Except when indicated to the contrary, the following terms are words and names in Sanskrit with, if necessary, their English translation in quotes
Agni, “fire”
God of sacrificial fire and guardian of the South-East.
Airavata
The elephant that Indra rides.
Apsara, “from the water”
Celestial nymphs that spring from the churning of the sea of milk.
Amitabha “the Buddha of Limitless Life/Light”
Amitabha is a Buddha possessing many meritorious qualities.
Asana, “seat”
Originally, the asana was a Brahman ritual that consisted of offering a seat to the divinity invoked during the puja. Later, the term was applied to the seat itself (the actual seat and also the animal or lotus) in Hindu philosophy. By extension, the divinity’s sitting position is also designated by this word.
Asura, “demon”
Opposed to gods (deva), particularly Shiva and Vishnu.
Avalokitesvara
Name of a bodhisattva symbolising Buddha’s infinite compassion. Born from Amitabha’s eye, which Buddha wears in his headdress, it is mostly found in the Dong Duong style (ninth and tenth centuries) in Champa. Also known as Laksmindra Lokesvara
Avatar, from avatara, “descent”
Divine incarnation. The god “descends” to earth to be incarnated.
Bhagavad-gita, “the song of the blessed” Sixth book of the Mahabharata.
Bhagavati
One of the names of Shiva’s “sakti”. In Champa, it designates the principal divinity of the temple of Po Nagar in Nha Trang.
Bodhisattva, “being destined to enlightenment”
For the Theravada, this term designates the Buddha himself and Buddhas of the past before their enlightenment. For the Mahayana who were more prevalent in Champa, the bodhisattva purposely delays his enlightenment, out of compassion, to help other beings.
Bhumi, “Earth”
Earth made divine, Vishnu’s second wife.
Buddha, “enlightened”
Historic figure, born at the frontier between modern Nepal and India in the sixth century BCE.
Brahma, “the absolute (made god)”
God of creation but secondary in Champa to Shiva and, to a lesser extent, to Vishnu.
Brahman
Member of the highest of the four classes of Hindu society, that of priests.
Brahmanism
Name of an Indian religion that followed the Vedic tradition, the earliest Indian religion (c. 1500 – 600 BCE) and preceding Hindu philosophies, be they sectarian (Shivaism, Vishnuism, etc.) or non-sectarian (Buddhism, Jainism).
Chakra, “wheel, disk” Attribute of Vishnu.
Deva, “god” or “shining”
Divinity superior to men, in Hinduism. Celestial being, in Mahayanist Buddhism.
Devi
Usually a goddess.
Dharma, “cosmic law” Moral law or doctrine.
Dikpala, dikpalaka
Name given to eight divinities who are guardians of directions: Indra (East), Agni (South-East), Yama (South), Nirriti (South-West), Varuna (West), Vayu (North-East), Kuvera (North), Ishana (North-East). When a dikpala rides his vahana, the term dikpalaka is used.
Dvarapala, “guardian of the door”
A dvarapala is a demi-god, guardian of the doors of Hindu or Buddhist sanctuaries.
Gajasimha, from gaja, “elephant” and simha, “lion”
Mythical animal with an elephant’s head and the body of a lion.
Ganesha
Son of Shiva and Parvati. Parvati had made a small man out of earth whom she asked to guard her door. The man refused to let Shiva enter. The god decapitated him. Faced with Parvati’s fury, Shiva ordered his ganas to find a head for his love’s protégé. The ganas decapitated the first being they met, an elephant, and reconstituted a new being with an elephant’s head.
Garuda, “wings of speech”
Mythical entity, half bird, half man, ridden by Vishnu and enemy to serpents.
Gopura
Monumental portal of a temple or city.
Guru or gourou, “heavy” Spiritual master.
Hamsa (Sanskrit and Pali)
Celestial mythical goose or duck. Ridden by Brahma and Varuna, the guardian god of the West.
Hanuman
Name of the monkey hero of the Ramayana.
Indra, “master”
Vedic god of the storm and, later, king of the gods. His attribute is the Vajra, symbol of lightning. He usually rides an elephant.
Jata, jatamukuta, “chignon”
Name of Shiva’s hair piece or bun. Symbol of Vayu, god of the wind.
Jati, “caste”
Social religious group often with professional criteria. Not to be confused with class (“varna”).
Kailasa, “mountain of silver”
Mythical mountain in the Himalayas considered the seat of Shiva’s heaven.
Kala, “black”
Head of a mythical animal resembling a lion. Usually a symbol of death.
Kinnari, Kinnara (Sanskrit and Pali)
Half-bird, half-human beings that play music to accompany the songs of the Gandharva and the dances of the Apsara. The word Kinnari is used for the feminine and Kinnara for the masculine.
Kirita-mukuta
Wrought and jewelled diadem.
Kosa, “sheath”
Object covering, in different forms, a linga.
Krishna, “the divine”
Avatar of Vishnu. Hero in the Mahabharata, particularly in the Bhagavad-Gita.
Lakshmi or Shri, “fortune” in the sense of good luck
Name of Vishnu’s wife, born from the churning of the sea of milk.
Linga, “monkey”
Phallic symbol of Shiva. If a face is sculpted in it, it is called Mukhalinga, if it has a sculpted chignon, it is called Jatalinga.
