1 Kamaṇḍalu (कमण्डलु, “water pot”).—An object being held by the
four-armed Sarasvatī;—As a water-related river goddess, the water pot is an
implement appropriate to Sarasvatī. The Viṣṇudharmottara-purāṇa, on the
other hand, tells us the water pot is to be known as the immortal nectar of
all scriptures (śāstra).
2 Kamaṇḍalu (कमण्डलु) refers to a particular type of Vessel (given by
Brahmā), according to the Śivapurāṇa 2.4.5 (“Kārttikeya is
crowned”).—Accordingly, after the Kṛttikās spoke to Kārttikeya: “[...] Then
Śiva, the lord of the universe, following the worldly convention
delightedly placed Kārttikeya on a beautiful gemset throne. [...] Śiva gave
him the trident, the bow Pināka, the axe, the arrow Paśupata, the weapon of
destruction and the greatest lore. I gave him the holy thread, the Vedas,
the mantra Gāyatrī, the vessel Kamaṇḍalu, the arrow Brahmāstra and the lore
that destroys the enemy. [...]”.
3 Kamaṇḍalu (कमण्डलु) is a Sanskrit word referring to the water-pot
carried by sannyāsīs. kamaṇḍalu (कमंडलु). — The waterpot used by the
ascetic and the religious student. Kamaṇḍalu (कमण्डलु). —n., [lū] f. A
water-pot (earthen or wooden) used by ascetics; कमण्डलूपमो ऽमात्यस्तनुत्यागो
बहुग्रहः (kamaṇḍalūpamo'mātyastanutyāgo bahugrahaḥ) H.2.89. कमण्डलुनोदकम्
सिक्त्वा (kamaṇḍalunodakam siktvā); Manusmṛti 2.64; Y.1.133.
4 1) Kamaṇḍalu (कमण्डलु): — (in the Veda f(ūs). according to, [Pāṇini
4-1, 71]) a gourd or vessel made of wood or earth used for water (by
ascetics and religious students), a water-jar, [Mahābhārata;
Bhāgavata-purāṇa; Yājñavalkya] etc.
5 Kamandalu (Sanskrit: कमण्डलु, kamaṇḍalu[1]), kamandal, or
kamandalam is an oblong water pot, originating from the Indian
subcontinent, made of a dry gourd (pumpkin) or coconut shell, metal, wood
of the Kamandalataru tree,[2] or from clay, usually with a handle and
sometimes with a spout. Hindu ascetics or yogis often use it for storing
drinking water.[3] The water-filled kamandalu, which is invariably carried
by ascetics, is stated to represent a simple and self-contained life.
6 Water in a kamandalu represents amrita—the elixir of life—thus a
symbol of fertility, life and wealth. The kamandalu is often depicted in
hands of gods, who appear as ascetics, like Shiva and Brahma and also water
deities like Varuna, Ganga (the goddess of the Ganges River) and Saraswati. Adi
Shankara's ashtotaram hymn praises Shiva whose hand is adorned with the
kamandalu. Other deities like the fire-god Agni and the preceptor of the
gods, Brihaspati, are depicted carrying the kamandalu The goddess
Karamgamaladharini is described as wearing a garland of kamandalus. The
text Devi Mahatmya describes goddess Brahmani slay demons by sprinkling
holy water from her kamandalu. 183–165 BC coin depicts the god Krishna
holding a kamandalu.
7 Several mythological stories refer to the kamandalu. Vamana, the
dwarf avatar of god Vishnu, requests demon king Mahabali for three feet of
land. The donation of the land is sanctified through pouring water through
a kamandalu.
When Shukra, the demons' preceptor, tried to prevent flow of water
from the kamandalu by blocking the spout, Mahabali pierced the spout with a
stick, which blinded Shukra.
In the Bhagavata Purana, the King Satyavarta after initially put
Matsya (Vishnu's avatar as a fish) which he found in the river into his
kamandalu, to protect it from the big fish. Later, the fish expanded and
protected the king from the great deluge of Hindu mythology.
The Mahabharata records the god Dhanvantari brought Amrita in a
kamandalu, when he emerged from the churning of the ocean (Samudra
Manthana).
The Hindu epic Ramayana records the monkey-god Hanuman disguised
himself as a sage and fooling the demons to drink his urine stored in his
kamandalu.
The mythical Sarasvati River traces her creation to the creator-god
Brahma's kamandalu. The river Ganges is also believed to flow through
Brahma's kamandalu.
