out the regular passage of time that
characterizes the cosmic order (rta). For
further information on Night and all the
goddesses of Hinduism, see David R.
Kinsley, Hindu Goddesses, 1986.
Nilachal Hill
Sacred site (tirtha) overlooking the
Brahmaputra River, about six miles out-
side the city of Guwahati in the modern
state of Assam. Nilachal Hill is known
for its temple to the goddess Kamakhya,
one of the most powerful goddess tem-
ples in India. This site is one of the
Shakti Pithas, a network of sites sacred
to the Goddess which spreads through-
out the subcontinent. Each Shakti Pitha
marks the site where a body part of the
dismembered goddess Satifell to earth,
taking form there as a different goddess.
The Kamakhya temple is where Sati’s
vulva is said to have fallen to earth; the
image of the goddess is a natural cleft in
the rock around which the temple has
been built. Since Kamakhya sprang from
the most sexually charged part of the
female body, the site is extremely power-
ful. See also pitha.
Nilakanth
(“blue-throated”) Epithet of the god
Shiva; also the name of a manifestation
of Shiva who is enshrined at the
Nilakanth Mahadev temple outside the
city of Rishikeshin the state of Uttar
Pradesh. Shiva is present at Nilakanth in
the form of a linga, the pillar-shaped
object that is his symbolic form. The
mythic charter for this epithet (and for
the establishment of the temple as well)
is drawn from the tale of Churning the
Ocean of Milk. The gods and demons
churn the ocean to produce amrta, the
nectar of immortality thought to be the
finest essence of the ocean. Yet their
action produces not only the amrta, but
also its antithesis, the halahalapoison.
This is an event of great peril; the poison
is so powerful that if left unchecked, it
can destroy the earth. When this poison
appears, the gods and demons are
unable to figure out a way to contain it.
Shiva takes care of the poison by holding
it in his throat, but the force of the poi-
son is so great that it turns his throat
blue. See also Tortoise avatar and
ocean, churning of the.
Nilgiri Hills
Range of hills formed by the conjunc-
tion of the Western and Eastern Ghats,
located at the junction of three southern
Indian states—Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and
Karnataka. In earlier times the hills
were occupied by a tribal people known
as the Todas, although only a few thou-
sand Todas are left today. This region is
important for its hill stations, such as
Ootacamund and Kodaikanal, which are
popular spots for vacations, honey-
moons, and movie filming.
Nimbarka
(12th c.?) Ascetic, philosopher, devotee
(bhakta) of the god Vishnu, and attrib-
uted as the founder of the Sanaka
Sampraday, one of the four Vaishnava
ascetic orders. According to tradition,
Nimbarka was a Telegu (southern
Indian) brahminwho was born in the
city of Paithanin central India, but lived
much of his life in the northern Indian
Brajregion, where the god Krishnais
supposed to have lived. Nimbarka’s
philosophical position is described as
dualism-nondualism (dvaitadvaita), a
concept in which God and human
beings are both identical and different.
While earlier Vaishnavas worshiped
Vishnu and Lakshmi as the divine
couple, Nimbarka used the same
concept, but changed the focus to
Krishna and Radha.
Nimbarki
Name for the religious group founded by
the Vaishnava figure Nimbarka. It is
also used as a variant name for the
Sanaka Sampraday, an asceticcommu-
nity that traces its spiritual lineage to
Nimbarka, as a way to reinforce their
religious authority.
Nimbarki