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{{Short description|A type of pot originating from the Indian subcontinent}}
[[File:Sadhu's Kamandalu.jpg|thumb|A metal ''kamandalu'', held by a [[sadhu]].]]
'''Kamandalu''' ([[Sanskrit]]: कमण्डलु, {{IAST|kamaṇḍalu}}<ref>[http://www.sanskrit-lexicon.uni-koeln.de/cgi-bin/serveimg.pl?file=/scans/MWScan/MWScanjpg/mw0252-kaMvat.jpg Monier Williams Sanskrit-English Dictionary (2008 revision)]</ref>) or '''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,<ref>http://sanskritdocuments.org/all_sa/shankara108m_sa.html, Shankarachrya’s ashtotaram)</ref> or from clay, usually with a handle and sometimes with a spout. [[Hindu]] ascetics or [[yogi]]s often use it for storing drinking water.<ref>{{cite book |last=Radha |first=Swami Sivananda |title=Kundalini Yoga |year=1992 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xfDzSaOju8gC&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&source=gbs_summary_s&cad=0 |access-date=2008-08-20 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn= 9788120808126 |pages=357}} p.40</ref> The water-filled kamandalu, which is invariably carried by ascetics, is stated to represent a simple and self-contained life.

The ''kamandalu'' also used in [[Hindu iconography]], in depiction of deities related with [[asceticism]] or water. It is, thus, viewed as a symbol of ascetism in Hinduism. The ''kamandalu'' is also used by [[Jain]] monks and in depictions of some [[bodhisattva]]s.<ref>http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/archive/index.php?t-448.html, ''Sanatana Dharma for Kids:'' Hindu Trinity: Brahma - Sarasvati</ref>

==Method of making==
The ''kamandalu'' may be made of various materials, including metal, clay, wood and dry gourd. For making the gourd ''kamandalu'', a ripe pumpkin is plucked and the inner plum and seeds are cleaned. This leaves only the outer shell, which is used as the ''kamandalu''. This is interpreted on a spiritual level as the removal of ego from a person. The ripe pumpkin represents the person, seed being the ego. Cleaning the seed thus symbolizes the removal of ego, forming a cleansed person fit to accept self-realization.
<ref>{{cite book |last=Pandit |first=Bansi |title=Explore Hinduism |year=2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PT5h4IjBMk0C&pg=PA48&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U2UsvAhVC5zOsqyxQDoAtLUz2Xuuw |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Heart of Albion |isbn= 9781872883816 |pages=187}} p.48</ref>

==In Hinduism==
[[File:Brahma (musée d'art asiatique de Berlin).jpg|thumb|left|Brahma holding a kamandalu in his right hand]]
Water in a kamandalu represents [[Amrita]]—the elixir of life—thus a symbol of fertility, life and wealth.<ref name = "A">{{cite book |last=Jansen |first=Eva Rudy |title=The Book of Hindu Imagery |year=1993 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1iASyoae8cMC&pg=PA144&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U2zD3j_c3YX3i7S_afvIBo5bFpJcQ#PPA52,M1 |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Binkey Kok Publications |isbn= 9789074597074 |pages=158}} p.52</ref> The kamandalu is often depicted in hands of gods, who appear as ascetics, like [[Shiva]] and [[Brahma]] and also water deities like [[Varuna]], [[Ganga (goddess)|Ganga]] (the goddess of the [[Ganges]] river) and [[Sarasvati]].<ref name = "A"/> [[Adi Shankara]]charya’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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Chaplin |first=Dorothea |title=Mythlogical Bonds Between East and West |year=2007 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GiAwgX1Eg1wC&pg=PA114&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U0pxxG7H34NSD8UtWcsnONK3bFqog |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=READ BOOKS |isbn= 9781406739862 |pages=160}} p.117</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Chakrabarti |first=Dilip K. |title=Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain |year=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OEZe-wAIiKIC&pg=PA84&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U03sZZ2EEqI4D6BbAIkQsYm5YRh2Q#PPA84,M1 |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Orient Longman |isbn= 9788178240169 |pages=301}} p.40</ref> The goddess Karamgamaladharini is described as wearing a garland of kamandalus.<ref>{{cite book |last=Harper |first=Katherine Anne |author2=Robert L. Brown |title=The Roots of Tantra |year=2007 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M7Fbj5hrmQoC&pg=PA240&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U2uK-LXAr6Itp1VSXzLJNNqCijatQ |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn= 9780791453056 |pages=270}} p.240</ref> The text [[Devi Mahatmya]] describes goddess [[Matrikas|Brahmani]] slay demons by sprinkling holy water from her kamandalu.<ref>{{cite book |last=Coburn |first=Thomas B. |title=Devī-Māhātmya |year=1988 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hy9kf7_TOHgC&pg=PA146&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U1WmRjQHp7mp1t1UJCpAh5dljwDCw |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn= 9788120805576 |pages=359}} p.146</ref> A 183–165 BC coin depicts the god [[Krishna]] holding a kamandalu.
<ref>{{cite book |last=Kala |first=Jayantika |title=Epic Scenes in Indian Plastic Art |year=1988 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MLcGKezqdDIC&pg=PA92&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U0N5RIjSPy03YwchDZRw-3Et-IRhQ |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn= 9788170172284 |pages=107}} p.92</ref>

