A Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism Klaus K Klostermaie

Kalpa-sütra 94
Kalpa-sütra
One of the VEDÄ¢GAS, dealing with ritual.
Käma, also Kämadeva
The god of love. The Øgveda states that
desire was the first emotion that stirred
in the One. According to one tradition,
Käma is the son of Dharma and Ÿraddhä.
He is also sometimes called Aja
(unborn). In the Puräöas he plays a
major role: angering Ÿiva during his
meditation, he was burned to ashes by
his gaze. When Ÿiva realized that the
whole world was withering away, he
resurrected him. His wife is Ratï (lust).
He is usually represented as a young
man with bow and arrows made of
flowers, riding on a parrot, attended by
APSARAS. He has many names.
Kämadhenu also Kämaduh
(‘wish-fulfilling cow’)
A cow belonging to the sage VAŸIÆfiHA.
She emerged from the CHURNING OF THE
OCEAN, and granted every wish presented
to her. She is also known as Ÿavalä,
Surabhï or Nandinï.
Kämäkhyä
The most famous of the Ÿakti PÏfiHAS,
near Guhävatï in Assam, where according
to tradition SÄTÏ’s YONI fell; it is
worshipped there in the form of a cleft
rock. In former times many human
SACRIFICES were offered to her. Selfimmolation
by self-decapitation was
also practised by some devotees.
Kämakothi Pïflha
According to a local tradition the place
of burial of ŸA¢KARA (2) and the seat of
the Ÿaökaräcärya in KAÑCÏ-PURA, whose
foundation as one of the original
Ÿaökara MAfiHAS is however disputed.
Käma-rüpä
North-eastern Bengal and western Assam.
Kämeÿvarï (‘Mistress of Käma’)
A title of the goddess KÄMÄKHYÄ, whose
temple is in Kämäkhyä.
Kaƒÿa, also Kaöÿa
Tyrant of MATHURÄ, and a cousin of
Devakï, Kø•æa’s mother. It was prophesied
to him that a son born to Devakï
would kill him; so he confined Devakï
to a prison, taking away all the children
she bore and killing them. Her husband,
Vasudeva, was not imprisoned and
apparently was free to visit her in
prison. Baladeva, her seventh, was
smuggled out from prison and taken to
Gokula. When Kø•æa was born his parents
fled with him and he grew up with
his foster mother, Yaÿodä. Kaƒÿa gave
orders to kill all young male infants.
Later Kø•æa conquered Mathurä and
killed Kaƒÿa.
Kaöäõa (sixth century BCE?)
The founder of the VAIŸEÆIKA darÿana.
Käñcï-pura (‘the golden city’)
City in Taminädü, 50 km north-west of
Madras. It is one of the seven ancient
holy cities of India. It was the capital
city of the PALLAVAS and later of the
COLAS, who lavished their wealth on it.
It is sacred to both Vi•æu (Vi•æukäñcï)
and Ÿiva (Ÿivakäñcï) and boasts over a
hundred large temples, some of them
going back to the ninth century. An
abundance of sculptures and paintings
illustrate myths associated with Vi•æu
and Ÿiva. It is also the seat of one of the
Ÿaökaräcäryas (KÄMAKOTHI PÏfiHA) and
a centre of traditional Hindu learning.
Kane, Pandurang Vaman
(1880–1971)
One of the most knowledgeable scholars
in the area of Hindu law. He was an
advocate at the Bombay High Court,