I

Iconic Image

A pictorial or representational likeness
of a deity, such as a statue or picture.
This is in contrast with an aniconic
image, in which there is no such repre-
sentational image, and the connection
between image and deity is symbolic.

Ida Nadi

One of the vertical channels (nadi) in
the traditional conceptions of the subtle
body. The subtle body is an alternate
physiological system believed to reside
on a different plane of existence than
the actual body, but with certain corre-
spondences to it. It is visualized as a set
of six psychic centers (chakras) running
roughly along the course of the spine,
connected by three parallel vertical
channels. Above and below these cen-
ters are found Shiva (awareness) and
Shakti(power), the latter as the latent
spiritual energy known as kundalini.
The ida nadi is the vertical channel
on the left side of the body. As with
the rest of the subtle body, the ida nadi
has certain symbolic correspondences;
in particular, it is identified with the
moonand is thus visualized as being
light in color.

Ikshvaku

In the Ramayana, the earlier of the
two great Indian epics, Ikshvaku was a
king who was the founder of the Solar
Line. The Solar Line is one of the two
great Indian mythic lineages in ancient
India, along with the Lunar Line; the
most illustrious members of the Solar
Line were the god-king Ramaand his
brothers. Ikshvaku is the grandson of

Vivasvan (Surya), the sun, and thus he

and his offspring are descendants of

the sun.

Ilangovadigal

Poet traditionally named as the author

of the Tamil epicpoem Shilappadigaram

(“The Jeweled Anklet”). The poem high-

lights several themes important to

Hindu culture, particularly the need for

kings to be righteous in their judgments,

and the power gained by a wife through

devotion to her husband.

The main characters in the poem are

a young couple, Kannaki and Kovalan.

When Kovalan is executed because of a

tragic misunderstanding, his wife

Kannaki pronounces a curseon the city

of Madurai, which causes many of

the citizens to die before Kannaki

retracts it at the behest of Madurai’s

patron goddess.

Ilangovadigal is believed to have

lived in the first or second century C.E., a

date that makes his authorship improb-

able, since the poem was probably writ-

ten several centuries later.

Impalement

One of the favored means of execution

that seems to have been particularly

prevalent in ancient southern India. To

impale someone is to kill them by pierc-

ing them with a sharp stake.

The most stunning instance is

reported to have taken place in the city

of Madurai, where 8,000 Jain ascetics

were impaled by one of the kings in the

Pandya dynasty, after the latter had

renounced Jainism to become a Shaiva,

that is, a devotee (bhakta) of Shiva. A

tradition persists that the ultimate

responsibility for this can be traced to

the Nayanarsaint Sambandar, who had

converted the king and whose surviving

poetry shows a deep animus for the

Jains. If this report is true, it also indi-

cates one of the rare cases of religious

persecutionin Hindu India, which on

the whole has been remarkably tolerant

of differing ways of religious life.

Impalement