image of Kumbakarna
Written by London Swaminathan
Post No. 15,595
Date uploaded in London –8 April 2026
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.
tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
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KU words (Tamil Version will be posted tomorrow)
Kula devata
Kuladevatā (कुलदेवता) refers to the “tutelar family deity”. The family goes to the temple of Kula devata every year or before a wedding etc to do special pooja/ritual worship. They vsit the temple even if they mirate to another town or country. The picture or an idol of the goddess /god is kept in the house. At least one of the children or grandchildren is named after the Kula devata. Some families may have more than one Kula Devata.
Kuladevatā (कुलदेवता).—a tutelary deity; the guardian deity of a family; तामर्चिताभ्यः कुलदेवताभ्यः कुलप्रतिष्ठां प्रणमय्य माता (tāmarcitābhyaḥ kuladevatābhyaḥ kulapratiṣṭhāṃ praṇamayya mātā) Kumārasambhava 7.27
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Kumarilabhatta
Kumārilabhaṭṭa (कुमारिलभट्ट).—[masculine] [Name] of a philosophical teacher.
Great Mimamsaka and senior contemporary of Adi Sankara. He is believed to have self-immolated himself in expiation of the sine of not revealing his true identity to his Buddhist guru . during his last days Sankara met him to discuss the doctrine of Advaita.
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Kumbhakarna
Kumbhakarna is Ravana’s giant brother known for immense strength and insatiable hunger. Cursed to sleep for six months, he awakens to battle, symbolizing formidable power and valiant struggle against Rama’s forces Kumbhakarna was slain by the enraged Raghava, demonstrating Rama’s might in battle.
Often depicted as a fierce warrior and a key antagonist, Kumbhakarna is characterized by his long sleep due to a curse, from which he awakens to fight battles launched against Rama.
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Kumarasambhava
One of the Maha Kavyas in Sanskrit language
Kumarasambhava is the second Mahakavya of Kalidasa, the earlier one being the Raghuvamsa. It is even considered as the last among all the works of Kalidasa. The reason for it is that the work, as it is available today, contains eight cantos and is incomplete. Later, about nine cantos were added by some unknown author in order to complete to complete the story of the birth of Lord Subrahmanya and the accomplishment of his very purpose, viz. the killing of Tarakasura. But the well-known commentators like Mallinatha and Arunagirinatha have commented only up to eight cantos thereby substantiating the theory that the work could not be completed since Kalidasa died even befoe completing it.
It is very interesting to note that the theme of this work is the ‘Birth of Kumara’ or Lord Muruga . The story of Kumara is, in fact, found in the Ramayana itself where Sage Viswamitra narrates this story to Rama and Lakshmana, in the Balakanda.
It has been called “the greatest long poem in classical Sanskrit. Some manuscripts contain up to seventeen sargas, but only the first eight are commonly ascribed to be the work of Kālidāsa himself. The eighth sarga, a vivid description of the 25-year long lovemaking between Śiva and Pārvatī, was sometimes omitted by medieval scribes due to its erotic content.
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Kummi – see Kolattam above
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Kuravanji
Kutrala Kuravanji Dance
A gypsy telling the heroine her fortune with reference to her lover.
A genre of tamil literature. It involves fortune telling. A female kuraththi goes round the town to attract customers. Sometimes mother of a girl calls her to ask about the future (wedding) of her daughter.Kutrala Kuravanji byTrikuda Rasappa Kavirayar is a famous work in Tamil Nadu. In dance shows this Kuvavanji dance comes at the end.
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Kusa , Lava
Lava and Kusa are sons of Rama, representing the continuation of his lineage and the legacy of his reign. They were born when Sita was living in Valmiki Ashram.
Kusa- A son of Rāma, born in Vālmikī’s āśrama and brought up by the sage. Father of Atithi.1 Ruled over Kosala kingdom from its capital Kuśasthalī .
Kuśa (कुश) is the name of a person created out of kuśa grass by sage Vālmīki, according to in the Kathāsaritsāgara, chapter 51. It is a strange story saying that the real Kuda was devoured by an animal in the forest and Valmiki created the second Kusa with the Kusa grass. In botany, the kusa grass is Poa cynosuroides.
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Kumbhabishekam
Sanctifying ceremony connected with the building, renovation or reconstruction of a temple and the installation of a deity.
