has exclusive hereditary rights to serve
all the pilgrims whose ancestral homes
lie in a particular region or regions,
regardless of where those pilgrims may
be living at the time. As at all pilgrimage
sites, pilgrims are supposed to be served
only by their hereditary family priest.
This monopoly gives the Gayawals
greater leverage in negotiating fees
with their pilgrim clients, who are in a
vulnerable position since most of them
have come to perform rites for dead rel-
atives. The Gayawals are notorious for
their rapaciousness, greed, and general
lack of learning. These qualities render
them somewhat debased by brahmin
standards, as does the fact that they
make much of their income from the
dead, which is considered inauspi-
cious. In fairness to the Gayawals, the
relative power derived from this
monopoly is also balanced by a sense of
hereditary obligation to their clients—
the perennial issue is never whether the
clients will be served, but how much
they will have to pay.
Gemstones
In Hindu astrology, gemstones are used
to strengthen, neutralize, or counteract
the celestial influence of certain plan-
ets. Hindu astrology recognizes nine
planets, each of which is associated with
a particular gemstone: sun (ruby),
moon (pearl), Mars(coral), Mercury
(emerald), Jupiter(topaz), Venus(dia-
mond), Saturn(sapphire), Rahu(agate),
and Ketu(turquoise). Each of these nine
planets is considered to be a minor deity
and to have a distinct personality and
characteristics. When deciding which
gemstones to wear, one must make cer-
tain astrological considerations, partic-
ularly the position of the planets in one’s
natal horoscope(janampatrika), which
is believed to reveal each planet’s influ-
ence. These gemstones are worn
in rings, with the base of the stone
in contact with the skin to give the
gemstones their efficacy over their
planetary counterparts.
Gesture, in Dance and Drama
Gestures in Hindu danceand drama
are divided in two categories: hasta,
which are broad positions of the arms
and hands; and mudra, which are
stylized hand gestures, usually with
specific meanings.Ghanta
A handbell. These bells typically have a
long straight handle projecting upward
from the top and are usually rung with
the bell part projecting from the bot-
tom of the closed hand. Ringing bells is
an important element in Hindu wor-
ship(puja) and its pleasing sound is
one of the sixteen traditional offerings
(upacharas) given to the deityas part of
worship. Many different deities are pic-
tured with bells in Hindu iconography,
but it is particularly associated with the
goddess Kali, whose roaring voice is
equated with a tolling bell.Ghat
In its broadest meaning, a ghat is a
bathing (snana) place by a body of
water, such as a river, lake, or pond. The
word ghat is also commonly used to
refer to the permanent structures that
have been built at these bathing places.
They usually include a flat area at the
water’s edge, where people can walk,
stand, or sit. A set of steps leads from the
platform into and below the surface of
the water. Constructing a ghat is often
considered a pious act that generates
religious merit. This is particularly
true in pilgrimage places (tirtha),
where ghats are often centers for public
religious life.Ghatika
In traditional Indian timekeeping, a
ghatika is a period of twenty-four min-
utes. There are sixty in each twenty-four
hour day. The ghatika gets its name
from the clay pots (ghata) that were used
to make water-clocks; these water-
clocks measured the time by allowingGemstones