The Guide

The Guide Glossary

Maharaja

A Sanskrit title for a high king; king of the kings

Anna

A former currency unit used in India and Pakistan; 16 anna equals to 1 rupee

Idli

Savory rice cake which is a famous breakfast food in South India and Sri Lanka

Jutka

A two-wheeler vehicle carried by a horse

Darshan

A term referring to an opportunity to see a holy person

Moksha

The Sanskrit term for salvation or liberation of the soul from worldly things and the cycle of birth and death

Pyol

Porch

Bonda

A snack item made of gram flour that mainly originated in South India and comes in many sweet and savory versions

Yogi

A practitioner of yoga which contributes to that same practitioner's physical as well as spiritual growth; a term broadly used to refer to someone who has risen above all material desires and lives drowned in meditation in some cave or away from locality

Sarayu

A river flowing from Uttarakhand to Uttar Pradesh (two Indian states)

Dhoti

A Hindu male garment consisting of a long continuous cloth used to cover from waist down

Jibba

A Muslim male ware worn like a long coat

Dhobi

A caste group in India whose traditional occupation is to wash clothes in exchange for money

Deepavali

A Hindu festival of light

Swami

A Hindu ascetic or religious teacher who comes to be a senior member of a religious order

Sadhu

A holy man or sage

Nataraja

A Sanskrit term for the Lord of Dance; Hindu God, Shiva

Pundit

A Brahmin scholar; a teacher in any field of Hinduism

Pallavi

A thematic line in a Carnatic song

Bharat Natyum

A major classical dance form in India

Saithan

The devil

Gurkha Sentry

Nepalese soldiers recruited in the British army

Vadhyar

A teacher

Tabala

A traditional South Asian musical instrument

Namaste

An Indian salute or greeting