Archives Glossary of special terms

avahana

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

Avalokiteshvara

a Buddhist bodhisattva

avarana-devatas

Also called parivara-devatas, or subsidiary deities in shrines called parivaralaya’s or parivara.

avatar

‘descent’ – physical form taken by a god when he intercedes periodically to save the world from peril, usually referring to Vishnu’s many incarnations

avudaiyar

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 →

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