Glossary

ahimsa

non-violence

chai

tea

choultry

resting place for travellers or pilgrims

darshan

vision, seeing, especially of a deity

devadasi

‘slave of god’ – women dancers dedicated to service in temples

dhal

lentil curry

dhobi

laundry-man; traditionally washes by hand on a stone in the river

dhoti

an ample wrap for men, tucked in so that it hangs down at the waist

Dikshithar

here a hereditary priest of the Chidambaram temple

Divali

the autumn festival of lights

data (pl. dosai)

ground rice and lentil pancake

ghat

steps or landing place on a river bank; also the mountain range between Kerala and Tamil Nadu

ghee

clarified butter used in cooking and as oil for temple worship

gopura

the characteristic Tamil temple gateway

Harijan

‘child of god’ – Gandhi’s name for the untouchables

iddly (or idli)

fluffy balls of steamed rice

Kailash

a mountain in western Tibet, in Hindu mythology the abode of Siva

kolam

an auspicious pattern of rice powder laid out in front of the door each morning

kun kum

red powder worn on the forehead in worship of the goddess

lathi

a wooden baton used by the Indian police

linga

a sign or token; as the phallus, the symbol and aniconic image of Siva

lungi

the simplest form of loincloth, the poor man’s dhoti

mandapa

hall in a temple

muth, mutt

monastery for Hindu renouncers

nageswaram (or nadeswaram)

the long reedy trumpet used in Tamil temple music

Navarati

the religious festival in September/October; in Madurai, the festival of the goddess Minakshi

neem

a sacred tree whose bitter bark, fruit, leaves and seeds have various attested medical uses

oduvar

professional singers of hymns from the Tevaram (q.v.) at Siva temples in south India

paddy

strictly, rice in the husk; generally, growing rice. (Our word ‘rice’ comes from the Tamil arisi, husked rice.)

pan

a digestive concoction made of betel nut, lime paste and tobacco

Panchang

the south Indian religious almanac

Pillai

another name for the Vellala, the agricultural caste in Tamil Nadu

pipal

the poplar-like Indian fig tree, Ficus religiosa, often found in the heart of a village or in temple grounds

prasad

literally, grace; offerings (usually edible) given to the deity and returned, touched with divine grace, to the devotee

puja

the act of worship

raga

a scale in Indian music

sadhu (or saddhu)

holy man

Saiva

pertaining to Siva; worshipper of Siva

sambhar

vegetable curry eaten with dosas or iddly

Sangam/ sangam

the classical period of Tamil literature; the academy

sthapathi

craftsman or maker; here, the bronze caster

tantric

pertaining to the sexual theories of some Saiva sects (see appendix, Indian Gods and Goddesses, p. 242)

Tevaram

the hymnbook of the three great Tamil Saiva saints, Appar, Sambandar and Sundarar, who lived between AD 570 and AD 730

tilak

forehead mark

tirtha

literally, crossing place; hence any holy site

ulema

Islamic religious authorities

vadai

savoury doughnuts

Vellala

the old agricultural caste of Tamil Nadu

vilva

a type of tree which is sacred to Siva

vimana

the pyramidal central shrine in Tamil temples