From riverbanks to temple courtyards, the tortoise has long been a creature of quiet mystery. Across Indian mythology, it holds a singular place: a symbol of patience, stability, and self-control, yet also of prosperity and creation itself — in the cosmic belief that the very earth rests upon its back. Reimagined here as a coffee table, the tortoise carries within its form the Panchatantra fable of The Tortoise and the Birds — a tale of hubris and heedlessness, reminding us that overconfidence, when untethered from wisdom, leads to one’s downfall. Its repoussé shell, detailed with scenes from the parable, is inlaid with semi-precious stones of malachite, lapis, and red jasper. It is a bearer of stories and a stillness that anchors a restless world.