning and finishing routine is built around preserving them, so we stand behind the timber for as long as the piece is yours.

A seat of this kind is often meant to stay in a family for generations, and the warranty is written with that in mind. It is possible because the singhasan is made from start to finish in our own workshop by the master Indian artisans who build every piece we sell, from timber we season ourselves. Registration is automatic with your order - your order number is all a claim ever needs.