The following are words and terms you’ll need to know when reading this website. Some of the words may be familiar to those in India but this glossary is also written for people new to Hinduism who may not be that familiar with certain terms like “lakh”, “crore”, “FIR” etc
Ambedkar – Dr BR Ambedkar was a social reformer. He inspired Dalit Hindus to convert to Buddhism due to mistreatment from the caste system
Alankaram – decoration of a murti.
(A murti is a holy statue where the spirit of the god is invoked inside of the statue via a prana pratishta ritual)
Annabhishekam – ritual where Shiva lingam covered with rice during Tula Purnima (Libra full moon)
AP – Andhra Pradesh
Article 370 – special provision of the Indian Constitution that allowed Jammu & Kashmir to be autonomous. It was revoked.
ASI – Archeological Survey of India. Govt agency responsible for archeological research & conservation.
Ayodhya – Town in Uttar Pradesh where the God Ram was born. The Ram Janmabhoomi temple is there.
Ayyappa – Son of Shiva & Vishnu as Mohini. His temple is Sabarimala in Kerala.
Babri Masjid – Mosque in Ayodhya built in 1528 by the Muslim Emperor Babur. It stood on land believed to be where the God Ram was born. Some Hindus say that Babur knocked down an existing Ram Temple to build Babri Masjid. Hindus demolished Babri Masjid in 1992. In 2024, the Ram Janmabhoomi temple was built on the spot.
Bajrang Dal– the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad group.
BAPS – A denomination of the Swaminarayan religion.
Blackbuck – Indian antelope. The Bishnoi community in India view them as an incarnation of God. After Bollywood actor, Salman Khan killed a blackbuck during a hunting trip – there were numerous threats on his life.
Caste – See “caste system”
Caste System – A religious system that divides society into four groups
1) Brahman or priests,
2) Kshatriyas or soldiers, kings, govt.
3) Vaishyas – merchants, agriculture
4) Shudras – manual laborers
Anyone born outside the caste system is considered a “Dalit”. The dirtiest jobs were given to Dalits like sewer cleaners, handling corpses. Dalits were barred from marrying or socializing with upper castes.
Traditionally and the way it’s currently practiced in India – you’re born into your caste. Others say that’s incorrect and caste is by qualities not birth.
Char Dham – 4 pilgrimage sites at the four corners of India. They represent a different yuga as defined by Shankar. Puri, Badrinath, Dwarka, Rameshwaram.
Chota Char Dham – 4 pilgrimage sites in the Himalayan mountains in Uttarakhand. They are: Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath & Badrinath.
Crore – 1 Crore is equivalent to $120,382 U.S. dollars
Dalit – those born outside the Hindu caste system. They were traditionally given dirty jobs like cleaning sewers, handling corpses etc. They’re prohibited from socializing or marrying upper castes. Dalits are often discriminated against.
Darshan – seeing a murti or holy person
Devidasi – Female who was given to a temple to serve the deity for life. The services include dancing. At one point in history, Devidasis were made to be temple prostitutes to earn money for the temple. The Devidasi system has no basis in scripture. In ISKCON (Hare Krishna org) all female initiates are given the last name, “Devi Dasi”. It means servant of God.
Dravidian – ancient South Indians.
Encroachment – in the context of this website, it’s usually temple land encroachment. That means someone has built something on land legally belonging to Hindu temples.
FIR – First Information Report. An FIR is a police report.
Gurdwara – Sikh temple
Gyanvapi Mosque– a mosque in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. It’s believed that a Shiva temple was previously on the land. The Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb had the temple demolished in 1669 and had the Gyanvapi mosque built on the spot. Pictures of the mosque clearly show Hindu architecture.
HR&CE – Hindu Religious & Charitable Endowments. Govt org in Tamil Nadu that manages temples.
ISKCON – International Society for Krishna Consciousness. Aka the Hare Krishnas. Gaudiya Vaishnava group that worships Krishna as the Supreme God. Many Western converts.
Jagannath – Deity in the Jagannath temple in Puri, Orissa. Believed to be an incarnation of Krishna. The temple has Shakta priests because in Shaktaism, Jagannath is believed to be an incarnation of Shiva called Bhairava.
