Glossary

The Kadam were a tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, the earliest of the “later diffusion” traditions in Tibet. Founded on the teachings of the famous Indian scholar Atisha (982–1054) and his student Dromton (1005–1064), the Kadam emphasized monastic discipline, Buddhist ethics, Mahayana scriptural study, and madhyamaka philosophy. Many later Tibetan traditions grew out of Kadam lineages, to the point that the Kadam no longer existed as an organized tradition. The Geluk tradition, founded by Tsongkhapa (1257–1419) views itself as the intellectual successor to the Kadam, and sometimes calls itself the “New Kadam.”

The Kagyu are a major Later Diffusion tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The Kagyu trace their lineages back to the Mahasiddhas, the great tantric masters of medieval India. The Kagyu are known for their yogic practices, as well as the teaching of Mahamudra, or the “Great Seal.” The Kagyu tradition includes many different branches, such as the Karma, Drukpa, Drigung, Tselpa, Pakmodru, and others. The most influential leaders of the Karma Kagyu are the Karmapas, a tulku lineage associated with that Kagyu branch. In Bhutan, the Drukpa Kagyu tradition serves as the state religion. A follower of the Kagyu is called a Kagyupa.

Kailash is a mountain in far western Tibet. Tibetans call this mountain Kang Rinpoche (“Jewel of the Snows”). The rivers Indus, Sutlej, Brahmaputra, and Karnali all have their sources in the immediate area of this mountain. Among Hindus, Kailash is considered the abode of Shiva. Among Buddhists, Kailash is considered the site of Mount Meru on earth. Jains and Sikhs also consider the mountain sacred, and tens of thousands of pilgrims travel there every year to circumambulate the mountain. Mount Kailash is also an important sacred site for the Bon religion.

Kalachakra refers to both the name of major Highest Yoga tantra texts and the central deity, which is the focus of these texts, depicted as a multi-armed figure in tantric union with his consort Vishvamata. The tantra’s elaborate cosmology addresses three wheels of time—the outer, inner, and the other. The outer wheel of time refers to the external world, procession of the external solar and lunar days, or the macrocosm. The inner wheel of time refers to the human body or the microcosm of the inner channels, elements, and wind movements. And the other wheel is the initiation into the paths and the practice. According to the text the Buddha first taught, the Kalachakra tantra in the mythical Buddhist realm of Shambhala to chakravartin kings who rule there.

Hinduism and Buddhism both hold that actions (Skt. karma) have inevitable results which may take a shorter or longer time to occur. Mental, verbal, and physical actions all have positive or negative consequences and are considered karma. Depending on conditions, karma can manifest results either in this or future lives. Karma directly relates to the idea of reincarnation, and positive karma can also create religious merit and lead to a better rebirth, while negative actions, or karma, result in worse experiences in the present and future lives. Buddhists strive to achieve enlightenment to escape this cycle of karmic action and consequence.

The Karmapas are a lineage of tulkus, or reincarnated lamas, and heads of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, recognizable by their distinctive black hats. They began tracing their reincarnations starting in the thirteenth century when Rangjung Dorje (1284–1339) recognized himself the reincarnation of two predecessors, to whom he gave the titles Second and First Karmapas. The Karmapas are thus the historically oldest tulku lineage in Tibetan Buddhism. The Karmapas were a major force in medieval Tibet, but their economic and political power was broken in the mid-seventeenth century when the Geluk-tradition Dalai Lamas and their Mongol allies defeated the king of Tsang and drove many Karma Kagyupas into exile. Nevertheless, the Karmapa lineage survived, and remains influential today. The Karmapas are believed to be emanations of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara.

In Hinduism, Kartikeya is a warrior god mounted on a peacock. Kartikeya is especially popular in southern India, where he is known as Murugan. In Buddhism, Kartikeya is often known as Skandha, and is considered an important Dharma Protector. In Nepal, the god is venerated as Kumara, and depicted as a child, either dancing with a peacock or riding one. Kumara is considered to be a harbinger of monsoon rains.

Kathmandu Mandala is a term used to describe the political and religious landscape of the Kathmandu Valley of Nepal, traditionally inhabited by Newar people. Politically, the Kathmandu Mandala consisted of the three city-states of Kathmandu, Bakhtapur, and Patan, as well as smaller settlements around them. Religiously, the Kathmandu Mandala was a network of Hindu and Buddhist sacred sites that marked the center and boundaries of the region. From 1768 the Kathmandu Valley was unified under the rule of the Shah dynasty from outside of the valley.

Kesi is a type of silk weaving known from China and eastern Central Asia, originally associated with the Sogdian and Uyghur peoples. Kesi uses raw silk for the warp and boiled silk of various colors for the weft, producing vivid blocks of color. As the finished surface has a carved-like effect, giving the textile a three-dimensional quality, the technique became known as kesi, which literally means “carved silk.” By the early thirteenth century, the Tanguts employed this luxury medium for the creation of Tibetan Buddhist icons, which would be emulated by other courts, such as the Mongols, Chinese, and Manchus.

The Khalkha are one of the major historical subgroupings of the Mongols. Historically ruled by leaders descended from Chinggis Khan, the Khalkha inhabited a territory roughly the same as the country called Mongolia today. Other important Mongol groups after the fall of the Mongol Empire include the Chahars, who lived in what is today the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in China, the Oirat or Dzungars, who lived in Central Asia, and the Khoshut, who lived in the northern Tibetan Plateau.

The Khasa Malla were a kingdom in what is now western Nepal and Tibet, centered on the Karnali River valley. While a Himalayan people called Khasa are mentioned in ancient Indian texts, the organized Khasa Malla kingdom flourished roughly between the twelfth and the fourteenth centuries. Little is known about this kingdom, as written sources are limited to a few inscriptions and mentions in Tibetan chronicles, in which they are known as the Yatse kingdom. Nevertheless, the Khasa Malla had a unique culture of Buddhist bronze casting that combined Indic and Tibetan cultural elements. The Khasa Malla are not to be confused with the Malla Dynasty based in the Kathmandu Valley.

Khutugtu is a Mongolian term of respect for a religious figure, often a buddha or a high lama. The term is equivalent to Tibetan tulku, or incarnate lama. The Jibzundamba and Changkya lineages are often referred to as khutugtus.

The Khyentse artistic tradition of painting and sculpture was founded by Khyentse Chenmo, an artist who worked in central Tibet during the fifteenth century. It is one of two new distinctively Tibetan artistic traditions which arose at this time, the Khyentse and Menla traditions, the first to be named after Tibetan artists, suggesting they are seen as indigenous artistic traditions. These painting styles (Khyenri and Menri) are both known for adopting Chinese landscape into their compositions. Gongkar Chode, near Lhasa, is the only monastery that preserves wall paintings by Khyentse Chenmo’s hand, which he created from 1464 to 1476. His paintings are known for their realism and great attention to detail, particularly in portraits and paintings of wild animals and birds, as well as his depiction of wrathful deities.

In Hinduism and Buddhism, kinnaras are celestial musicians, usually depicted as a male and a female, who are half human and half bird. Kinnaras often appear as attendant figures in depictions of buddha-realms or heavens. In the artistic tradition of Nepal these creatures are known as Jalamanusha, or aquatic man.

The kirtimukha is a symbolic element in South Asian art—a mask-like face of a fanged beast. Kirtimukhas are usually placed above other elements, such as upper portions of the carved portals, throne backs, or as a row adorning the upper portions of the painted walls.

In Hinduism, Krishna is considered an avatar of Vishnu, and an important god in his own right. Many stories are told about Krishna’s life, including his childhood as a baby possessed with cosmic powers, his youth as a playful cow herder with many lovers, and his adulthood as a sagely advisor to the epic hero Arjuna. Krishna can be depicted as a baby, or as a young man dancing with a flute. He is usually shown with dark blue skin.

In Hinduism, Kubera is a god of wealth and a king of nature spirits, called yaksha. In Buddhism, he is often equated with the wealth deity Jambhala, and is also one of the eight horsemen-generals in the retinue of the god Vaishravana, the guardian king (lokapala) of the North.

In Nepal, the Kumaris are prepubescent girls who are selected as the incarnation of the great goddess Devi, or the divine feminine principle shakti. These girls live in palaces in the center of Kathmandu and other Nepalese cities, where they perform rituals, bless devotees, and are carried out on palanquins in jatra processions. When the girl experiences her first period, she leaves the palace and resumes life as a normal person, and a new Kumari is selected.

Kurukulla is a wrathful female meditational deity in Vajrayana Buddhism. Sometimes associated with Tara, the wrathful deity Heruka or the Buddha Amitabha, Kurukulla is often depicted as a dancing red female deity with four arms wielding a bow and arrow, hook and noose, all made of flowers. In more popular beliefs, Kurukulla is associated with love and power.