changes has been to open the dance to
women. For further information see
Mohan Khokar, Traditions of Indian
Classical Dance, 1984.
Kulachara
(“family practice”) Any religious practice
restricted to a family, either a group of
blood relatives or people sharing a com-
mon religious or sectarian lineage. The
authority given to kulachara allows for
almost infinite variation in religious
practice, particularly in the absence of
any established religious hierarchy
which has the authority to render judg-
ments on such practices. For most
Hindus, such family practice is the pre-
dominant influence shaping their indi-
vidual religious lives.
Kuladevata
(“family deity”) The particular deity
worshiped by a family, whether this
“family” be blood relatives, or people
who share the same religious lineage,
sect, or region. In most cases, the
kuladevata will be one’s primary deity.
Kulashekhara
(9th c.) One of the Alvars, a group of
twelve poet-saints who lived in southern
India between the seventh and tenth
centuries. All the Alvars were devotees
(bhakta) of the god Vishnu, emphasiz-
ing passionate devotion (bhakti) to a
personal god, conveyed through hymns
sung in the Tamil language. According
to tradition, Kulashekhara was the king
of the Travancore region in modern
Kerala. His religious commitment grew
so strong that he eventually abdicated
his throne. For further information see
Kamil Zvelebil, Tamil Literature,1975;
and John Stirling Morley Hooper, Hymns
of the Alvars, 1929.
Kulu
The most important city in the Kulu
Valley in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
The city of Kulu is famous for its
Dussehrafestival. Dussehra celebrates
the victory of the god Ramaover the
demon-king Ravana; it is a celebration
of the victory of good over evil. Kulu’s
festival centers around the figure of
Rama from the Raghunathji temple in
the nearby village of Dhalpur. When
Rama is brought to the festival site in his
temple car, he is celebrated by hundreds
of deitieswho have come from temples
up and down the Kulu Valley, as well as
the people who have gathered to see the
deities and the spectacle of their proces-
sion. The deities’ actions are carefully
choreographed according to well-estab-
lished rituals.Kumara
(“youth”) Epithet of the god Skanda,
who is usually portrayed in the form of a
young boy. See Skanda.Kumara Gupta I
(r. 415–454) The fourth important ruler
of the Gupta dynasty, who managed to
keep his northern Indian empire intact
for most of his reign. At the end of his
reign, he had to contend with incursions
in the west by the central Asians, known
as the Hunas. While in battle with them,
he was killed. Pressure from the Hunas
continued in the years following
Kumara Gupta’s death and was one of
the important factors causing the even-
tual collapse of the Gupta empire sever-
al generations later.Kumarapala
(r. 1143–1172) Jaina king of the
Chalukya dynastyin Gujarat, who was
so committed to nonviolence that he
imposed heavy fines on people who
killed fleas and other vermin.Kumarasambhava
(“Birth of the Prince”) One of the
finest poetic works written by Kalidasa,
who is generally considered the
greatest classical Sanskritpoet. The
Kumarasambhava is an epic poemKumarasambhava