Lokesvara, “lord of the world”
Represents either a Buddha or Avalokitesvara.
Mahabharata, “Bharavas’ great gesture”
One of the two great Indian epics, with the Ramayana. Narrative (in more than 100,000 lines) of the great war that opposed the Pandava, allied with Krishna, and the Kaurava. Includes the Bhagavad-Gita.
Mahayana, from maha, “great” and yana, “vehicle”, “great vehicle”
Constitutes with Hinayana (“small vehicle” in Sanskrit) one of the two main branches of Buddhism. Promotes the action and the existence of the Bodhisattva, beings that could attain nirvana but refrain from doing so, by compassion, to help their fellow man.
Makara, (Sanskrit and Pali)
Imaginary aquatic animal, composite of a crocodile and an elephant.
Mandapa, “pavilion”
Religious edifice with columns located in the temple’s cultural centre.
Mohini
Vishnu’s feminine form.
Mudra, “seal”
Canonical gestures that signify a “psychic state” (Albert Le Bonheur). Allow Buddha’s expression to be “situated”.
Mukhalinga, “linga with a face”
Mukhuta, “crown”
In Champa, as in the rest of South-east Asia, the name given to stiff diadems or divinities’ headdresses.
Naga, (Sanskrit and Pali), “snake”
Multi-headed cobra. Symbol of waters in Indian mythology, Buddha’s protector under the name of Mucilinda when the former, during the sixth week that followed the Enlightenment, nearly drowned during his meditation in the rising waters of Lake Mucilinda.
Nandin
Name of Shiva’s (white) bull and mount.
Nataraja, “king of the dance” Any of Shiva’s dancing forms.
Pandit, from pandita, “traditional letter”
Parvati, “daughter of the mountain”
Shiva’s wife, and Skanda’s and Ganesha’s mother
Prajnaparamita, “perfection of wisdom” Mother of all Buddhas.
Rama, “charming” Hero of the Ramayana.
Ramayana
One of the two great Indian epics with the Mahabharata, dedicated to the adventures of Rama, one of Vishnu’s avatars. Attributed to the sage Valmiki.
Rishi, “wise”
Rudra, “screamer”
Vedic precursor and aspect of Shiva.
Sakti, “power”
Designates the god’s consort, who is the personification of his power.
Sampot (Khmer and Thai), “cloth”
Designation of the clothing worn short in Khmer sculpture and by “abusive” extension to that in Cham sculpture.
Sarasvati
Brahma’s wife-sakti, goddess of speech and knowledge.
Sarong (Indonesian)
Designation of long draped clothing in Khmer sculpture. Used essentially but incorrectly in Cham names for feminine clothes.
Shiva, “beneficial”
The destructive god in the Brahman trio. Cham sculpture is for the most part Shivaist.
Shri, “fortune”
See Lakshmi.
Skanda, “from sperm”
Son of Shiva, generally riding his vahana, a snake-killing peacock named Paravani.
Somasutra
Groove in the yoni.
Sugriva
Name of the king of monkeys, hero of the Ramayana.
Surya
The sun god.
Tara, “she who saves”
Feminine counterpart of Avalokitesvara, therefore also incarnates compassion.
Trimurti, “triple form”
Designates the three gods: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, all issuing from one supreme Shiva.
Uma, “light”
Shiva’s wife.
Upanishad
Philosophical texts. The oldest can be dated to the end of the Vedic period (700 BCE).
Urna
Tuft of hair between the eyebrows. One of the distinguishing signs of Buddha or Buddhic beings.
Usnisha, “that which is at the summit”
Protuberance of the skull. One of the distinguishing signs of Buddha of Buddhic beings.
Uttarasanga
Large piece of fabric worn like a coat. It can cover one or both shoulders.
Varna, “class” in Sanskrit
The four classes; namely, Brahman (priests), ksatriya (warriors), vaishya (merchants), shudra (farmers and servants) date from an appearance initiated in Vedic times, the two first dominating the two others.
Vayu
God of wind and speech. Guardian of the North-West. Mounts, literally and figuratively, a horse.
Veda, “knowledge”
Set of four core texts: the Rig-Veda, “wisdom of verses”, the Sana-Veda, “wisdom of songs”, the Yajur-Veda, “wisdom of melodies”, the Atharva-Veda, “wisdom of the Atharvan priests”. Channelled to priests, who transcribed them, by the divinities – including Brahma – their origin goes back, for the oldest (the Rig-Veda) to 1200 BCE.
Vihara (Sanskrit and Pali), “place to stay”
Meeting room of Buddhist monks.
Vishnu, “he who penetrates everything”
God who ensures the maintenance of the world between its creation by Brahma and its destruction by Shiva.
Yaksha (masculine), yakshi (feminine)
Minor animist divinities integrated later into Hindu religions, where they are largely beneficial, and Buddhism, where they are mostly demonic. Represented with fangs and bulging eyes.
Yoni
Symbol of the vulva, always represented perpendicularly encircling the linga, which is vertical, and symbol of Shiva. One of its sides includes a groove (called a somasutra) that channels the liquids used during the ceremony (water, milk, etc.) to the exterior of the sanctuary.