[to be revised]

var. agaḥcheṃ, agachen; small house without windows.

[to be revised]

[fr. S. agni] n. a fire pit.

[fr. old New. amasa] n. 1) a term that signifies food such as fish, egg, meat, black lentils, garlic, soybeans, and leeks, among others (Mālī 1130 NS: 20).

2) impure or unholy food which is not deemed fit for sacrifice.

var. aṃbaḥsā, ambaḥsā, ambasa, ambāsi; n. 1) A myrobalan pattern (usally carved).

2) base of a strut; syn. tunāḥtvākaḥ (Gutschow et al. 1987: 19).

[S.] var. aṣṭamaṅgal, ashtamangal; n. the Eight Auspicious Emblems, popular predominantly among the Newars and Mahāyāna Buddhists in Nepal. The Newar aṣṭamaṅgala consists of Śrīvatsa (an endless knot), Puṇḍarīka (a lotus), Dhvaja (a victory banner), Kalaśa (a sacred water pot), Cāmara/Cvāmvaḥ (fly whisk made from a yak's tail), Matsyayugma (a pair of golden fish), Chatra (a five-tiered parasol) and Śaṅkha (a conch shell) (Śākya 1089 NS: 2). The Mahāyāna tradition identifies the same emblems as aṣṭamaṅgala though here a Dharmacakra (the Wheel of the Law) replaces the Cāmara.

The eight emblems are sometimes collectively represented in both Newar and Mahāyāna traditions in the form of pūrṇakalaśa. These emblems vary according to tradition. For instance, the Hindus consider a Brahmin, a cow, a fire, gold, ghee, the sun, water and a king to constitute aṣṭamaṅgala, whilst another tradition venerates a lion, bull, elephant, water-jar, fan, flag, trumpet and lamp as its auspicious emblems (Monier-Williams 1964: 116). In the ancient Sinhalese tradition, śrīvatsa, vāladhi or cāmara, aṅkuśa, mīna, nandi or svastika, veṣṭhana or bhadrapīṭha, śaṅkha or ghaṭāyudha are taken to be aṣṭamaṅgala (Karunaratne 1997: 81).

[S.] var. ashtamatrika; n. the group of the 'Eight Mother Goddesses'. The Eight Mother Goddesses are revered in the Kathmandu valley as protective deities. Each goddess is invariably enshrined in one of the four cardinal or four intermediate directions. Gutschow et al. claim that these are as follows: Brahmāyaṇī (E), Māheśvarī (N), Kaumārī (SE), Vaiṣṇavī (SW), Vārāhī (S), Indrāyaṇī (W), Cāmuṇḍā (NW) and Mahālakṣmī (NE) (Gutschow et al. 1977: 10). However, a ritual map obtained from Bhaktapur aligns the goddesses with different directions, namely Brahmāyaṇī (E), Māheśvarī (SE), Kaumārī (S), Vaiṣṇavī (SW), Vārāhī (W), Indrāyaṇī (NW), Mahākālī (N) and Mahālakṣmī (NE) (Kölver 1976: 69).

It is believed that the Kathmandu Valley and the three cities within it lie under the protection of the goddesses. In contrast to the Seven Mother Goddesses (saptamātṛkā) in India, aṣṭamātṛkās are venerated in Nepal. A number of the deities in India are considered to be non-violent, but in Nepal all of the aṣṭamātṛkās are classed as hitvaṃdyaḥ, i.e. deities who expect blood sacrifices. Cāmuṇḍā (also sometimes known as Mahākālī) and Mahālakṣmī have complex origins, but the other goddesses are related to Brahmā, Śiva, Kumāra, Viṣṇu and Indra (Slusser 1982 vol. 1, 322). Vārāhī is related to Varāha.

[S.] (New. bau) n. 1) any offering or propitiatory oblation (especially an offering of portions of food, such as grain, rice etc., to certain gods, semi-divine beings, household divinities, spirits, etc.) (Monier-Williams 1964: 723). In the Buddhist context, bali is the renunciation of worldly attachments triggered by the five sensory organs. The Newar concept of offering rice grains, flowers, incense, sweets, etc. to a deity is a symbolic act of renunciating attachments or dislikes triggered by rūpa (form), śabda (sound), rasa (taste), gandha (smell) and sparśa (touch).

2) grains or food offered to deceased ancestors or deities; an offering of water alongside small portions of the food that one is about to consume before having lunch in memory of one's deceased parents.

3) items like rice, turmeric, salt etc. placed in a bvaḥtā (small bowl made of leaves) that is left at the pikhālakhu (a marked spot in front of the main entrance outside the eaves of roof) or the chvāsa (an area designated for ritually discarding certain items at times of death, birth and warding off spirits), as advised by divine healers when one feels sick.

4) certain items that are ritually discarded in order to ward off evil spirits after a worship at a house to mark the completion of its construction (Mālī 1130 NS: 423).

5) an animal sacrifice; among the Buddhist Newars, a duck's egg is offered as a substitute to an animal sacrifice.

[New.] var. betwa; n. 1) sash rail (Gutschow et al. 1987: 62); timber that is placed on four sides while fixing a window or door (Mālī 1130 NS: 421).

2) timber that is used in between structures to shim up while fixing windows, doors or stairs.

[S.] var. bhuwan; n. 1) the world, the earth.

2) according to purāṇa, the 14 realms like bhū, bhuva, sva, maha, etc.; each of the seven realms above and below the earth.

3) the number 14 based on that 14 realms (Parājulī et al. 2067: 962); generally tri-bhuvana or bhuvana-traya, the three worlds, are reckoned: svarga (the heaven), martya (the earth) and pātāla (the hell).

[New.] var. bilaṃpati, bilanpau; n. 1) strut with a figural design.

2) a long, narrow painting on cloth, usually depicting images of various jātakas and avadānas, i.e. stories relating to the Buddha's past lives. A single bilaṃpau usually depicts a story of one of the Buddha's many past lives from the beginning to the end. The bilaṃpau of Siṃharasārthavāhū Avadāna displayed in Thã Bahī, Kathmandu is a good example of this. These scroll paintings are usually displayed in various monastic buildings during Guṃlā as part of the bahīdyaḥ bvaygu event. Afterwards, they are rolled up and put back in storage for the rest of the year (Mālī 1130 NS: 416).

[to be revised]

n. fermented substance for liquor distillation.

var. calu, cvalū; archit. n. 1) the horizontal bar on which the roof beam rests (Manandhar et al. 1986: 57).

2) a top plate on struts supporting the eaves; strut rail; syn. jācalu (Gutschow et al. 1987: 31/159).

[to be revised]

[New.] a wayside stall or temporary shop (under a tree).

n. 1) the moon as seen on the fourth day of the bright fortnight of Bhādra.

2) a man as clever as a thief; a cheater (Manandhar et al. 1986: 56).

[S.] var. chataḥ (New.); n. 1) a small umbrella adorning a toraṇa or finial. These umbrellas usually have three folds and hence are also known as svatãchatra, meaning 'threefold umbrella'. However, this differs from the large umbrella used to cover deities during festivals, as well as members of the royal family and senior elders of monasteries when they take part in public functions. This larger umbrella is called chatrakusā. Both words, chatra in Sanskrit and kusā in Newari, mean umbrella.

2) one of the eight emblems of the aṣṭamaṅgala.

[to be revised]

[New.] var. cibhācheṃ; house of refuge, monastery.

var. Chikan Bahi, Chikan Bahil; vernacular name of one of the major Buddhist monasteries (bahī) in Patan also known by its Sanskrit name Saptapura Mahāvihāra.

Old name [Occurance]: Cikuna Bahiri [LAL_4108_0001]

var. Cochẽ, Chwachhen; lit. house in uptown or house at an elevated area, it is a name of a place in Patan.

Old name [Occurance]: Coche [LAL_1780 _0002; LAL_1700_0001]

var. caukulāṃ, cakulā̃, caukulā̃, cvakulā̃, cakulā; archit. n. 1) a board with which to space a pair of pillars.

2) board between post and capital.

3) secondary lintel (Gutschow et al. 1987: 33).

n. 1) topmost part of a pinnacle (Gutschow et al. 1987: 34).

2) the five tiers on top of a sinhaḥmū; the cover of a sinhaḥmū (Mālī 1130 NS: 38).

[fr. S. dīkṣā] (old New. dikhyā) var. dikhā, dichyā; n. 1) the initiatory mantra, consecration (Malla 2000: 220)

2) an initiatory rite undertaken by those among the Newar elite who adhere to tantricism which allows them access to the inner sanctum (āgaṃ) (Manandhar et al. 1986: 109). There are various forms of dekhā; the most common being the mantra of nhikaṃ, i.e. the early morning prayer or worship. A person receiving the nhikaṃ mantra must perform worship at their āgaṃ every day before they have anything to eat.

[to be revised]

n. a ritual to appease the eight mother Goddesses (aṣṭamātṛkā).

[to be revised]

n. vessel for keeping offering materials used by priests.

[to be revised]

n. veneration of the goddess Ajimā on the eleventh day after a birth.

n. 1) lit. a deity's house, a dyaḥchẽ is a building that houses any idol or masks of various deities of certain groups (e.g. aṣṭamātṛkā). Idols are taken round the city at least once a year in a procession, whilst masks are taken out of the dyaḥchẽ at least once a year and used by dancers who perform the dance of the respective group of deities. Unlike a degaḥ, where a deity is permanently enshrined, a dyaḥchẽ mostly serves as a place for idols and items of any mask dance like masks, dresses and jewelry to be stored whilst not in use. However, the four Karuṇāmayas (Matsyendranāthas) of the Kathmandu Valley are exceptions to this; though they are enshrined in a degaḥ, they are also are taken out for chariot processions.

2) the main building of a monastery that houses its main deity.

var. Dīpaṃkara; n. 1) name of one of the 28 Buddhas that the Buddhists believe have been born so far. Dīpaṅkara is the fourth among them while Gautama (Śākyamuni) Buddha is the most recent (Vajrācārya 2010: 37). Some sources mention only 25 Buddhas with Dīpaṅkara as the first; for this reason, he is also called Ādibuddha, i.e. the first Buddha. He is mostly represented in the form of a large image with a highly ornamental head, two palms, and a hollow body frame; this allows a person to clamber inside and carry the image around the city on occasions like Samyak Mahādāna. The head and two palms represent Dīpaṅkara, whilst the rest of the construction is a wooden frame covered by decorative cloths which serve as the deity's dress.

2) var. dipaṃkhā; n. the name of a rare 60-kilometer long procession to 130 sites throughout the Kathmandu Valley, starting from Nāga Bāhāḥ (LAL0930) in Patan (Michaels 2013: 324).

[to be revised]

var. gaṃtā; n. a venerable personality.

var. Hauga Baha; n. a Buddhist monastery in Patan that lies few meters south from Mangal Bazaar to the west of the street to Lagankhel.

Old name [Occurance]: Hastināgala Mahāvihāra; Hastināga Vihāra [Locke 1985, 229]; Hātīgala Vihāra [LAL_2670_0008]

[to be revised]

var. hitiduṃ; n. system of pipes feeding a water conduit.

[to be revised]

var. hitimaṅgaḥbājã; kind of wind instrument similar to a water spout.

var. Ilanani; a courtyard situated in between Kvāḥ Bāhāḥ and Nāga Bāhāḥ (LAL0930) in Patan. The name Ilā Nani comes from Ināyalaṅhe, the old name of the courtyard that means 'a rectangular yard right behind Ināy'. A phalcā with an idol of Ganedyaḥ facing west stands at the north-western corner of the courtyard with an adjoining yard to its back.

Old name [Occurance]: Ināyalaṅhe [LAL1100_I_001/LAL1100_I_002]

[New.] var. jaṃku, jaṅku, jaṃkva, janku, janko, jamko; n. 1) rice-feeding ceremony of a child performed at the age of 5 months in case of a girl child and 6 months in case of a boy. The ritual locally referred to as jā nakegu (lit. to feed rice) is also known as macā jaṃko.

