dhaḥmā
| Notes | [fr. New. dharamā] n. the shaft used for steering a chariot (Malla 2000: 240); a shaft that passes through the chariot between the wheels and which is upturned at one end. There is always a painting of Bhairava covered by a well-made gilt copper image of the same deity on the face of the upturned part of the dhaḥmā of Buṅgadyaḥ (Red Matsyendranātha). The dhaḥmā itself is considered to represent Karkoṭaka Nāgarāja, the serpent deity who, according to a legend, stretched itself across a river from one end to another so that the King, his priest and his porter were able to cross the river with Bungadyaḥ. The water of the river had fantastical properties and turned everything which touched it into stone: as such, it was known as as Śilā Nadi, the stone river. After helping the trio, the serpent deity also sought to cross the river, but accidentally dipped the tip of his tail in the water. The part that touched the river immediately turned into stone and fell off. It is for this reason that the other end of the dhaḥmā does not have a pointed tip like a serpent’s tail; syn. ghaḥmā. |
| Type | t.t. |
