tradition, the Kumbha Mela was organized
by the great philosopher Shankaracharya
to promote regular gatherings of learned
and holy men, as a means to strengthen,
sustain, and spread the Hindu religion.
The timing for each of these festivals is
determined by the position of the sun
and the planet Jupiter; the twelve years
between these festivals correspond to
Jupiter’s orbit. The Nasik Mela is cele-
brated during the lunar month of
Shravan( July–August), when the planet
Jupiter is in the sign of Leo. This is the
least important of all four Kumbha
Melas, attended mostly by ascetics.
Nastika
(“nihilists”) In Hindu philosophical dis-
course, this was a pejorative term to
denigrate certain other religious and
philosophical schools. The name
Nastika was applied to groups who
denied the three most basic principles
of religion: the authority of the Vedasas
religious texts, the eternal existence of
the soul (atman), and the value of reli-
gious life in general. In context this term
could be applied to the Jains (who
denied the first of these three) to the
Buddhists (who denied the first and the
second) or to the materialistphilosoph-
ical school (which denied all three).
Natal Horoscope
In Indian culture, a person’s natal horo-
scope or janampatrika (“birth-paper”) is
believed to reveal a great deal about a
person. One’s previous karmais thought
to determine the moment when one is
born. Thus, a natal horoscope provides a
karmic “itinerary,” indicating where one
has been and what he or she might
expect in the future. Natal horoscopes
still play a role in decision-making, par-
ticularly in arranging marriages. Natal
horoscopes are exchanged before fixing
an engagement in order to determine
the couple’s compatibility. Sometimes
this process takes place merely because
the claim that the horoscopes are
incompatible can provide an acceptable
excuse to refuse an inappropriate
or unacceptable match. Natal horo-
scopes are believed to reveal important
things about a person’s future. A person
whose horoscope indicates an early
death—or the early death of a spouse—
may find it difficult to marry unless he
or she performs certain rituals to
remove these problems.Natamandira
In the temple architectureof Orissa,
one of the major forms of the northern
Indian Nagarastyle. The natamandira is
the section of the temple found between
the bhogamandapa(“food-pavilion”)
and the jagamohan, or entrance hall
leading to the main image. Natamandira
literally means “dance-house.” In many
Orissan temples the natamandira was
used for performance, in particular for
the Orissidance style that was devel-
oped and sustained in these temples.
The performances were partly for the
aesthetic appreciation of the spectators,
but mainly as an offeringof entertain-
ment to the deityhimself. Although
dances are still performed at the nata-
mandiras as a part of worship, they are
primarily staged for entertainment.Nataraja
Form of the god Shivaas the “Lord of
the Dance.” The most famous Nataraja
image is in the temple-town of
Chidambaram in the state of
Tamil Nadu. The temple was erected
during the reign of Vira Raja (927–997
C.E.), with Nataraja as its primary deity.
However, the image of Nataraja is well
known, particularly from the southern
Indian bronzesof the Chola dynasty
(9th–13th c).
As a divinity, one of Shiva’s most
important characteristics is that he tran-
scends all duality; the Nataraja image
symbolizes this concept. Shiva dances
within a circle of fire, symbolizing birth
and death, but remains untouched by
these forces. As Shiva dances, his matted
locks swing wildly, showing the force ofNastika