indian + southeast asian art vocab

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

buddah

a fully enlightened being. There are many Buddhas, most well known being Sakyamuni/Gautama/Siddhartha.

darshan

Darshan

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

Garbha griha

a "womb chamber," the inner room in a Hindu temple that houses the god's image

iconoclasm

the destruction of religious or sacred images

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

puja

a Hindu prayer ritual

sakyamuni

the historical Buddha, named after the town of Sakya, Buddha's birthplace

shikara

The beehive-shaped tower on a Hindu temple

shiva

the hindu 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 a deity, sometimes represented as focal point

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 woshipped 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