One legend about the Ganges' birth says Brahma washed the big toe of
the foot of Vamana and collected the water in his kamandalu, which turns
into the river Ganges.
Another river Silambu has a similar tale of origin. When Brahma washed
Vamana's foot by the water of his kamandalu, one of the drops fell from
Vamana's foot on the earth turning into the river.
Another mythical tale about the pilgrimage place Darsha Pushkarini,
narrates how sage Agastya trapped river Kaveri in his kamandalu, when she
declined his marriage proposal. This led to famine in the region and,
noticing this, Kaveri escaped from kamandalu but with a curse of the sage
and was finally purified at Darsha Pushkarini. A variant tells that,
angered by Kaveri's confinement, God Ganesha, in the form of a crow, pushed
Agastya's kamandalu down, rescuing Kaveri and leading to the river's
formation.
In the Sarada legends of Kashmir (based on oral tradition) narrated
by Romesh Kumar, it is said that when Ravana was engaged in a war with
Rama, goddess Parvati advised Rama to take her to Uttarakhand away from the
war scene. Thus, Parvati was carried by Hanuman in the form of water in a
kamandalu to be dropped wherever she desired to be dropped. Wherever
Hanuman rested on his way to Uttarakhand, drops of water which fell out of
the kamandalu on the ground formed the springs Masanag at Gushi and the
Devibal spring at Tikr in Kashmir—the kamandalu was kept in a nearby
hillock where Parvati rested whereas a Sarada shrine exists.
At Amarkantak, the source of river Narmada in Madhya Pradesh, an
ancient kamandalu which is always filled with water, is called the Bhrigu
Kamandal.
The text Garuda Purana states donation of a kamandalu in the
shraddha (funerary ritual) ceremony ensures that the deceased has ample
drinking water in his afterlife journey.
8 Kamandalam or kamandalu is the oldest article in the history and
Nambudiris used it for a purpose; and Jain Tirthankaras used the same for
morning ablutions. Kindi is a type of pitcher usually found in old houses
in Kerala and other parts of India. Early examples of Kindi first appear in
Chalcolithic period cultures of South Asia, notably in Savalda Culture and
two well-preserved examples from Jorwe culture pottery dating to 2nd
millennium BC.
9 A kindi and a kamandalu are both water vessels used in Indian
culture, but they have different uses and origins:
Kindi: A pitcher-like vessel that is often used to transport and pour
water. Kindis are commonly found in old houses in Kerala and other parts of
India. They are used for a variety of purposes, including:
Religious rituals: Kindis are used to pour offerings to gods and dispense
holy water during Hindu worship rituals.
Washing: Kindis are used to keep water at the entrance of houses so that
visitors can wash their feet, and to wash hands after meals.
Serving water: Kindis are used to serve water in homes and restaurants.
Origin: Early examples of kindis date back to the Chalcolithic period
cultures of South Asia.
Material: Kindis are often made from brass.
Kamandalu: An oblong water pot that is often used to carry water for
drinking and ritual ablutions. Kamandals are often carried by Hindu
ascetics and yogis. They are used for a variety of purposes, including:
Religious rituals: Kamandals are used to offer water to gods and are often
depicted in the hands of gods like Shiva, Krishna, and Brahma.
Asceticism: Kamandals are viewed as a symbol of asceticism and a simple and
self-contained life.
Origin: Kamandals originated from the Indian subcontinent and are often
made from pumpkin, coconut shells, wood, or clay.
Shape: Kamandals are typically shaped like a globular or ovoid pot.
K Rajaram IRS 29924
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: 'gopala krishnan' via iyer123 <[email protected]>
Date: Sun, 29 Sept 2024 at 13:36
Subject: [iyer123] KINDI
To: Iyer <[email protected]>
KINDI
Kindi is a holy vessel used in temples, poojas, etc. in Kerala.
Nampoothiries in Kerala use it to perform sandhya. Sages used to keep kindi
(sometimes with a cap) called Kamandalu.
Kindies used in homes for pooja are never mixed with the ones used for
other uses in homes. Kindies used in temples can be made of silver or Gold.
Usually made of bell metal, it is commonly used during Puja to dispense
holy water
Kindi is also used to keep water at the entrance of the house, so that
visitors can wash their feet with this water, and also to wash hands after
meals.