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.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20050207221439/http://www.pichu.info/nav.htm, Suryanar Koil</ref> In the [[Bhagavata Purana]], the King [[Shraddhadeva Manu|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.<ref>[http://www.geocities.com/bhagvatjee/bhaag/kathaa/skandh8/9matsya.htm http://www.geocities.com/bhagvatjee/bhaag/kathaa/skandh8/9matsya.htm]{{dead link|date=October 2010|bot=AnomieBOT}}. Sri Mad Bhagavat Puran, Skand 8, page 9, Chapter 24)</ref> The [[Mahabharata]] records the god [[Dhanvantari]] brought Amrita in a ''kamandalu'', when he emerged from the churning of the ocean ([[Samudra manthan]]).<ref>{{cite book |last=Feller |first=Danielle |title=The Sanskrit epics' representation of Vedic myths |year=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G3yQJU-4mOoC&pg=PA187&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U17Qa_RpzJ833_ZwwIwTEgceDiThA |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ |isbn= 9788120820081 |pages=382}} p.187</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite book |last=Bose |first=Mandakranta |title=The Ramayana Revisited |year=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OiPdOBHGVp4C&pg=PA102&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U1zaPsQyqPRaNeEpwd7Ec5knUvtKg#PPA103,M1 |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Oxford University Press US |isbn= 9780195168327 |pages=400}} p.103</ref>

[[File:Sadhu In Haridwar.jpg|thumb|A [[sadhu]] (ascetic) with a kamandalu to his right]]
The mythical [[Sarasvati river]] traces her creation legends to the creator-god [[Brahma]]'s kamandalu.<ref>{{cite book |last=Darian |first=Steven G. |title=The Ganges in Myth and History |year=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0obUy_W9NREC&pg=PA60&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U2YgrSNYe3gwL13LRbjPnJmAWe9MQ |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn= 9788120817579 |pages=235}} p.60</ref> The river Ganges is also believed to flow through Brahma's kamandalu.<ref>{{cite book |last=Hiltebeitel |first=Alf |author-link=Alf Hiltebeitel |title=The Ritual of Battle |year=1990 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vwWGX08JAx8C&pg=PA160&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U2ZLjGMTW4NCZIbxNl7OhoJVAb8xg |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=SUNY Press |isbn= 9780791402498 |pages=368}} p.160</ref> 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.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20091027080628/http://geocities.com/dr_gda/ganga.htm, ''Origin of Holy River Ganga''</ref>

