people themselves take responsibility
for their communities, but since there
are multiple jatis in any traditional
Hindu village, this also means that there
were multiple centers of authority.
Panchayatana (“five-abode”) Puja
Type of worship(puja) performed by
Smartabrahmins, a group of brahmins
distinguished, not by region or family,
but by the religious texts they hold most
authoritative—in this case, those known
as the smrtisrather than sectarian reli-
gious texts. The panchayatana puja is
marked by the simultaneous worship of
five different deities—usually Vishnu,
Shiva, Surya, Ganesh, and the Goddess.
Individual Smartas may choose one or
another from among these as their pri-
mary deity, but all these deities are ritu-
ally honored since they are all
considered manifestations of the divine.
Panchkedar
(“The Five Kedars”) The collective name
for a network of five sites, sacred to the
god Shiva, spread throughout the
Garhwal region of the Himalayas:
Kedarnath, Rudranath, Tungnath,
Madmaheshvar, and Kalpeshvar. Each
site is identified with a part of Shiva’s
body, thus providing a series of connec-
tions between the deity’sbody and the
land itself—understandably so, since
Shiva is believed to dwell in the
Himalayas. Kedarnath is identified as
Shiva’s back, Madmaheshvar his navel,
Tungnath his arm, Rudranath his face,
and Kalpeshvar his matted locks (jata).
Panchvani
(“Five Voices”) Manuscript collection
compiled by the Dadupanth, a religious
community founded by the northern
Indian poet-saint Dadu (1554–1603).
The collection contains the works of five
different devotional (bhakti) poet–
saints: Dadu, Kabir, Namdev, Ravidas,
and Hardas. Rajasthan’sdesert climate
has helped to preserve these manu-
scripts, some of which date from the
early seventeenth century. The Panchvani
manuscripts are among the earliest
written sources for these poets, which
makes them an important resource for
the historical study of northern Indian
devotional poetry. For further informa-
tion on the literary resources of the
Dadupanth, see Winand Callewaert
(trans.), The Sarvangi of the Dadupanthi
Rajab, 1978; and The Sarvangi of
Gopaldas, 1993.Panda
A hereditary priest who assists pilgrims
with any rituals they may need or desire
to perform, and also with any other
needs that the pilgrims may have. Each
panda family in any given pilgrimage
place (tirtha) has the exclusive rights to
serve pilgrims coming from a particular
geographical area or areas; pilgrims are
supposed to seek out the panda serving
their native region, whether or not the
pilgrims still live in that place. On every
visit, pilgrims will make an entry in the
panda’s pilgrim register (bahi), detailing
the names of those who visited and the
reason that they came. Some of these
registers date back hundreds of years,
and the documents are the ultimate
proof of the hereditary connection
between panda and pilgrim families. In
earlier times this hereditary relationship
was essential for the pilgrims, since their
connection with their pandas provided
resources while traveling—lodging,
food, and other sorts of support. The
pandas would minister to their clients,
arrange for any needed rites, and even
lend them money, if necessary. Pilgrims
would usually give the panda a token
gift when they departed, along with a
pledge for some larger amount, which
the pandas would travel to their homes
to pick up.
Although pandas are often character-
ized as greedy and rapacious—based on
their tendency to demand what they
think a client is able to pay—in its ideal
form both parties benefit from the rela-
tionship. In recent years, the pandas
have become less central figures inPanchayatana (“five-abode”) Puja