Glossary

Specialised terms — deities, iconographic forms, ritual and cultural vocabulary — used throughout this archive's mural descriptions. These same terms are also glossed inline with hover/tap definitions wherever they appear in individual mural records.

Abhaya mudra

Hand raised with palms held straight.

Agni

God of fire, usually depicted in murals as golden-skinned.Also found in some murals in the form of a horse.

Ananthan

The five-hooded snake; Vishnu rests on top of Ananthan.

Ananthashayi

Vishnu reclining on serpent Ananthan.

Anjali mudra

Palms folded together with fingers touching each other.

Apasmara bhootham

The figure depicted on the feet of Nataraja.

Apsara

Celestial dancer.

Ardhanareeswaran

Half-Shiva half Parvathi form. Shows the union of male and female.

Arjuna

One among the five Pandavas, he is known for his archery skills; son of Indra.

Arundhathi

Wife of Agasthya.

Asura

demon / anti-god.

Avatara

Incarnation.

Ayyappa

Son of Shiva and Mohini, also known as Shasthav. In murals, he is depicted as hunter, or Vetta Shasthav.

Balarama

Eighth incarnation of Vishnu; brother of Krishna; usually depicted as white-skinned.

Bali

Former king of the vanaras or monkeys; brother of Sugriva; killed at the hands of Rama.

Bhadrakali

fierce form of the goddess Kali.

Bhagavata Purana

Narrates the story of Krishna, particularly his childhood adventures.

Bharathan

Brother of Rama; tried to follow him into exile but was stopped by Rama.

Bhoodevi

The mother earth; consort of Vishnu; depicted alongside Vishnu.

Bhootagana

The members of Shiva's army.

Bhoothagana

Shiva's army/attendants.

Bhringi

The dance master. Depicted with three arms beside the dancing form of Shiva, Nataraja.

Brahma

One of the three major Gods; in charge of creation; depicted with three heads and four arms.

Celestial Beings

Gandharvas and apsaras are considered as celestial, divine beings residing in heaven.

Chakra

A discus; a weapon and attribute of Vishnu.

Chiranjivi

Immortal.

Cosmological Beings

Divine and semi-divine beings; includes devas and asuras.

Daksha

The father of Shiva's first wife sathi; depicted with a goat's head over a human torso.

Dasharathan

The father of Rama. Depicted with a beard and moustache and and ornate crown on his forhead.

Dattatreyan

A combined form of the three supreme deities Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva; depicted as three headed, six armed with a cow and dogs beside him.

Deva

Celestial beings.

Devasena

The wife of Subrahmanya.

Devi

Generic term for Goddess.

Devi Mahatmya

Narrates the story of various Goddesses.

Dhanvanthari

God of medicine; looks similar to Vishnu but holds a sprig of herb and a pot filled with nectar/amrit.

Dhoti

Garment draped across the lower part of the body.

Durga

Goddess of war; depicted with a bow and arrow; mounted on top of a lion.

Dushana

Brother of Shoorpanakha; sets out to kill Rama but in vain.

Dwarapalaka

A temple gate guardian, depicted on either side of doorways and entrances.

Gada

Mace.

Gajendra

The elephant devotee of Vishnu; Vishnu appeared before Gajendra and rescued him from the clutches of Makara the crocodile.

Gajendramoksham

Story of the elephant Gajendra's liberation.

Gajra

flower-garland hair ornament.

Ganapathi

God in charge of removing obstacles; son of Shiva and Parvathi; elephant-headed with a broken tusk.

Gandharva

Celestial musician.

Garuda

The mount of Vishnu; is an eagle with a red beak.

Goddess

Goddess is the generic term for any female deity; also called Devi.

Gopika

Cowherd woman.

Guardian Figures

Also known as Dwarapalaka, guardian deities are depicted on either sides of doors and entrances; has fangs, bulging eyes and a mace or some other weapon in his hand.

Guha

The forest dweller who helped Rama, Sita and Lakshmana cross the Ganga in his boat.

Hanuman

Monkey God; devotee of Rama; depicted as white-skinned with a red face and white beard.

Himavan

Father of Parvathy; depicted with a beard and moustache with an ornate crown on his head.

Hiranyakashipu

The demon who questioned the existence of God and tried to murder his own son Prahlada for being a devotee of Vishnu. He dies at the hands of Narasimha.

Ilayath

Surname of an artist.

