Parikrama

The terms Pradakshina (from Sanskrit: दक्षिण dakṣiṇa = " proficient, skillful, right located; righteous " ) and Parikrama designate in India and neighboring countries (Sri Lanka, Nepal) for thousands of years practiced ritual circumambulation of a sanctuary (tree, Lingam stone, Stupa, cult image, Garbhagriha, temple, mountain, lake, etc.). The Pradakshina is an essential element of the Buddhist religion, but also Hindus and - to a lesser extent - the Jains practice this form of worship or homage.

Origin

The origin of the pradakshina lost in the mists of history. It is suspected that - long before the building of the temples - tree sanctuaries, springs, fireplaces and striking rocks or stones, the first objects of worship were - lived in them nature spirits and nymphs ( yakshis ). Especially evergreen trees ( poplar fig or banyan fig ) still play in the rural areas a certain role in the religious life of the rural population - they are decorated with flower garlands and colored strips of paper and incense sticks are lit at her feet. To worship ceremony includes spraying with water and the circumambulation of the tribe or of the area of the tree crown.

Why does the circumambulation of the shrine was always in a clockwise direction, is ultimately an open question; in the clockwise circumambulation the object of worship was in any case always on the right, which was considered auspicious. The fact that only one direction of motion was allowed, is easily explained by the desire to avoid jostling etc..

Buddhism

In a matured form the pradakshina met for the first time in Buddhism, where architectural elements and sculptural representations of this form of cultic worship witness. So, two out of the three great stupas of Sanchi ( Madhya Pradesh ) or the stupa of Boudhanath (Nepal) both have walk as well as through increased conversion paths ( pradakshinapathas ).

The located inside the Chaitya halls of Buddhist cave monasteries stupas were also walked around, with the near circumambulation was ( with touch of the stupa, and later the Buddha portrait ) may be reserved for the monks, while the detached pradakshina in the outer walkway ( ' aisle ' ) was probably intended primarily for the ordinary population ( pilgrim, laymen ).

In Tibetan Buddhism is called the ritual circumnavigation Kora ( skor ra). Here can be found next to the more casual turning the prayer wheels sometimes extreme practices. So many Tibetans walk around a temple and a stupa and ultimately even the Mount Kailash by throwing himself repeatedly to the floor and all the way to measure this way with her body, which is why they thrive only extremely slowly and laboriously. Within the temple, the usually very large Buddha figures usually on the back wall are (rarely also on the side walls ) and therefore can not be walked around.

Hinduism

Unlike Buddhism, Hinduism knows a wealth of religious ( sacrificial ) practices, so that the ritual circumambulation in Hinduism plays no central role. But already in the early free-standing temples ( Gupta Temple ) the presence of elevated platforms ( jagatis ) indicates the desire of the faithful after a circumambulation of the shrine. Many later temples also have such platforms; in some buildings, however, is a pradakshina by the location on a river bank or to a rock wall from the outset excluded (eg Maladevi temple in Gyraspur ). (. 10th-12th century ) The architecturally sophisticated constructions of the heyday of Indian temple building even exist three possibilities for practicing the pradakshina: the near circumambulation of the cella ( garbhagriha ) inside the temple, which distanced circumambulation on the outer platform ( Jagati ) and the walk circumambulation of the entire temple.

Jainism

In Jainism, the pradakshina hardly matters, because Jains belong to rather a population group formed, which has a more intellectual approach to the sphere of religion. In addition, located in many Jain temples the cult images of the Tirthankaras lined up in wall niches, making it impossible to circumambulation from the outset; also have the temple of the Jains do not generally have Jagati platforms.

Legend

One day Shiva asked his two sons Karttikeya (also: Shanmugam ) and Ganesh on to circle the universe to know this better. While Karttikeya on his mount ( vahana ), the Peacock ( mayura ), stormed away, remained Ganesh - who was regarded as slow and inflexible and whose mount is the mouse - sit for a long time ... Then he stood up and circled his father; this behavior he explained by saying: "Because the whole world is in you, I've circled the entire world. "