2) series of Newar old age rituals also known as jyāḥ jaṃko performed at a specific age. The first old age jaṃko is performed at the age of 77 years, 7 months, 7 days. Locally known as nhāpāṃ jaṃko, the Sanskrit term for it is Bhīmarathārohaṇa. The second jaṃko locally known as nikaḥ jaṃko is performed when one gets to observe a thousand full moons. Therefore the ritual is known as Sahaśracandrarathārohaṇa or Sahaśracandradarśana. This occurs somewhere between 81 to 84 years of age, depending on whether one counts full moons of intercalary months or not. The third jaṃko, svakaḥ jaṃko, is performed at the age of 88 years, 8 months, 8 days. It is also known as Mahārathārohaṇa. The fourth and fifth jaṃkos are rare. The fourth jaṃko, pyakaḥ jaṃko, is performed at the age of 99 years, 9 months, 9 days. It is also known as Devarathārohaṇa. The fifth one, nyākaḥ jaṃko, is only heard about in oral accounts and is supposedly performed at the age of 110 years, 10 months, 10 days. This ritual also known as Mahādevarathārohaṇa has not been performed so far in living memory. If both husband and wife are living, the jaṃko ritual is performed on both when the husband reaches the designated age disregarding the wife's age. In case a wife is already widowed, she goes through these rituals when she reaches the designated age.

[fr. S. yātrā] n. 1) festival with a procession; chariot festival.

2) journey (esp. in connection with a religious ceremony, such as a pilgrimage or a marriage).

[to be revised]

var. jisvāṃsaṃnhu; day when jasmine oil is prepared.

[S.] var. kalash; n. 1) holy water vase with a stem of dvāphvaḥsvāṃ (a kind of scentless white jasmine) dipped in the holy water placed inside it and covered by a kisalī. A kalaśa of metal is used in worships and rituals. But during rituals like jaṃko and ihī and at times of performing fire oblation, eight clay pots collectively known as aṣṭakalaśa with a painting of aṣṭamaṅgala images are used as kalaśa (Mālī 1130 NS: 83). The use of kalaśa in pair for welcoming Buddhist monks, newly wedded bride and groom, etc. symbolizes auspiciousness in the Newar tradition. The pair of kalaśa is known as dvālyā kalaśa that are placed on both sides of a marked space in front of the entrance where the welcoming takes place. In this case, the pair of dvālyā kalaśa also receive a three-legged metal seat called may.

2) one of the eight emblems of aṣṭamaṅgala.

3) finial of a temple usually made of metal or stone.

[S.] var. karppara; n. 1) skull cup that is usually referred to as kapālapātra; either (i) severed head of a man, or (ii) the cup made of a skull, or (iii) a bowl. The skull cup is of two kinds; when it is filled with blood, it is called asṛkkapāla, and when with human flesh, it is called māṃsakapāla. The deities are supposed to partake of the blood or the flesh carried in these cups (Bhattacharyya 1958: 435). Usually deities, the śakti (female consort) in particular, are seen carrying a kapāla along with a kartṛ, a small jagged-edged knife.

2) the alms-bowl of a beggar (Monier-Williams 1964: 250). But an alms-bowl is referred to as a piṇḍapātra in the Buddhist tradition. The alms-bowl found in the images of Śākyamuni Buddha or the five dhyāni Buddhas is never called a kapāla but a piṇḍapātra. However, a bowl used in esoteric worships at āgaṃ, be it of a monastery or a private house, is called kapālapātra.

3) a fragment of brick (on which the oblation is placed) (Monier-Williams 1964: 250).

[New.] 1) top of a terrace wall.

2) cornice brick (Gutschow et al. 1987: 22). In building architecture, kaḥsimvaḥ bricks are seen among multiple layers of cornice brick patterns and are distinguishable by their floral design or lotus leaf pattern on their square face.

