King Vali (VAH-lee) Vali, the son of Indra, was king of the vanaras and husband to Tara. He was blessed with the ability to take half his opponent’s strength in any fight. He was killed by the god king Rama. While fighting against his brother, Rama hid behind a tree and shot him from behind.
Kinnari (kin-AH-ree) A celestial musician, part human and part bird, said to be extremely beautiful.
Kishkinda (kish-KIN-duh) Home of the vanaras, the semi-monkey race.
Krishna (KRISH-nah) A major Hindu deity. He is worshipped as the eighth reincarnation of the god Vishnu and also as a supreme ruler in his own right. He is the god of compassion, tenderness, and love, and is popular for his charmingly mischievous personality.
Kubera (koo-BEAR-uh) The god of riches and ruler of the legendary golden city of Lanka. He’s often depicted as a dwarf adorned with jewels.
Kumbhakarna (KOOM-bah-KUR-nah) A well-known rakshasa noble and the younger brother of Ravana from the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Kumbhakarna got tongue-tied at the wrong moment, which is why he’s usually asleep.
Kunti (KOON-tee) One of the panchakanyas, or legendary women, and mother of the Pandavas. As a young woman, Kunti was given the boon to invoke any of the gods to bless her with a child. This resulted in the births of Karna, Yudhistira, Bhima, and Arjuna. Nakula and Sahadeva were the children of her co-queen, Madri, with whom she shared the blessing.
Lanka (LAHN-kuh) The legendary city of gold, sometimes ruled over by Kubera, sometimes ruled over by his demonic brother, Ravana. Lanka is a major setting in the epic poem the Ramayana.
Laxmana (LUCK-shmun) The younger brother of Rama and his aide in the Hindu epic the Ramayana. Sometimes he’s considered a quarter of Lord Vishnu. Other times, he’s considered the reincarnation of Shesha, the thousand-headed serpent and king of all nagas, devotee of Vishnu.
Mahabharata (MAH-hah-BAR-ah-tah) One of two Sanskrit epic poems of ancient India (the other being the Ramayana). It is an important source of information about the development of Hinduism between 400 BCE and 200 CE and tells the story of the struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and the Pandavas.
Maruts (MAH-roots) Minor storm deities often described as violent and aggressive and carrying lots of weapons. Legend says the Maruts once rode through the sky, splitting open clouds so that rain could fall on the earth.
Menaka (MEH-nuh-kah) Menaka was born while the devas and asuras were churning the Ocean of Milk and became one of the most beautiful apsaras in the world. She was sent to distract (insert winky face here) the sage Vishwamitra, which resulted in the birth of their daughter, Shakuntula.
Mohini (moe-HIH-nee) One of the avatars of Lord Vishnu, known as the goddess of enchantment. The gods and asuras banded together to churn the Ocean of Milk on the promise that the nectar of immortality would be shared among them. But the gods didn’t want immortal demon counterparts, so Mohini tricked the asuras by pouring the nectar into the goblets of the gods while smiling over her shoulder at the demons.
Naga (nagas, pl.) (NAH-guh) A naga (male) or nagini (female) is one of a group of serpentine beings who are magical and, depending on the region in India, considered divine. Among the most famous nagas is Vasuki, one of the king serpents who was used as a rope when the gods and asuras churned the Ocean of Milk to get the elixir of life. Another is Uloopi, a nagini princess who fell in love with Arjuna, married him, and used a magical gem to save his life.
Naga-Loka (NAH-guh-LOW-kuh) The abode of the naga people, or snake-people. It’s said that Naga-Loka is a place strewn with precious jewels. Again, deeply disappointed to have received no invite.
Nairrata (NAI-rah-tuh) The vast army controlled by Kubera, Lord of Wealth and Treasure.
Nakula (nuh-KOO-luh) The most handsome Pandava brother, and a master of horses, swordsmanship, and healing. He is the twin of Sahadeva, and they are the children of the Ashvin twins.
