Archives Glossary of special terms

daitya

Group of demons (Asura’s), similar to the Danava’s. The Daityas are giant, titanic creatures.

Dakshinameru

world mountain of the south; world axis; Mount Meru (Sanskrit: मेरु), also known as Sumeru or Mahameru; it is the Gunung Semeru volcano in Indonesia

damaru

Ḍamaru (डमरु) is a small, double-ended, hourglass-shaped drum held by Shiva, its sound denoting the primordial creation and destruction of the universe; hand-drum; Its two ends are covered tightly with membranes which are held in that position by a string… Continue Reading →

dana

gift or charitable donation, especially in religious context

danava

demonic creatures; see asura

danda

stick or staff (डंडा); If it is held by Śiva, it is indicative either of death or of Śiva teaching. Daṇḍa, rod; unit of measurement; 4 Dhanurmusti (26 Aṅgulas) = 1 Daṇḍa and 8 Daṇḍa = 1 Rajju The table… Continue Reading →

danda-hasta

hand held straight like a stick (cf. kari-hasta and gaja-hasta)

darpana

Darpaṇa (दर्पण) means a mirror.

darsana

vision or visualisation

darshan

‘seeing [god]’ – auspicious viewing of deity’s cult image, conferring blessings on the devotee; ritual ‘seeing’ of the enshrined temple deity that involves a dynamic act of awareness

dasatala

Daśatāla (दशताल), Measurement of images by ten tālas; measure of major gods

© 2025 The Chola Dynasty — Powered by WordPress

Theme by Anders NorenUp ↑

The Chola Dynasty
General information

My website uses cookies to give you the best possible experience.

Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to my website.

It helps me to understand which sections of the website are the most interesting and useful to you.