In the Indian epic Ramayana, the father of Sita and father-in-law of Rama. In later Vedic texts, Janaka is stated to be a ruler of Videha, a region corresponding to parts of present-day Bihar and Nepal, and historians suggest a possibility of him having been a historical figure who may have lived and ruled between the ninth and seventh centuries BCE.
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Sanskrit for ‘pillar’, historically appearing in various contexts, including Vedic liturgy, Brahmanical mythology, and Brahmanical treatises on architecture, theatre and…
The term used for a deity’s dancing form in Hindu religious iconography. It is most commonly associated with the Shiva,…
Also known as the Medicine Buddha, he is the Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahayana Buddhism and is believed…
One of the thirty-two lakshanas within Buddhist iconography, the ushnisha is an oval arrangement of hair on top of the…
Another name for yalis or vyalas, they are guardian deities in Hindu and Buddhist mythology depicted as a composite creature,…
A king mentioned in Hindu texts and the Buddhist Sibi Jataka. He is accorded with several legendary feats in the…
A deity personifying the earth. She is also known as Bhumi Devi and is considered an incarnation of Mahalakshmi. She…
The largest sect of Buddhism in the world, it is characterised by the reverence of bodhisattvas, coupled with the pursuit…