Kindi is a type of a pitcher usually found in old houses in Kerala and
other parts of India. Kindi had its existence from Satya Yuga. Most of us
are aware of the legend about sage Sukara, Asura Guru entered in the tail
of Kindi, obstructing danam of Mahabali to Vamana and Vamana pierced the
tail of Kindi with dharbam to permit flow of water and on this account
Sukra lost one of his eyes which was restored later.
The general principle about the Kindi is that its tail never should be
placed *towards south*. Regarding sandhya and poojas what is Panchapathram
in Tamilnadu Brahmins , Kindi is in Kerala for nampoothiries. Only thing
kindi is used for other uses in Kerala.
Early examples of Kindi first appears in Chalcolithic period cultures of
South Asia, notably in Savalda Culture and two well-preserved examples from
Jorwe culture pottery dating to 2nd millennium BC.
Usually made of bell metal, it is commonly used during Puja to dispense
holy water. Kindi is also used to keep water at the entrance of the house,
so that visitors can wash their feet with this water, and also to wash
hands after meals.
The shape of Kindi is very effective to minimize water loss while washing
the feet or hand, as it has only a small aperture to pour water. Its shape
is also very attractive. While using Kindi, the hands of the user never
touch the water inside the Kindi, so that water never gets contaminated.
Kindi is kept in the backyard for people to wash their hands after a meal.
Kindi is also a part of the set of vessels, traditionally given to the
bride upon marriage among Kerala Hindus . There are different sizes of
Kindies- Large, medium and small. Medium one is used for performing
sandhya. Large ones are kept at entrance for washing legs and hands before
entering home. Large ones are used for drinking water, without touching
mouth. Smaller ones are usually used in pooja room.
While being widely used in Kerala, nowadays it is available with major
metal shops in Tamilnadu. In temples where Nampoothiries perform pooja in
the temples of Tamilnadu, invariably kindi is used.
Keralite Hindus settled in other states also use kindi in pooja rooms and
domestic use. Many Kerala iyers settled in Tamilnadu use Kindi in pooja
room as well as sandhya, if Panchapathram is kept for washing.
Nowadays different types of kindies are immediately available in Guruvayoor
temple shops.
Kindies are molded vessels. This is hand made by specialists in the time
honoured Kerala tradition and can take about 10 days to be made exclusively
for you.
Can be placed indoors or outdoors as an object of curiosity or for
traditional rituals in the Prayer room.
Kamandalu is a Kindi used by sages. Kaveri was the wife of sage *Agasthya.*
One day, when sage Agastya was about to leave for a bath, he decided to
turn his wife Kaveri into the water in fear of leaving her all alone. He
then kept the water in a Kamandala and kept on river bank. Lord Ganesha
took the form of a crow(cow) and tilted the Kamandalu-water flowed and
legend about the origin of river Kaveri.
In Tamilnadu, a vessel similar to kindi without tail and mouth can be
opened and closed is used by Hindus and is called *Kooja*. It is a
domestic item and used to carry water, coffee, energy drinks and used by
musicians mostly. However a kooja is a seer item among Tamil Brahmins.
Nowadays made of stainless steel.
Origins and Significance: More Than Meets the Eye
They have handcrafted Kindis in Kerala for centuries, often passed down
through generations. They hold cultural significance and represent the
ingenuity of local artisans.
In the days before refrigeration, kindis were ideal for storing and cooling
water. The wide mouth enabled easy filling, while the small spout allowed
for a controlled pour. The bell metal construction helped regulate
temperature, keeping water cool in Kerala’s humid climate.
With no electric pumps, kindis were carried by hand to rivers and wells
daily. The spout side went against the hip for an ergonomic fit.
Over time, kindis became a staple in homes, restaurants, and community
fixtures. Though modern refrigeration is now common, kindis remain a
tradition and point of pride. Many display them decoratively as symbols of
Kerala heritage.
Artistry and Construction: Skilled Craftsmanship
Kindi artisans work with skill, first casting, and then hammering them into
shape. They make each vessel from an alloy of brass and copper. The unique
shape maximizes durability and thickness where handling wear is greatest.
Intricate embossing and engraving decorate the surface with patterns passed
down through generations. This artistic touch elevates utilitarian vessels
into folk art.
Bell metal lends anti-microbial properties, enabling safe drinking water
storage. The high heat conductivity keeps contents cool, while the thick
durable metal withstands years of use.
Bell metal is an alloy of Copper and carries all its positive properties.
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