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glossary of terms

 Hindu months
 botanical glossary

Andolan	protest movement – social, political or environmental
angadi	double-lined warm blouse worn by women
angri	same as angadi
anna	old currency used during the British Rule; equivalent of 6 paisa
arsa	traditional sweet dish made from rice or millet flour and jaggery
ashtabali	sacrifice of eight things
Ashtami	eight days before full moon
Ayurvedic	following classical Indian medical teaching
Baisakhi	Hindu festival in the month of Baisakh (April/May)
Bakrid	Muslim festival of sacrifice, also known as Id ul Zuha
balwadi	crèche
baqi	someone who divines a problem and suggests its solution
bara	ration
barat	marriage procession
BDC	Block Development Committee
beedh	helping others, called padiyali in the Ganga valley of Garhwal
beedie	local cigarette
begar	forced labour or revenue
bhadd	traditional round cooking vessel
bhagwat	religious meeting
bhailla	a fire game
bhandar	traditional village grain store
bhandara	folk dance, dancing
Bhot	Tibet
Bhotiya	scheduled tribe who are weavers, scattered all over but with Tibetan origins
bigha	land measurement, varies from region to region, approx 0.676 hectares
Block	next administration level above village
Brahmins	the highest-ranking of the four main social castes from which priests are drawn
brahmins	priests
bugyals	meadows
bulak	u-shaped ring worn between the nostrils
chang	homemade wine
channis	simple huts for shelter during grazing season, for livestock and the people looking after them
chapatti	thin flat bread
chappals	slippers
chilke	strips of dried pine or bhimal bark which burn slowly and were used for lighting
Chipko	(literally, stick together/embrace): spontaneous village-level movement to protect forests, which became nationally influential
choda	thick carpet-like material made from goat wool, used for sitting.
chowkidars	watchmen
chul funting	traditional dish made of chulu (wild apricot) and chaulai (amaranth)
chulha	stove
chunni	stole, scarf, meant to cover the breasts
churidar  pyjama	tight long trousers
civil-soyam	civil revenue land, under district administration; people have a right to use it
CMO	Chief Medical Officer
daan	(literally, gift): the marriage system, in which no money is given for the bride
dacoity	robbery, banditry
dadwar	fixed amount of grain given in exchange for work
dakshina	gift which carries a blessing
daranti	sickle
devi	goddess; (Nanda Devi – nanda is the name of a  particular goddess)
devta	deity
dharamshala	rest house
dhiyani	worshippers
dhons	local measure of weight, equivalent to 32 kgs
dhoti	(literally, unstitched cloth); cotton sari worn by women or cotton cloth worn by men (by Brahmins particularly for religious events)
dhurrie	rug
Diwali	(literally, a row of lights);  illumination is a key part of Diwali, which is regarded as the beginning of the New Year, and celebrated on the 15th day of Ashwin (September/October), 14 days after Dussehra.
doli	sedan chair which four men carry on their shoulders to take the bride to her husband's house
dumkhar	coarse blankets
Dussehra	Celebrated on the 10th day of the brightest part of Ashwin (September/October). The preceding nine nights – Navaratri - are spent in worship, and culminate in this festival devoted to the goddess Durga.
gadera /gaderes	gullies formed by a stream/streams
gaumutra/ gaunt	cow urine
ghadiyala	dance through which a deity is made to enter a human body
ghagra	long flared skirt
ghagula	silver bangle
gharat	water mill
ghee	clarified butter
gobar gas	gobar is dung – used for fuel
gram panchayat	village council
gram sabhas	village assembly (ie whole village) (sabha = meeting/assembly in the sense of parliament)
Gujjars	nomadic pastoral tribe
gur	unrefined sugar
Gurkhas	ethnic group from Nepal; also used to refer to Nepalis generally
halwa	sweet dish
hansuli	thick silver necklace worn by children,  also called shiri
Harijan	(literally, child of God); Gandhi’s term for “untouchable”
hariyali	sacred shoots of barley
havan	sacred fire rituals
Holi	festival of colours marking the end of winter, celebrated on the day after the full moon in early March every year
jagar	(literally, to stay awake); night-long ritual when many things can happen, invocations etc
jaggery	unrefined sugar (English word for gur)
jawahar rojgar yojna	government employment scheme to provide daily wages for villagers (breaking stones etc)
Jhumaria	caste of musicians
jhumkas	particular kind of large dangly earring
joyi	cow found in Tibet
jungle	forest
kadha	medicinal extract made by boiling plants/spices
kaleva	food gift from natal family
kanthi	form of jewellery for the neck
kattas	large jute bags
khadu	male sheep reared for wool
khagwala	thick silver chains worn around the neck
kheer	dish of sweetened milk and rice
khichdi	rice and lentil dish
kudali	weeding tool
kuhls	narrow irrigation channels
kurta	loose-fitting collarless shirt
laddu	round sweets
lagan	tax
lakh	a hundred thousand
lama	Buddhist priest
lassi	buttermilk
Lingwasa	ritual performed on the 13th day after the death during which a stone from the funeral pyre is taken and placed in the “place of ancestors” (a designated place in the village).
