Meru, the center of the entire universe.
Mount Meru is surrounded by mountain
ranges, and the part of Jambudvipa
south of Mount Meru is the land known
as Bharata, the traditional name for the
Indian subcontinent. See also Cosmology.
Jambukeshvar
Sacred site (tirtha) and southern Indian
temple-town near the city of
Tiruchirappalliin the state of Tamil
Nadu, directly opposite the great
temple complex of Shrirangam. The
temple at Jambukeshvar is dedicated to
the god Shivain his role as “Lord of the
Rose-Apple (jambu) Tree;” the image of
Shiva is placed under one of these trees.
Jambukeshvar is also one of the
bhutalingas (“elemental lingas”), a
network of five southern Indian sites
sacred to Shiva. In each of these
sites Shiva is represented as a linga,
the pillar-shaped object that is his
symbolic form, and at each site the
linga is believed to be formed from one
of the five primordial elements
(bhuta)—earth, wind, fire, water, and
space (akasha). At Jambukeshvar,
Shiva’s image is associated with water,
and the linga is set into a pool created
by a natural spring.
Jammu
One of the three distinct cultural areas
in the modern Indian state of Jammu
and Kashmir; the other two are
western Kashmir and Ladakh. Jammu
and Kashmir is a former princely state
once ruled by the Dogras, a small
regional dynasty. Although the Dogra
kings were Hindus, they ruled over
the minority populations of the
mostly Muslim Kashmiris and the
mostly Buddhist Ladakhis; this ethnic
and religious division continues in
modern times. The Jammu region is
geographically part of the northern
Indian plain, and the surrounding
regions south of the Shiwalik Hillsare
Hindu majority regions. However,
Jammu is also in close proximity to the
Punjab, the center of Sikhism, a
monotheistic religion that combines
elements of Hinduism and Islam; conse-
quently Jammu is also home to a signifi-
cant Sikh population. By far the most
celebrated shrine in the Jammu region
is the one dedicated to Vaishno Devi,
a goddesswho is reputed to grant all
of one’s wishes. In the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries, Jammu was
also one of the centers for the Pahari
school of miniature painting. Aside
from being the name of this region,
Jammu is also the name of the region’s
largest city, the state’s traditional
winter capital. For general information
about Jammu and all the regions of
India, an accessible reference is
Christine Nivin et al., India. 8th ed.,
Lonely Planet, 1998.Janabai
(d. c.1350) Female poet and saint in the
Varkari Panth, a religious community
centered around the worship of the
Hindu god Vithoba at his temple at
Pandharpurin the modern state of
Maharashtra. According to tradition,
Janabai came to Pandharpur with her
parents when she was seven but refused
to go home with them, saying that she
wanted to remain close to the Lord. She
became the servant of another Varkari
saint, Namdev, who made her a mem-
ber of his circle of devotees (bhakta).
Janabai is famous for her devotional
songs, which remain popular today. For
further information see Justin E. Abbott
and Narhar R. Godbole (trans.), Stories
of Indian Saints, 1982; and G. A. Deleury,
The Cult of Vithoba, 1960.Janaka
The foster father of the goddess Sita. He
discovered her one day while plowing a
furrow in a field. In Hindu mythology,
Janaka is the paradigm of the sage-king,
a person who despite his wealth and
position was as perfectly dispassionate
as any asceticliving in the forest.Jambukeshvar