Abhaṅga (अभङ्ग) is a slight flexion (in the standing pose of a figure); see also samabhanga and atibhanga; The plumb line or midline runs from the crown of the head to a point midway between the heels slightly to the… Continue Reading →
adornment
hand suggestive of protection (cf. abhaya-mudra and abhaya-hasta)
a gesture granting freedom from fear – finger pointing (cf. abhaya)
hand-pose assuring protection (cf. abhaya); gesture of fearlessness, reassurance and protection offered by deity to devotee, with right hand displayed palm outwards and fingers raised
gesticulate
on a secret rendezvous
ceremonial bath; ‘ritual bathing’ – ceremonial lustration of a sacred image with water, milk, honey and so on, also performed to confer or confirm kingship and marriage
immoveable
‘observing the rules of his order’ – spiritual guide or teacher who instructs students, especially in the Vedas
Adhama (अधम), lowest
one of the five sthānas or positions
(also adhishthanam, Tamil: அதிஷ்டானம்) moulded basement usually resting on an upapitam (also upapita); Basement of a vimana, a mandapa or similar structure, forming a distinct architectural feature supporting walls and pilasters or pillars, and consisting of distinct moulded tiers.
(also adhishthana, Tamil: அதிஷ்டானம்) moulded basement usually resting on an upapitam (also upapita); Basement of a vimana, a mandapa or similar structure, forming a distinct architectural feature supporting walls and pilasters or pillars, and consisting of distinct moulded tiers.
Group of deities of Indian mythology. Apart from Vishnu, they are of little importance in modern Hinduism; one of the names of the sun god Surya
slave/servant of the lord
to dance
treatises on architecture
sacred-textual
a Vedic sage
fire (अग्नि); god of (the sacrificial) fire; It used as a weapon of war. It is also used for making offerings. Śiva frequently carries Agni in one of his hands.
front hall preceeding the main hall
(also akrapattiyal, Tamil: அக்ரபட்டியல்) a basement moulding is a listel
attitude of hand suggesting beckoning to confer a boon (cf. ahuyavarada-mudra)
hand-pose beckoning the devotee to confer boons on him (cf. ahuyavarada)
love genre in Tamil poetics
The Akshamālā (अक्षमाला) is a rosary and is made of beads. It may be either of the ‘rudrāksha’ variety, in which case it may be associated with the Rudra cult, or the ‘kamalāksha’ variety, probably associated with the Vishnu cult…. Continue Reading →
smaller version of the headgear made of plaits of hair
(also alankara) ornament and embellishment, without which images are seen as incomplete
science of poetics
Ālīḍha (आलीढ), the pose of a warrior, with his right leg bent forward and left drawn back (cf. pratyalidha); Left leg bent at knee, and right leg straight but slanting at an angle to the back.
Small, one-storeyed vimana. The parts are adhishthana, bhitti or pada prastara, griva, sikhara and stupi. It is usually without a hara.
Projected front end of an apsidal shrine resembling a kudu arch over pilasters, originally in kuta’s, koshtha’s and panjara’s.
saintly devotee of Vishnu; ‘immersed [in god]’ – South Indian Vaishnava poet saints, active between six and tenth centuries; their images are worshipped in temples and processions
(also amalasara or amalasila), Ribbed, lenticular or globoid part resembling the Āmalaka (आमलक) (refers to the ‘Emblic myrobalan’ an Indian gooseberry fruit) crowning the top of the northern-style sikhara as its characteristic; also adopted as the top of the Kadamba-Chalukya… Continue Reading →
(also amalaka or amalasila), Ribbed, lenticular or globoid part resembling the amalaka (Indian gooseberry fruit) crowning the top of the northern-style sikhara as its characteristic; also adopted as the top of the Kadamba-Chalukya forms, sometimes as an alternativ to the… Continue Reading →
(also amalaka or amalasara), Ribbed, lenticular or globoid part resembling the amalaka (Indian gooseberry fruit) crowning the top of the northern-style sikhara as its characteristic; also adopted as the top of the Kadamba-Chalukya forms, sometimes as an alternativ to the… Continue Reading →
ambrosia
dance pose; ‘dance of bliss’ – associated with South Indian representations of Shiva Nataraja, especially processional bronze images
variety of armlet
String of miniature shrine (hara) on the edge of each vimana tala, distinct from the body of the upper tala or storey, with intervening space (opposite of arpita-hara).
a gana with graceful flexion
Demon of darkness who was blind but believed he had sight; embodiment of spiritual blindness, sometimes identified as wayward son of Shiva, slain by Shiva with his trident (trisulam).