Kumbhabhishekam) is , derived from kumbha (pot) and abhishekam (pouring). It involves sprinkling consecrated holy water from pots over the temple’s kalashas (spires) to rejuvenate the deity’s power, usually performed once every 12 years.
In Siva temples, it refers to a ritual that completes the transference of Śiva as deity manifest in the image. Accordingly, a series of rituals that animate, consecrate and install the image in the sanctum of the temple takes place.
They circumambulate the temple as a procession, accompanied by colourful umbrellas and fly-whisks, amidst auspicious sounds made by musical instruments and pronouncements. Before the Kumbabishekam , Yaga Salas/Fire pits are constructed and fire ceremonies are performed. It is a 40 day ceremony in big temples.
Madurai Meenakshi Temple Kumbabishekam, 1963.
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Kusha-dvipa (Kuśadvīpa) is one of the seven cosmic continents (Dvīpas) in Hindu cosmology, often described in Puranic literature, including the Matsya-purana. It is characterized as a land filled with Kusha grass, surrounded by a sea of clarified butter (ghee), and inhabited by people who worship Vishnu in the form of Brahma.
Geography: It is named after the immense Kusa grass clump and is surrounded by the Ghṛtodam (ocean of ghee). It features seven prominent mountains (e.g., Vidruma, Hemasaila) and seven holy rivers (e.g., Dhutapapa, Siva).
Society: The inhabitants are divided into four classes: Damins, Susmins, Snehas, and Madahas.
Kings and Regions: The continent was ruled by Jyotisman, who had seven sons, giving rise to seven regions: Udbhid, Venumat, Svairatha, Randhana, Dhruti, Prabhakara, and Kapila.
Cultural Significance: It is described as a land of great beauty where the air is purified by the sacred grass, and the inhabitants are devoted to spiritual practices.
According to the Brahma Purana study on WisdomLib, it is the fourth continent in the Saptadvipa system, and its regions are often linked to interpretations of African and adjacent territories in some ancient geographic studies.
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Kundalini

Kundalini is a form of dormant, primal energy located at the base of the spine, often described in Hinduism as a coiled serpent. Known as “Kundalini Shakti” or divine feminine energy, it represents creative potential that can be awakened through spiritual practices to travel up the spine, resulting in enhanced awareness, spiritual growth, and personal transformation.
Kuṇḍalinī (कुण्डलिनी) is explained in terms of kuṇḍalinīyoga by Lakṣmaṇadeśika in his 11th-century Śaradātilaka 25.64-65.—“(64) One should think of this kuṇḍalī, the chief queen of the great serpent awake in the root [cakra], as moving in the suṣumṇā, as quickly piercing through the group of ādhāras like a blazing lightning [bolt], as worshipping [her] husband with streams of divine nectar flowing from the lunar disc located in the etheric lotus, [and] as returning to [her] house.
Kuṇḍalini (कुण्डलिनि).— Tamil saint Pāmbāṭṭi Siddha, one of the most celebrated Tamil siddhas who largely deals with this Kuṇḍalini-yoga, refers the serpent to the Kuṇḍalini power, which passes one’s subtle body through six cakras. The serpent or Kuṇḍalini is also sometimes defined as ‘base fire’ (mūla kanal) in many of the Siddha’s songs.
Kuṇḍalinī (कुण्डलिनी).—How importance kuṇḍalinī is in the path or liberation is explained in Haṭhayoga Pradīpaka in the chapter samādhi. “When kuṇḍalinī is awakened through various means, one enters into the state of samādhi automatically. The one, who knows the path abandons all actions when his prāṇa enters into suṣumna (technically speaking it is through citriṇi-nāḍi, which is the inner most nāḍi in suṣumna. He is liberated when kuṇḍalinī enters into sahasrāra.”
Awakening Process: When awakened, this energy flows upward through the nadi channels and chakras, often feeling like liquid fire, electricity, or intense energy moving up the spine. It is a very risky procedure and those who do it without the guidance from a real enlightened soul, become mad.
to be continued………………………….
Tags—Kula devata, Kundalini, HINDU DICTIONARY IN ENGLISH AND TAMIL 48; இந்து மத கலைச்சொல் அகராதி-48
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