Indian and southeast Asian art definitions

ashlar masonry

carefully cut and grooved stones that support a building without the use of concrete or other kinds of masonry

bas-relief

a very shallow relief sculpture

bodhisattva

a deity who refrains from entering nirvana to help others

buddha

a fully enlightened being. There are many Buddhas, the most famous of whom is Shakyamuni, also known as Gautama or Siddhartha

cella

the main room of a temple, where the god is housed

Darshan

in Hinduism, the ability of a worshipper to see a deity and the deity to see the worshiper

Garbha griha

a “womb chamber”, the inner room in a Hindu temple that houses the god’s image

Horror vacui

a type of artwork in which the entire surface is filled with objects, people, designs, and ornaments in a crowded and sometimes congested way

hypostyle

a hall with a rood supported by dense thicket of columns

iconoclasm

the destruction of religious images that are seen as heresy

mandorla

an almond-shaped circle of light around the figure of Christ or Buddha

Mithuna

in India, the mating of males and females in a ritualistic, symbolic, or physical sense

Mudra

a symbolic hand gesture in Hindu and Buddhist art

Puja

a Hindu prayer ritual

Shakyamuni

the historical Buddha, named after the town of Shakya, Buddha’s birthplace

shikara

a bee-hive shaped tower on a Hindu temple

Shiva

the Hindu god of creation and destruction

stupa

a dome-shaped Buddhist shrine

Torana

a gateway near a stupa that has two upright posts and three horizontal lintels. They are usually elaborately carved

Urna

a circle of hair on the brows of the deity

Ushnisha

a protrusion at the top of the head, or the top knot of a Buddha

Vairocana

the universal Buddha, a source of enlightenment; also known as the supreme Buddha who represents “emptiness” that is, freedom from earthly matters to help achieve salvation

Vishnu

the Hindu god worshipped as the protector and preserver of the world

wat

a Buddhist monastery or temple in Cambodia

Yakshi

female and male figures of fertility in Buddhist and Hindu art