3) Floral patterns similar to cornice bricks but made of stone found on caityas. Usually, the pattern is seen at the edge of a flat surface that appears to be a kaḥsi (terrace) on which a double-decked lotus throne serves as the base for the drum, dome and finial of a caitya. Kaḥsimvaḥ is not found in Licchavi caityas.

n. 1) terrace wall.

2) railing of chariot.

[to be revised]

var. kehẽpĩli; n. hon. co-wife, second wife.

var. Khapiñchẽ, Khapinchhen; n. lit. house of jewel wasp (emerald cockroach wasp), a place in Patan that lies to the east of the route from Saugal to Cyāsal Square.

Old name [Occurance]: Ṣapiche [LAL_1780 _0002]

[to be revised]

n. upright post of a window or door frame.

var. khata; n. 1) chariot; ceremonial palanquin. A huge chariot like that of Buṅgadyaḥ as a whole is also called khaḥ, but the railing of the chariot is called khaḥjalā. Smaller chariots like that of Kumāri from Kathmandu and Bhailaḥdyaḥ in Bhaktapur are called dyaḥkhaḥ. A ceremonial palanquin for the jaṃko ritual of the elderly is called jaṃkokhaḥ, which is also referred to as ghirighirikhaḥ.

2) scaffolding.

[fr S. kuḍava] var. kuḍa, kurha, kurhu; n. 1) a measure of grain or of wood or of iron (4th part of a prastha, described by some as a vessel four fingers wide and as many deep and containing 12 prakṛitis or handfuls; also said to contain 13 ½ cubit aṅgulas, or to contain 64 cubic aṅgulas, or to be a finger and a half deep and three fingers each in length and breadth (Monier-Williams 1964: 289).

2) a measure word for two mānās (Malla 2000: 54). Another term, kuḍā, is very similar to this one, but appears to be a term for measuring land (Malla 2000: 52).

[to be revised]

var. kuṃdhār, kunaḥ, kunār, kundhā, kvaṃdā; kind of water pot, tub, trough (for washing and for feeding cattle).

[to be revised]

n. brass pot (for keeping and serving beaten rice to the guests).

var. kokhā; n. 1) private passage to a courtyard (Gutschow et al. 1987: 23); syn. kvakhāduvāḥ.

2) a long strip of cloth usually of red in colour that is worn around the neck as a gift of any deity after its worship.

n. 1) plank above the joists.

2) flooring plank; parquet.

3) wooden trowel (Gutschow et al. 1987: 24).

4) a circular copper tray with an opening slightly narrower than the base that is used while performing argha (offering liquid oblation to deities), or keeping piṇḍas inside it during śrāddha (ritual performed to commemorate death of an ancestor) and also for discarding piṇḍa afterwards.

[to be revised]

n. furnace, oven for melting metal and baking clay models in metal casting.

n. 1) one and a half months.

2) ceremony held on the 45th day of someone's death. Also known as sapiṇḍīkaraṇa, the latyā ritual consists of mainly seven rites: pūrvāṅga (the preparatory ritual), pañcadaśapiṇḍadāna (offering of fifteen balls), sapiṇḍīkaraṇa (unification of the deceased with his or her forefathers), jaladāna (offering of water jugs), śaiyyādāna (offering of a bed), piṇḍavisarjana (dismissal of the balls) and śivaliṅgapujā (the worship of a śivaliṅga). The rituals serve to help the deceased on his one-year-long journey through the netherworld by providing him with food, water and other gifts, and to unite him with his forefathers (Gutschow et al. 2005: 129).

[to be revised]

n. worship of the patron deity of a family celebrated on a joyful occasion.

[to be revised]

LAL2110

n. 1) palm of the hand with spread or extended fingers (imagined as a flower in blossom) (Manandhar et al. 1986: 237).

2) cornice brick installed at temple corners that is in the shape of a palm facing up with fingers slightly turned upward to look like a flower in blossom.

[to be revised]

var. lakāṃsĩkulāṃ, lākāṃsiṃkulāṃ; carved base of a window frame.

