information see Govind S. Sardesai, A
New History of the Marathas, 1986.
Homa
In its most specific meaning, homa
refers to the “sacrifice to the gods”
(devayajna), which is one of the Five
Great Sacrifices (panchamahayajna)
prescribed in the dharma literature, or
texts on religious duty. Homa refers to
the act of making offeringsof clarified
butter into a sacrificial fire, a rite that is
directed toward satisfying the gods.
Today, the word homa is often used with
a far more general meaning, to refer to
any religious rite in which offerings are
placed in the sacred fire.
Homosexuality
Although homosexuality is not
unknown in Indian culture, it has never
had a very prominent presence. The
Kama Sutracontains a brief account of
homosexual oral sex and the classes of
men who performed this, but it is little
more than a passing mention.
In modern times, the male transves-
tites known as hijras often serve
as homosexual prostitutes, and they
are an accepted if marginal presence
in Indian life.
Although according to the dominant
Hindu ethos the search for pleasure—of
any kind—is an aim of life(purushartha),
other factors have channeled the
expression of sexual desire in other
directions, especially toward traditional
marriage. One of these is the general
desire for progeny, particularly sons;
another is the notion of the family as the
basic unit for social life. In addition, the
traditional male concern with losing
vitality through seminal emission is a
reason to abstain from sexual relations.
Finally, the cultural assumption that
ultimate wisdom comes only when one
has renounced all desires would have
affected sexual desire of all kinds.
Hookswinging
One of the more extreme vows per-
formed by devotees (bhakta) of the god
Skandaduring the annual pilgrimage at
Kataragama, in the southern part of the
island of Sri Lanka. This vow is per-
formed in return for finding healing
from physical ailments or deliverance
from distress. Those keeping this vow
inserted hooks into their back and thigh
muscles; ropes are attached to these
hooks, and the devotees are suspended
over the heads of passersby.
These ardent devotees are reportedly
rewarded for their suffering with a state
of ecstasy in which they feel no pain and
suffer no bleeding. In this state, they are
also believed to be mouthpieces for the
god Skanda, and other pilgrims seek
their advice for every conceivable kind
of problem. For further information see
Paul Wirz, Kataragama: The Holiest
Place in Ceylon, 1966; and Bryan
Pfaffenberger, “The Kataragama
Pilgrimage,” in Journal of Asian Studies,
Vol. 28, No. 2, 1979.Horoscope
See natal horoscope.Horse Sacrifice
See ashvamedha.Hotr
Type of priest mentioned in the
Brahmanaliterature, one of the later
strands in the sacred literature known as
the Vedas. The Brahmanas largely func-
tioned as manuals describing how to
perform sacrificial rites—which primar-
ily involved burning offerings in a
sacred fire. These rites were so complex
that they required specialized ritual
technicians: the hotr, the adhvaryum,
the udgatr, and brahman. Of these, the
hotr was the sacrificial priest who recited
the verses from the Rg Vedathat were
used in the sacrifice.Homa