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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121101023241/http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/07/08/stories/2006070800440200.htm ] Deep in the Woods</ref>
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.<ref>http://saranathantg.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html, Srimad Bhagawat Geeta</ref> 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.<ref>http://chennaionline.com/columns/Lifehistory/history05.asp,(Agastya–Part{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} V</ref>

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 River|Narmada]] in [[Madhya Pradesh]], an ancient ''kamandalu'' which is always filled with water, is called the Brighu Kamandal.<ref>http://www.kashmirsentinel.com/jan2003/16.html, Sarada Legends – Different versions</ref>

The text [[Garuda Purana]] states donation of a kamandalu in the [[Shraaddha|Shradha]] (funerary ritual) ceremony ensures that deceased has ample drinking water in his afterlife journey.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Garuda Purana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bHm6nKenVK4C&pg=PT56&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U0Qz5WF8nJoaBEdCF4o81mkKDIXNw#PPT57,M1 |access-date=2008-08-21 |isbn=978-0-9793051-1-5|id={{ISBN|0-9793051-1-X}} }}</ref>

==In Buddhism and Jainism==
[[Buddhist]]s pour water from the kamandalu onto the palms of people, before rituals, where the water symbolizes [[elixir]] of life.<ref>{{cite book |last=Blau |first=Tatjana |author2=Mirabai Blau |title=Buddhist Symbols |year=2002 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bcf46Ye46qUC&pg=PA225&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U0A1Tzfjfyl9vIyoXBBN4PXcI0law#PPA225,M1 |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. |isbn= 9781402700330 |pages=256}} p.225</ref> It is also called ''bhumba''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jansen |first=Eva Rudy |author2=Tony Langham |title=The Book of Buddhas |year=1990 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GngtR4O6Y_EC&pg=PA28&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U2y3PRrsAwaxXB9s6OsP9yWQeoe9Q#PPA28,M1 |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Binkey Kok |isbn= 9789074597029 |pages=110}} p.28</ref> [[Bodhisattva]]s like [[Maitreya]] and [[Avalokiteshvara]] are depicted carrying the kamandalu.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wong |first=Dorothy C. |title=Chinese Steles |year=2004 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4gNk5HzIIKgC&pg=PA93&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U19HMBEgtsmlpIOBtdR5P_0tggXmA#PPA93,M1 |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=University of Hawaii Press |isbn= 9780824827830 |pages=226}} p.93</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Donaldson |first=Thomas E. |title=Iconography of the Buddhist Sculpture of Orissa |year=2001 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbxE8zOuRbUC&pg=PA195&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U1igeMp0ILC63kLTERMbE9_cdjmMA#PPA194,M1 |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Abhinav Publications |isbn= 9788170173755 |pages=792}} p.195</ref> The kamandalu was initially imported from [[Brahmanical Hinduism]] to Buddhism, through god [[Brahma]] to Maitreya; it later was incorporated in representations of many [[Mahayana Buddhist]] deities.<ref>{{cite book |author=Jacques Duchesne-Guillemin |author-link=Jacques Duchesne-Guillemin |title=Acta Iranica |year=1974 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_MoUAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA97&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U1ympSYV8PORYGgiFvCEYIh5-yQEg#PPA97,M1 |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-03902-5|id={{ISBN|90-04-03902-3}} }} p.97</ref>

[[Jain]] [[Digambara]] sages use the kamandalu for storing water for "toilet purposes".<ref>{{cite book |last=Jaini |first=Padmanabh S. |title=Collected Papers on Jaina Studies |year=2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HPggiM7y1aYC&pg=PA164&dq=Kamandalu&lr=&as_brr=3&client=firefox-a&sig=ACfU3U0HXPgeeQc_SM35pMvhaWV1Xepl9Q |access-date=2008-08-21 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn= 9788120816916 |pages=428}} p.164</ref> 

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Kamandalu}}

[[Category:Containers]]
[[Category:Hindu symbols]]
[[Category:Objects used in Hindu worship]]

Kamandalu - Revision history

Chefajaychopra123: enhanced details for accuracy and updated info for accuracy

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