[to be revised]

n. beaten rice presented to the guṭhī for admission of a new-born child.

n. a kacābāhāḥ of Kvāḥ Bāhāḥ of Patan.

Old name [Occurance]: Caityavarṇa Mahāvihāra [LAL_1100_0004], Michu Vihāra [LAL_1100_0003]

var. nakĩjhyāḥ; n. 1) a window with the image of Kumārī.

2) a place in Mahāpāla, Patan named after such a window in Bhelakhu Bāhāḥ (LAL0230).

[to be revised]

n. brick of seven inches (of which two inches have been cut off).

[to be revised]

var. nikhalaṃ; n. religious fasting before a śrāddha.

var. Nyakha Chuka, Nyāḥcuka; lit. a courtyard of five houses, it is a large courtyard north of Naka Bahī (LAL0880) in Patan.

Old name [Occurance]: Ṅākhācuka [LAL_1100_0001]

[to be revised]

LAL2110

[to be revised]

n. stone plate to sharpen tools (used by drum makers).

n. 1) a spot usually marked by a stone lotus in front of the main entrance outside the eaves of roof. It is considered to be a guardian deity and has many functions. After the cremation of a deceased family member, the other members on their return from the cremation ground go through a purificatory ritual called baliṃ pīgu at pikhālakhu before they enter the house. This is done with the belief that any evil spirit that may have accompanied them from the cremation ground are cleansed before they enter the house. Also on the seventh-day ritual called nhaynumā performed in memory of the deceased, rice and other food items are discarded at pikhālakhu.

2) common entrance of a courtyard (Gutschow et al. 1987: 54-55).

[S.] var. pūjā; n. 1) worship, honour.

2) formal expression of reverence to a deity or a venerable being by performing certain ritual accompanied by various items in offering.

[to be revised]

var. pāsabhvaja; n. ceremony observed on the twelfth day after a death.

n. 1) person who carries a sword in a trance during a sword procession called pāyāḥ.

2) silver anklet for young girls (Mālī 1130 NS: 358).

3) anklet flower in block pattern (carving) (Gutschow et al. 1987: 54).

var.Pūco, Puchwa, Pulchok/Pulchowk (Nep.); n. lit. a mound [outside] a city, it is a place in Patan where the Aśoka Stūpa West (LAL0610) is situated.

Old name [Occurance]: Pulacva/Pulaco [LAL_1100_0004]

var. sakhvā; n. 1) lime used for a white-wash.

2) mixture of lime and brick dust used as brick plaster.

var. sanāṃ, sanā, sanhāḥ; n. 1) bathing, ablution.

2) act of going to cremation ground by a river.

var. Saptapur Mahavihar; Sanskrit name of Cikaṃ Bahī.

Old name [Occurance]: Saptapurī Vihāra [LAL_4108_0001]

[to be revised]

n. necklace of silver coins to decorate a deity during a procession.

[New.] var. ṭikā (Nep.); n. 1) vermillion powder used for putting a circular mark with the tip of a finger or thumb at the centre of the forehead as blessings from elders or deities during festivals and rituals. Sinhaḥ, in general, refers to vermillion powder that is sometimes called hyāũsinhaḥ to categorically mention the colour red. Powders of saffron and yellow colors are also used as sinhaḥ on various occasions. They are known as bhuyūsinhaḥ and mhāsusinhaḥ respectively. Rice grains mixed with vermillion powder and curd are also used as sinhaḥ that is known as jākisinhaḥ.

2) a vermillion mark on the forehead.

n. a feast organized after an animal sacrifice is offered to any deity and the thakālis (seniors) of the respective guthi get a share of the parts of the sacrificed animal's body, especially the head (Mālī 1130 NS: 572).

[to be revised]

n. window with a decorative extra frame.

var. thaṃkāḍi, thaṃkādi, thaṃkādī, thaṃkāli (Old New.), thakālī (Nep.); n. 1) an individual who is senior in terms of age.

2) the most senior member of a guthi.

[to be revised]

var. thanājaḥdhuṃ, thanājaḥrhũ; water reservoir, water storage pot with a tap (made of stone) by the road.