Mahila Mangal Dal	rural women’s council
malguzar	village chief/local revenue officer
maski	bagpipe
Meethi Id	(literally, sweet Id); Muslim festival to mark the end of Ramadan; also known as Id ul Fitr
mela	fair
mirzai	long coat tied across the chest, worn with pyjamas by men
munal	Himalayan pheasant
murkis	jewellery worn on the upper portion of the ear by men and women
nagara	small drum, played with two sticks, accompanies the larger drum
nali	weight measurement, 1 nali = 1 kg (?); also used to signify an area of land in terms of weight of grain sown.
Namaz	Muslim prayers
nath	nose ring
nati	traditional dramas/plays
naurat	the ritual of beating drums in the temple every morning at 4 am
navaratras	(literally, nine nights); precedes festival of Dussehra in October
numberdar	community head/ local revenue officer
nyaya panchayats	village council for resolving local disputes (nyaya = justice)
obara	room in the lower storey often used for livestock
Ojhis	blacksmiths
padha	weight measurement, one padha = 2 kgs
padhale	broad flat pieces of stone, usually slate, used for roofing
padiyali	specific time for mutual aid and collective work among village groups
paisa	Indian currency: 100 paisa = 1 rupee
pajeb	fine delicate anklets that tinkle
palki	litter for carrying the goddess into the temple
panal	wooden pipe bringing water to the water mill
panchayat	village council
panchayat ghar	community hall where the panchayat meets (ghar = house)
panchayat raj.	panchayat administration or governance
panchayati	relates to a decision taken by the panchayat, or area belonging to the panchayat. (belonging to the village)
panchs	(panch = five) five men who lead the panchayat
pandavas	the five warrior Princes of the Mahabharata – especially worshipped in the mountains
pandit	priest or learned person; also used to refer to Brahmin caste
pankhi	woollen shawl
panta	taking turns
papadi	special rice dish- thin rice cakes fried in oil
parotha	cylindrical wooden vessel for churning curd
patha	traditional Garhwali brass utensil for measuring grains (1 patha = 2 kgs)
patheda	long woollen belt
pathela	dry leaves
patti	a group of villages that make up a revenue unit
patwari	functionary in the Revenue Office
paunchis	silver bracelet decorated with beads
pheras	ceremony in which the bride and groom walk around a sacred fire seven times
pradhan	head of panchayat
prasad	a dish of flour, jaggery and ghee often given as an offering to a deity
pucka	proper/permanent
puja	prayer, prayer ritual
puris	type of fried bread
Raj	(literally, King’s rule), often used to refer to British colonial period
Rajputs	originally a warrior caste, part of the group ranked second among social castes
Rama	legendary Hindu figure, epitome of all that is good, whose story is told in the Ramayana
ramana	subsidised wood
Ramlila	enactment of the Ramayana (before festival of Dusshera), an important Hindu epic
Ramzan	see Roza
ransingha	a wood instrument made from buffalo horns
ringal	thin cane used for making baskets, mats, household goods; also refers to baskets made from that cane
rote prasad	sacred bread
roti	bread (unleavened)
Roza	(literally, to fast); Muslim period of fasting, also known as Ramadan when food or drink is not consumed during daylight hours
rupee	Indian unit of currency
sabal	iron rod used for construction and also for making holes in the ground
sahib	term of respect given to people of importance
salwar kameez	loose trousers and long tunic
Samakhya	government-sponsored programme for women’s empowerment
Sankrant	festival to celebrate the glory of the sun god, occurs as the sun moves from one house of the zodiac to another (first day of every Hindu calendar month)
sari	length of cloth draped around the body, worn by women, usually synthetic or silk, but not cotton (which is called a dhoti)
sarpanch	head of the panchayat
Sarvodaya	(literally, compassion for everyone); the movement started by a Ghandian who persuaded big landowners to give some property to the poor and landless.  A powerful movement in hill areas.
sattu.	flour made of roasted grains (like malted health foods), eaten without cooking
Shiva	major Hindu god
Shradh	anniversary of death, performed one year after death or in 34 as: ceremonies observed for the dead every year
sirni	sweet dough
sriphal	coconut, used as an offering
sutan	woollen pyjamas
Terahveen	ritual performed following the thirteenth day of the death
tola	weight measurement, one tola =10gms
ukhad / ukhadi	un-irrigated fields
ukhal	stone vessel designed for pounding/ dehusking paddy
vaids	practitioner of indigenous medicine, traditional doctors
van panchayats	community forest, as opposed to civil forest land or forest department land (van = forest)
Vasant Panchami	Spring festival
vedic	according to the vedas, which are Hindu sacred texts
ward member	person employed to do specific work in the village on the government’s behalf
yagya	sacred fire ritual
yatra	pilgrimage or journey
Yuvak Mangal Dals	village youth organisations
zamin	land
zamindars	landowners

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Hindu months

Based on the Lunar Calendar

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botanical glossary