Page 797 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

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Religion Mahayana “Greater Vehicle” Miscellaneous
aarti Hindu prayer ritual with oil or school of Buddhism which adivasi tribal person
butter lamps emphasizes the importance akash sky
ahimsa doctrine of non-violence of Bodhisattvas attar/ittar perfume, usually distilled
alams ceremonial standards used by mandala circular diagram from flowers
Shia Muslims during Muharram symbol izing the universe, used as badal cloud
(p673) an aid to meditation by Buddhists bagh tiger
amrit divine nectar of immortality mantra meditational Hindu or basti settlement or slum; also Jain
ashram Hindu spiritual centre or Buddhist chant temple complex
religious retreat matha Hindu or Jain religious chaugan ancient Persian form of
avatar incarnation of a Hindu deity centre polo, played with a curved stick
(p683) maya Hindu concept of illusion diya oil or butter lamp
bhajans Hindu devotional songs moksha Hindu term for salvation dhaba roadside eatery (p183)
bhakti cult of intense personal mudra symbolic hand gestures durbar royal court or royal
devotion to God, without going namaaz Muslim daily prayers gathering; audience held
through priests navaratri nine-day fasting period by a ruler
Bodhisattvas highly enlightened preceding the Hindu festivals of dzo cross between yak and cow
Mahayana Buddhist beings who Ramnavami and Dussehra gali lane or narrow alleyway
refuse nirvana so that they can Om sacred Buddhist and Hindu ghee clarified butter
devote themselves to the service syllable, invoking the divine gulal coloured powder used during
of others parikrama clockwise circumam the Holi festival (p39)
chador ceremonial cloth to cover bulation of a Hindu or Buddhist haat open-air market, usually held
Muslim saint’s grave; literally, holy site once a week
a sheet prasad specially consecrated food howdah ceremonial seat on an
chakra discus or wheel; also from a Hindu or Sikh temple elephant’s back
Buddhist symbol of eight-spoked puja Hindu prayer ritual kettuvallam Kerala rice boat (p637)
wheel, representing the Eightfold ratha temple chariot kheda elephant corral
Path of Righteousness samadhi memorial platform at machaan raised observation
darshan an auspicious sighting Hindu cremation site platform in a forest
of a Hindu deity, religious person, sangam holy confluence of rivers mahout elephant trainer
temple or holy river; also formal Shaivite devotee of Lord Shiva marg major road
audience given by a ruler or Shia a sect of Islam that reveres mayil/mayur peacock
holy man the Prophet Mohammed’s cousin nava ratna nine principle jewels
devadasi Hindu temple dancer Ali and his successors as the nawab Muslim prince
dharamshala rest house for pilgrims true imams paan betel leaf, a digestive (p169)
dorje thunderbolt symbol in Sufi mystical Islamic philosophy pandal marquee or decorated stage
Mahayana Buddhism Sunni a sect of Islam to which made of cloth and bamboo
dukka ablution tank in a the majority of Indian Muslims padma lotus
mosque complex belong; Sunnis follow traditional prithvi earth
Gangajal holy water from the Islamic law, believed to be based purnima full moon
Ganges river on the words and acts of the pushpa flower
gopis Lord Krishna’s milkmaid Prophet Mohammed pyav drinking water fountain
companions takhts principal seats of Sikhism rumal handkerchief or square cloth
Hinayana “Small Vehicle” school tandava nritya Shiva’s cosmic dance sagar large lake or reservoir; also
of Buddhism practised in parts of destruction (p594) ocean or sea
of India, Sri Lanka and Thailand, tazia ornately decorated tower of shikar hunting expedition
which emphasizes the impor tance wood, metal and paper carried by shila stone
of an ascetic, monastic way Shia Muslims at Muharram tal lake
of life thiru/tiru holy taluka sub-district
imam Muslim religious leader tirtha Hindu holy place, usually near thakur Hindu chieftain
imambara shrine of a Shia sacred river or tank thali platter
Muslim holy man; ceremonial halls tirthankaras the 24 religious thuggees highway bandits
used by Shia Muslims during teachers worshipped by Jains vayu air
Muharram (p201) trishul trident carried by Hindu god, zamindar landowner
Jataka Tales stories based on Lord Shiva
legends of the Buddha’s previous tuk fortified cluster of Jain temples
lives (p484) tulsi the sacred basil plant
jyotirlinga linga symbolizing Urs festival commemorating a
Shiva’s energy, believed to have Muslim saint
miraculously materialized out of vahanas vehicles of Hindu gods
light; found in the 12 most sacred Vaishnavite devotee of Hindu
sites linked to Shiva god, Lord Vishnu
kumbh cosmic pot holding the Vedas the oldest known Indian
nectar of immortality (amrit) texts, written in Sanskrit, codifying
linga phallic emblem representing Aryan beliefs and principles
the Hindu god Shiva vibhuti sacred ash
madrasa Islamic theological yagna Hindu ritual sacrifice
school yatra Hindu pilgrimage

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