kamandalu
Sign in to savethumb|A brass kamaṇḍalu, held by a sadhu. Kamandalu () is an oblong water pot, originating from the Indian subcontinent, made of a dry gourd (pumpkin) or coconut shell, metal, wood of the kamaṇḍalataru tree, or from clay, usually with a handle and sometimes with a spout. Hindu ascetics or yogis often use it for storing drinking water. The water-filled kamaṇḍalu, which is invariably carried by ascetics, is stated to represent a simple and self-contained life.
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Encyclopedic overview
5 sectionsContents
- Method of making
- In Hinduism
- In Buddhism and Jainism
- References
- External links
thumb|A brass kamaṇḍalu, held by a sadhu. Kamandalu () is an oblong water pot, originating from the Indian subcontinent, made of a dry gourd (pumpkin) or coconut shell, metal, wood of the kamaṇḍalataru tree, or from clay, usually with a handle and sometimes with a spout. Hindu ascetics or yogis often use it for storing drinking water. The water-filled kamaṇḍalu, which is invariably carried by ascetics, is stated to represent a simple and self-contained life.
The kamaṇḍalu also appears in Hindu iconography in depictions of deities associated with asceticism or water. It is thus regarded as a symbol of asceticism in Hinduism. The kamaṇḍalu is also used by Jain monks and in depictions of some bodhisattvas.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “kamandalu” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.