| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Raja | the title given in India to a king or prince |
| Ramayana | A Hindu epic written in Sanskrit that describes the adventures of the king Rama and his queen |
| Rigveda | a veda, which was a sacred writing of Hinduism that contained a collection of Hindu poems and hymns that were used for religious reasons |
| Rock Chambers | a room or building carved out of the side of a cliff. They were used for religious ceremonies and houses to monks and wandering ascetics |
| Samsara | the Hindu cycle of death and rebirth; in Buddhism means rebirth |
| Sanskrit | an Indo-European language that was the language of the Vedas |
| Sati | a ritual that required a woman to throw herself onto her late husband's funeral pyre or burn herself. This was done gladly and if a woman did not comply with this she would be disgraced |
| Shiva | an important Hindu deity who in the trinity of gods was the Destroyer |
| Siddhartha Gautama | founder of Buddhism who achieved enlightenment of the meaning of life while sitting under a tree and later preached his conclusions that came to be known as Buddhism |
| Stupas | religious buildings that originally housed Buddha relics. Stupas developed into familiar Buddhist architecture |
| Sudras | the second lowest of the five castes in the Indian social system and were not twice born; consisted of peasants and artisans which was most of the Indian population |
| Syncretism | mixed souce belief (religions that are a blend of two or more) |
| Upanishads | commentaries on the Vedas that are considered sacred texts in the Hindu religion |
| Untouchables | the name of the group of people in the caste system that were the outcasts of society; were not considered a part of Indian society of the caste system, also called pariahs |
| Vaisya | the third highest caste that was made up of merchants and commoners, twice born |
| Vedas | sacred texts in the Hindu religion, they are a set of four collections of hymns and religious ceremonies transmitted by memory through the centuries by Aryan priests |
| Vishnu | Vishnu is a Hindu god who, in the trinity of gods, is the Preserver |
Combine with other sets
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace