Om
The sacred syllable spoken at the beginning and end of mantras and prayers. The Māṇḍūkya Upanishad is devoted to Om and explains it through its sounds A, U and M.
Print this sign →SIGNS AND SYMBOLS
The signs in a Hindu home, and what they mean.
Short, careful explanations of the signs families draw and display, with printable versions. Meanings are described as families commonly understand them; regional practice varies.
Swastika (svastika)
From su (“good”) and asti (“it is”): a sign of well-being. Families draw it at the doorway, on account books, on the kalash and at the start of a ritual, commonly with its arms turning clockwise and four dots between them. In Europe and North America the shape is widely associated with its use by the Nazi party in the twentieth century; Hindu, Jain and Buddhist families abroad often explain its much older meaning when they display it.
Print this sign →Shubh and Labh
“Auspiciousness” and “gain”, written on either side of the door or the swastika, especially at Diwali and in account books. In popular tradition Shubh and Labh are named as the sons of Ganesha.
Print this sign →Shri
A word for prosperity, radiance and beauty, and a name of Lakshmi. It is written at the head of letters, account books and new beginnings, often as “॥ श्री गणेशाय नमः ॥”.
Print this sign →Kalash
A pot of water crowned with leaves and a coconut, installed at the start of many pujas as a sign of fullness and auspiciousness. The kalash shloka remembers the deities said to dwell in it.
Colouring page →Diya
The lamp offered in worship and lit in rows at Diwali: light set against darkness.
Colouring page →Rangoli and kolam
Patterns drawn at the threshold with coloured powder, rice flour or chalk to welcome guests and the deity. Kolam, common in South India, is drawn around a grid of dots.
Patterns to print →The Māṇḍūkya Upanishad can be read on Sanskrit Wikisource.