Jyotirlinga – believed to be locations where the God Shiva himself manifested as a lingam. They’re 12 Jyotirlingas in India.
Kamakhya – A Goddess. There’s a temple for her in Assam, India. It’s a Shakti Peeth. It’s believed to be the spot where the Goddess Sati’s womb fell. The temple is popular with tantrics.
Khalistan – Sikh org that wants to secede from India. They want to have India’s Punjab state & portions of surrounding states as a separate country for Sikhs called Khalistan.
Krishna Janmabhoomi – Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. A temple for Krishna near his birth place. Atop Krishna’s actual birth spot sits the Shahi Idgah mosque. It was built in 1670 on the orders of the Mughal leader, Aurangzeb. Hindus believe Aurangzeb knocked down a Krishna temple to build the mosque. Hindus are currently petitioning the courts for control over the land where the mosque is.
Laddus – Indian dessert in the shape of a yellow ball.
Lakh – equals $100,000 U.S. dollars.
Mandir – Hindu temple
Masjid – Muslim mosque
Monism – Belief that only God (formless consciousness) exists and everything else like the universe, matter & man is a expansion of Him. When the desire to create arises, God’s energy called Shakti arises and starts the process of creation.
MP – Madhya Pradesh
Murti – A murti is a holy statue where the spirit of the god is invoked inside of the statue via a prana pratishta ritual. Statues where the spirit of God literally reside in are called murtis – not idols.
Naivedyam – food that will be offered to God. Before it’s offered it’s called “naivedyam”. After it’s offered, it’s called “prashad”.
Parikrama – clockwise circumambulation of a temple murti or sacred place.
Prashad – food that has been offered to God.
Queue – lines you have to wait in to get inside of a temple.
Reservations – a system of affirmative action in India for lower caste people. Lower castes receive a select amount of openings in govt jobs, education & political positions. Controversial because even Dalits who convert out of Hinduism still get reservations. Others say reservations promote caste consciousness.
Rupee – (INR) is the official currency of India.
RSS – “Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh”. Right wing, Hindutva org. It manages other groups like Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) & Bajrang Dal.
Sabarimala – temple in Kerala dedicated to the God Ayyappa.
Sardar – a Sikh
Sati – the act of a widow burning herself alive on her husband’s funeral pyre. It’s also the name of Lord Shiva’s first wife, the Goddess Sati.
Scheduled Caste– a lower caste group that the Indian constitution recognizes as being disadvantaged in society.
Shaktaism – a denomination of Hinduism that worships the Mother Goddess (Kali, Durga or Lalita Tripura Sundari) as the Supreme God.
Shakti Peeth– places on Earth where the Goddess Sati’s cut up body fell. Temples were built atop the spots. Shakti Peeth area spread across Northern India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Sunderkand – a part of the Ramayana that tells the heroic deeds of Hanuman.
Swami – a celibate Hindu priest who has renounced the world. They usually dress in saffron robes.
Swaminarayan – a social reformer from the 1800’s. His followers believe him to be an incarnation of Krishna. “BAPS” is one of the denominations in the Swaminarayan religion.
Tilak – religious marks worn on forehead.
- Vaishnavas wear a “U” shaped mark.
- Shaivas wear 3 horizontal lines. ( some Smartas, Shaktas & Kaumaras will also wear Shaiva tilak though they’re not Shaivites)
- Shaktas wear red sindur as a dot of line.
- Smarta tilak is “U” shaped with a dot in the middle.
Tirumala – a neighborhood in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh state. The famous Venkateshwara temple is located there.
Tirupati – a district in Andhra Pradesh. The Venkateshwara temple is located there.
TN – Tamil Nadu. (state in India)
Trishul – weapon with 3 prongs. Popularly held by the God, Shiva.
TTD – “Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams”. It’s a govt trust used to manage the Venkateshwara temple in Tirumala.
UNESCO – “United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization”. They designate “world heritage sites”. In India, some of those world heritage sites include the Taj Mahal, Ellora caves, the Sun Temple in Konark.
UP – Uttar Pradesh (state in India)
VHP – “Vishwa Hindu Parishad”. Hindutva group. It’s one of the groups managed by the RSS org.
Waqf board – Muslim org that owns land for religious purposes.