The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism (2 Vol Set)

among these collections indicate that they have no single source. For further information see Charlotte Vaudeville (trans.), Kab ...

villainous acts in the Ramayana: She forces Rama into fourteen years of exile in the forest, a major event in the epic’s plot. D ...

Mount Kailas is the place where the god Shivamakes his home. For both Hindus and Buddhists, the central act of pil- grimage to K ...

unconscious prakrti. According to Samkhya metaphysics, confusion between these two eternally distinct principles triggers the ev ...

architectural symbolism in Hindu temples corresponds to the structure of human body, so the kalashas stand for the crown of the ...

Kali Image of the goddess Kali. Her fierce power is represented by the symbols of death and destruction that surround her: skull ...

behalf of her devotees. Her power over all things and Shiva’s helplessness with- out this power is symbolized by the images of K ...

kascit vagviseshatah?”). Kalidasa gave his answer over time, using the three words in his wife’s question as the first words of ...

MandakiniRiver about ten miles from the village of Guptakashi; the Mandakini is one of the Himalayan trib- utaries that combine ...

Kali Yuga A particular age of the world in one of the reckonings of cosmic time. According to traditional belief, time has neith ...

Kalpa (2) (“proper,” “fit”) One of the six Vedangas, auxiliary branches of knowl- edge connected with the Vedas, the old- est Hi ...

the site of the festival for the entire month. Kalpavasis also take vows to live a strict asceticlifestyle, which includes daily ...

body (and the fact that desire seems to strike in unseen ways). Despite being destroyed by Shiva and seemingly foiled, in the en ...

Vedas, and the four organizational groups of the Dashanami Sanyasis themselves. The number four symbol- izes completion and tota ...

on women, who are seen as having equal sexual desire and gaining equal pleasure. The ultimate aim is the sexual satisfaction of ...

dedicated to the worship of Vishnu. Most Hindu festivals have certain prescribed rites usually involving fasting (upavasa) and w ...

northern India. Its existence is docu- mented as early as the sixth century B.C.E. The city was an important stop on the trade r ...

support for these claims can be drawn from symbolism connected with the number four—the four cardinal direc- tions, the four sac ...

Kankhal City and sacred site (tirtha) three miles south of the city of Haridwarin the state of Uttar Pradesh. Kankhal is most fa ...

asking for anything in return. At the same time, the status difference between the bride’s family (as wife “givers”) and the gro ...