A non-Vedic ascetic movement that practised austerity and rejected domestic life. Shramana thinkers first conceptualised the philosophies of samsara (the cycle of birth and death) and moksha (freedom from such cycles). The term refers to religions outside of Brahmanical ascetic movements such as Buddhism and Jainism and groups like the Ajivikas and Charvakas.
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A religious revival movement between c. tenth and eleventh centuries CE, credited with establishing Buddhism as a majority religion in…
The largest sect of Buddhism in the world, it is characterised by the reverence of bodhisattvas, coupled with the pursuit…
A sasana devi or protector goddess of Parshwanatha, the twenty third Tirthankara, she is one of the most revered yakshis…
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A group of demi-gods and semi-divine beings in Hindu, Jain and Buddhist mythology, they possess magical powers, with some sources…
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An aniconic representation of the Hindu deity Shiva in the form of a lingam (phallus), representing Shiva as a stambha…
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