Pandava brothers (Arjuna, Yudhistira, Bhima, Nakula, and Sahadeva) (PAN-dah-vah, ar-JOO-nah, yoo-diss-TEE-ruh, BEE-muh, nuh-KOO-luh, saw-hah-DAY-vuh) Demigod warrior princes, and the heroes of the epic Mahabharata poem. Arjuna, Yudhistira, and Bhima were born to Queen Kunti, the first wife of King Pandu. Nakula and Sahadeva were born to Queen Madri, the second wife of King Pandu.
Prasena (PRUH-say-nah) Satyajit’s brother, who made the very poor choice of climbing into a tree while hunting and also wearing a stupendously fancy gem around his neck. The gleam of the jewel attracted a lion, which ate him.
Queen Tara (TAH-ruh) The apsara wife and queen of King Vali of the vanaras. Tara is said to have placed a curse on the god king Rama out of grief when he slew her husband.
Rakshasa (RUCK-shaw-sah) A rakshasa (male) or rakshasi (female) is a mythological being, like a demigod. Sometimes good and sometimes bad, they are powerful sorcerers, and can change shape to take on any form.
Rama (RAH-mah) The hero of the epic poem the Ramayana. He was the seventh incarnation of the god Vishnu.
Ramayana (RAH-mah-YAWN-uh) One of the two great Sanskrit epic poems (the other being the Mahabharata), it describes how the god king Rama, aided by his brother and the monkey-faced demigod Hanuman, rescued his wife, Sita, from the ten-headed demon king, Ravana.
Ravana (RAH-vah-nah) A character in the Hindu epic the Ramayana, where he is depicted as the ten-headed demon king who stole Rama’s wife, Sita. Ravana is described as having once been a follower of Shiva. He was also a great scholar, a capable ruler, a master of the veena (a musical instrument), and someone who wished to overpower the gods. He’s one of my favorite antagonists, to be honest, because it just goes to show that the line between heroism and villainy can be a bit murky.
Sahadeva (SAW-hah-DAY-vuh) The twin to Nakula, and the wisest of the Pandavas. He was known to be a great swordsman and also a brilliant astrologist, but he was cursed that if he should disclose events before they happened, his head would explode.
Salwar kameez (SAL-war kah-MEEZ) A traditional garment composed of a tunic and pants, often with a dupatta (scarf) to accent the piece.
Sanskrit (SAHN-skrit) An ancient language of India. Many Hindu scriptures and epic poems are written in Sanskrit.
Satyajit (SAHT-yuh-jeet) A nobleman who received the Syamantaka Gem as a gift from the sun god but selfishly refused to relinquish it to help his people.
Shiva (SHEE-vuh) One of the three main gods in the Hindu pantheon, often associated with destruction. He is also known as the Lord of Cosmic Dance. His consort is Parvati.
Sita (SEE-tuh) The reincarnation of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and fortune, and consort of Lord Vishnu. Sita was the long-suffering wife of the god king Rama in the Ramayana. Her kidnapping by the demon king Ravana sparked an epic war.
Sitar (SEE-tar) A stringed instrument of the lute family.
Surya (SOOR-yuh) The god of the sun, and father of many divine children and the demigod Karna.
Syamantaka Gem or Sun Jewel (SYAH-man-tah-kah) A divine gem with magical abilities in Hindu mythology. This precious jewel could provide gold on a daily basis.
Tabla (TUH-blah) A pair of twin hand drums.
Takshaka (TAHK-shah-kah) A naga king and former friend of Indra who once lived in the Khandava Forest before Arjuna helped burn it down, killing most of Takshaka’s family. He swore vengeance on all the Pandavas ever since. Wonder why…
Tumburu (TOOM-bah-roo) The most skilled among the gandharvas (celestial musicians) and sometimes described as the best of singers. He is obliged to perform in the courts of the gods Kubera and Indra as well as sing the praises of the god Vishnu. He leads the gandharvas in their singing, and, for reasons that I could not find but am extremely intrigued by, is often depicted with the head of a horse.