Indra

God of the rain and thunder; king of devas; commonly depicted with eyes all over his body.

Indrajit

Son of Ravana; killed at the hands of Lakshmana.

Japa mala

Necklace made of sacred prayer beads.

Jatayu

The bird who tried to stop Ravana from abducting Sita; Ravana cuts off his wings and he dies.

Kabandha

The demon without a head. He has a mouth on his stomach and attacks Rama and Lakshmana; but gets killed by them.

Kaikayi

Dasharatha's wife and mother of Bharathan.

Kali

The goddess of destruction; fiercely depicted with dark skin and a garland of skulls around her neck.

Kaliyamardhanam

Episode of Krishna subduing Kaliya, the serpent.

Kaliyan

The serpent sent by Kamsa to murder Krishna; Krishna defeats him by dancing on top of his hoods.

Kalki

Tenth incarnation of Vishnu; rarely depicted.

Kamadeva

God of love; depicted with a floral arrow in his hand.

Kamsa

King of Mathura and uncle of Krishna; sends multiple demons to kill Krishna; was killed at the hands of Krishna.

Kathakali

Classical Kerala dance-drama.

Kausalya

Mother of Rama; Dasharatha's wife.

Khara

Brother of Shoorpanakha; sets out to kill Rama but in vain.

Kirathasunu

Son of Shiva and Parvathy born while they were in the kirata (forest-dweller) form; green-skinned bearded; holding a bow and arrow and a sword in his hands.

Koormam

The second incarnation of Lord Vishnu; upper body is human while lower body is that of a tortoise.

Krishna

The ninth incarnation of Vishnu; yellow dhoti; peacock feather on top of the head and carrying flute; Krishna as Venugopala is the common form.

Kumbakarna

Brother of Ravana; huge; received the boon to remain sleeping for six months and awake for the next six.

Lakshmanan

Brother of Rama; an archer of great skill.

Lakshmi

Goddess of wealth and abundance; consort of Vishnu; holds a lotus flower in her hand.

Leela

Divine play.

Linga

Aniconic form of Shiva.

Mahabharata

The text that narrated the story of Pandavas and Kauravas. Bhagavad Gita is part of this text.

Maharshi

Great sage (s).

Makara

The crocodile who bit Gajendra the elephant devotee of Vishnu; Vishnu appeared before Gajendra and rescued him from the clutches of Makara.

Manigriva

One of the twin gandharvas who were released from their curse of being twin trees. Krishna carried the ural (traditional mortar) across the trees causing them to fall.

Marichan

The demon who took the form of a golden deer under the instruction of Ravana. He distracted Rama long enough for Ravana to abduct Sita.

Markandeyan

The devotee of Shiva, was prophesied to die at a young age, but Shiva intervened and defeated Yama (god of death) who came to take Markandeya away.

Matsya

First incarnation of Vishnu; half human with lower body that of a fish.

Menaka

The apsaras(celestial being) in the court of Indra; beautiful; a dancer; sent by Indra to disrupt the penance of Vishwamithra.

Mohini

Vishnu's female incarnation; most often depicted playing with a ball with one hand while holding up her loose saree with the other.

Moksha

Liberation.

Mudra

A symbolic hand gesture.

Nalakuvera

One of the twin gandharvas who were released from their curse of being twin trees. Krishna carried the ural (traditional mortar) across the trees causing them to fall.

Nandi

A white bull; the mount of Shiva.

Narada

Main sage in Hindu mythology; depicted as a moustached and bearded figure with a veena (stringed musical instrument) in his hand.

Narasimham

Fourth incarnation of Vishnu; depicted as half lion half human form; fierce; head of a lion and body of a human.

Padma

Lotus.

Parashurama

Sixth incarnation of Vishnu; depicted with a bow and arrow in one arm and an axe in the other.

Parthasarathy

Krishna as Arjuna's charioteer.

Parvam

A chapter division in Mahabharatha.

Parvathi

Wife of Shiva; commonly depicted as dark-skinned with a lotus flower in one of her hands.

Pattabhishekam

Coronation.

Poothana

Demoness sent by Kamsa to kill Krishna. She applies poison on her breasts and breastfeeds an infant Krishna, but Krishna sucks out her blood and kills her.

Prabhavali

halo/aureole arch behind a deity.

Prahlada

Devotee of Vishnu; was rescued by Vishnu who took the form of Narasimham and saved him from the tyranny of Hiranyakashipu.

Purana

Hindu scripture.

Rakshasa

demon / anti-god.

Ramayana

The text that narrates the story of Rama, particularly his exile and defeat of Ravana.

Rasaleela

Krishna's circular dance with the gopis.

Ravanan

Asura king of Lanka; abducted Sita; drawn with ten arms and heads.

Rishi

Sage(s).

Rishyasringan

A sage who conducted the sacrifice which caused the Gods to bless Dasharatha with his three sons; depicted with human body and a deer's head.

Rudraksha

Sacred prayer beads.

Sage

Ascetic; usually depicted with a beard and moustache, wearing rudraksha beads.

Samhara

Destruction.

Sampathi

Brother of Jatayu; is a large bird ; informs the vanaras of the location of Sita.

Saraswathi

Goddess of wisdom; carrying a veena (stringed musical instrument) in most depictions.

Sati

First wife of Shiva; immolates herself after her father Daksha humiliates her for attending the yajna (divine sacrifice) without an invitation.

Shabari

An ascetic devoted to Sreerama.

Shaivism

Shiva-centred tradition.

Shakti

divine feminine power.

Shankha

Conch shell.

Shasthav

Son of Shiva and Mohini; Interchangeably used with Ayyappan; commonly depicted as hunting on top of a white horse.

Shathrughnan

Brother of Rama; twin of Lakshmanan.

Shiva

One of the three prime Gods; in charge of destruction; often depicted as having four arms holding an axe and a deer; has three eyes and crescent moon on forehead.

Shiva Purana

The text that records the tales of Lord Shiva.

Shivaparivaram

Shiva's family.

Shurpanakha

The sister of Ravana, demoness Shoorpanakha approached Rama and Lakshmana with attempts at seducing them; Lakshmana cuts of her nose, ears and breast.

Sita

Wife of Sreerama; abducted by Ravana; golden-skinned; considered the incarnation of Lakshmi.

Sree / Sri

Honorary title.

Sreedevi

Another name for Lakshmi; consort of Vishnu; depicted alongside Vishnu.

Sreekrishnaleela

Krishna's childhood adventures.

Sreeraman

Seventh avatara (incarnation) of Vishnu; blue/green-skinned with a bow and arrow in his hands; wearing yellow lower garment.

Sthithi

cosmic preservation/equilibrium.

Subrahmanya

Son of Shiva and Parvathy; rides a peacock; holds a vel or spear.

Sudarshana chakra

Vishnu's discus weapon.

Sugrivan

King of Vanaras or the monkeys.

Suka Maharshi

Sage in the form of a parrot.

Sumanthran

Minister in Dasharatha's court.

Sumithra

Third wife of Dasharatha, father of Sreerama; mother to Lakshmana and Shathrukhna.

Tadaka

The demoness who attacked Rama while he was accompanying sage Vishwamithra to his hermitage.

Tapas

Penance.

Tilak

Mark on the forehead.

Trishula

Trident.

Uttariya

Cloth that is draped over the shoulder.

Vaishnavism

Vishnu-centred tradition.

Vamanan

The fifth incarnation of Vishnu; a young Brahmin boy.

Varada mudra

Gesture where Palms are facing downward.

Varaha

The third incarnation of Vishnu; head of a boar; body of human; with four arms.

Varuna

God of the ocean; appears in scenes that shows Sreerama attempting to cross the ocean to reach Lanka.

Vedas

Hindu scripture.

Veerabhadra

Veerabhadra was born from Shiva, in order to kill Daksha who was Shiva's father-in law. Depicted with three eyes and multiple arms, one of them holding a sword.

Vel

Spear.

Venugopala

Krishna playing a flute.

Vibhishanan

Ravana's brother; showed alliance to Sreerama; often depicted alongside Sreerama.

Vishnu

One of the three major Gods, depicted with four arms each holding a conch, chakra (or disc), gada (mace) and padmam (lotus flower).

Vishwamithra

Sage who took Rama and Lakshmana into the forest to defeat the demons and protect his yajna (sacrifice).

Viswamithra

Sage who took Rama and Lakshmana into the forest to defeat the demons and protect his yajna (sacrifice).

Vyasa

Sage who wrote Mahabharatha.

Yaga

Vedic sacrifice.

Yashoda

Mother of Krishna.