an ornament tied round the upper arm by a string
bodily gryations in a dance pose
Aṅgula (अङ्गुल), digit (finger-breadth); basic measuring unit for idols; unit of measurement (cf. Manangula); 12 Aṅgulas = 1 Vitasti; one of the two basic units of measurement, according to the Viṣṇudharmottara Purāṇa. The other is called Tala. 6 Yavas =… Continue Reading →
hands clasped in adoration
a pose of anjali with the palm of the hands joined together near the chest; ‘two handfuls’ – pose with hands clasped together in respectful greeting and adoration, characteristic of subordinate deities, attendant gods and devotees
elephant god; Ankusha (अंकुश; also Ankuśa or Ankusa) is a Sanskrit word for an elephant hook or elephant goad, a tool used by elephant handlers (mahouts) to guide and train elephants. It is made of a small wooden handle topped… Continue Reading →
inner wall of multiple-walled garbhagriha, or sanctum, or storey
vestibule (cf. sukhanasi)
lower garment
grace and mercy
benevolent form
an ugly demon personifying ignorance and the bonds (malams) that fetter the soul from reaching God – usually seen under the foot of Nataraja and Dakshinamurti
Apaurūṣeya (अपौरूषेय) refers to ‘disciplines dealing with knowledge not contingent on individuals’; It is one of the two types of Shastra. This literature is also described as Vedas, also includes the Upaniṣads (cf. pauruseya).
seventh-century Shaivite poet-saint, one of the muvar (‘Revered Three’)
celestrial nymph; semi-divine female beings inhabiting Hindu god Indra’s paradise as dancers and musicians, partnered with gandhara’s – celestial musicians
festival of the sixty-three saints (cf. nayanmar)
cult image in sanctum of a temple; image of worship
hands in crescent moon-like form to hold fire
‘half hall’, the smaller hall connecting the shrine and the larger pillared hall (mandapa); front porch (cf. tiru-idaik-kattu). Pillared hall immediately in front of the principal shrine or distal half of a mandapa with two seriate pillars, as in rock-cut… Continue Reading →
hand around one bent leg in meditative pose
meditative mode of seat with ardha-yogapatta
one of the five sthānas or positions
Ardhaparyaṅka (अर्धपर्यङ्क), seated with both legs on the seat, one raised up and the other bent (cf. ardhaparyankasana); Sitting with one leg folded and the other raised with the heel on the seat, the arm resting on the knee. Same… Continue Reading →
Ardhaparyaṅkāsana, seated with both legs on the seat, one raised up and the other bent (cf. ardhaparyanka); Sitting with one leg folded and the other raised with the heel on the seat, the arm resting on the knee. Same as… Continue Reading →
standing position with strongly bent knees
shorts (also ardhoruka)
shorts (also ardhoraka)
Tamil classification of women: a lovely woman twenty to twenty-four years old
central heroic character in the Mahabharata epic
Hara or string of miniature shrines on the edge of each vimana tala that is applique to the body (harmya) of the upper tala or storey without any intervening space (opposite of anarpita-hara).
accumulated wealth
Asaṃyukta (असंयुक्त) or Asaṃyuktahasta is the presentation of a single hand in dance gesticulation (cf. samyukta-hasta and nrtta-hasta).
Asaṃyuktahasta (असंयुक्तहस्त) or Asaṃyukta is the presentation of a single hand in dance gesticulation (cf. samyukta-hasta and nrtta-hasta).
Saraca asoca, commonly known as the ashoka tree (Sanskrit: अशोक, sorrow-less)
stages of life
Layout of central shrine with eight surrounding sub shrines (including the Nandi shrine) in the cardinal and corner direction.
on of the sub-shrines round the main shrine, housing subordinate deities (cf. parivaradevatagriham)
on of the sub-shrines round the main shrine, housing subordinate deities (cf. parivaralaya)
octagonal
Aṣṭatāla (अष्टताल), Measurement of images by eight tālas; measure of ordinary humans
a base on which the pillar stands raised (ashvapadam, Tamil: அசவபாதம்)
Is an architectural term given to design which uses neither columns nor pilasters for decorative purposes.
Demon, evil spirit; in the Rigveda sometimes also meaning ‘divine’, ‘good spirit’ or ‘supreme spirit’; see danava
An Ātapatra (आतपत्र) is an umbrella (of silk or leaves used as a parasol). This is the symbol of Buddhist goddesses like Uṣṇīṣasitā, Pañcarakṣā, etc.
Atibhaṅga (अतिभङ्ग) is the form of the tribhaṅga curve, a multi-flexed pose.
soul
invocation of a deity to inhabit an icon, part of the opening ritual of every puja; ritual invitation to a deity to temporarily take up residence in an image of worship
a Buddhist bodhisattva
Also called parivara-devatas, or subsidiary deities in shrines called parivaralaya’s or parivara.
‘descent’ – physical form taken by a god when he intercedes periodically to save the world from peril, usually referring to Vishnu’s many incarnations
Pedestal in the center of the garbhagriha on which the deity is placed and which is serves to receive the liquid matter with which the god is bathed and to throw it out of the sanctum through a channel called… Continue Reading →
platform projections
oblong
Vimana, oblong on plan and covered by a wagon-top roof.
Shrine
worship of weapons as embodiments of an aspect of the god with whom they are associated
weapons personified
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