Archives Glossary of special terms

nabhi

navel

Nacchiya Tirumoli

Sacred Words of the Lady (Andal)

naga

serpent demi-god living in the netherworld

naga-angada

an angada with the motif of snakes

naga-bandha

(also nagabandham, Tamil: நாகபந்தம்) a pillar-decoration resembling the hood of a snake; a section having a frieze of naga (cf. hamsa-bandhana)

naga-valaya

wristlet with a frieze of nagas

naga-yajnasutra

snakes twisted to form the sacred thread or yajnopavita

nagakucha-bandha

breast band composed of a snake

nagaram

merchant township

nagarattar

merchants

Naishadhiya-carita

Life of Nala, king of Nishadha

nakh-sikh

toe-nail to crest

nalvar

‘Revered Four’ Shaivite poet-saints – the muvar and Manikkavachakar

nandi

also known as Nandikeshvara or Nandideva, is the bull vahana (mount) of the Hindu god Shiva. Almost all Shiva temples display stone-images of a seated Nandi, generally facing the main shrine. (nandi, Tamil: நந்தி) ‘joyful’ – calf-bull associated with Shiva… Continue Reading →

nanudal

part of the bodigai or bodhika

nasi

interspace between sala and kuta in the tala of the vimana

nasika

‘Nose’; projected arched opening (window), (cf. alpanasika, kshudranasika, mahanasika and sukanasika). In Kerala temples it is called kilivasal or or parrot-beak entrances.

nataka-salai

dance hall

natya-mandapa

dance hall (cf. nritta-mandapa)

natya-shastra

treatise on drama

navagraha

nine planets

navaranga

Mandapa with four pillars surrounding a central bay, twelve more on the periphery in alignment with the central pillars, enclosing eight more bays, surrounding the central one and making nine bays in all; characteritic of Chalukyan temples and their derivatives.

navatala

Measurement of images by nine tālas

navavadhu

newly wedded bride

navodha

newly-wed

nayaka

hero

nayanmar

saintly devotee of Shiva; in the singular, the term is ‘nayanar’

nayika

heroine

nayika-bheda

classification of heroines

© 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.