kshetram
{{Short description|Physical holy location}}
{{About||the Indian film|Kshetram (film)}}
{{Hinduism small}}
Kshetram (Kshetra) literally means a region.https://www.learnsanskrit.cc/translate?search=region&dir=au {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2024}} In Hindu mythology, it is referred to as the physical holy location where a temple or a collection of temples, its tank and deities exist.
Definition and Etymology
Kshetram , also spelled kshetra, is a Sanskrit word that originally means "field," "region," or "area."{{Citation |title=Macdonell, Arthur Anthony (1854–1930) |date=2018-02-06 |work=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/odnb/9780192683120.013.34710 |access-date=2025-06-23 |publisher=Oxford University Press}} The word comes from the root ksi, which means "to dwell," "to protect," or "to cultivate."{{Cite book |url=https://doi.org/10.1093/odnb/9780192683120.013.18955 |title=Monier-Williams, Sir Monier (1819–1899) |date=2017-11-28 |publisher=Oxford University Press |series=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography}} In ancient times, it referred to farmland or a plot of land. Over time, it began to be used in religious and spiritual contexts.
In Hindu temple architecture and sacred geography, a ksetram refers to a holy area that includes a temple or other sacred spaces. These areas are considered places where divine power is especially strong and present.{{Citation |last=Garrett |first=Richard |title=Three Definitions of Wisdom |date=1996 |work=Knowledge, Teaching and Wisdom |pages=221–232 |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2022-9_17 |access-date=2025-06-23 |place=Dordrecht |publisher=Springer Netherlands |isbn=978-90-481-4684-0}} Rituals are performed to sanctify the land, making it a space where devotees can connect with the divine.
The word is also used in Jainism and Buddhism to describe spiritually significant regions, often linked to pilgrimage and religious merit.{{Cite journal |last=Dundas |first=Paul |date=2024-09-18 |title=The Jains |url=https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003572343 |doi=10.4324/9781003572343}}
Sacred geography
There exist privileged regions and places where energy in the form of terrestrial magnetism rises heavenward. As per Hindu religious mythology, Prana (gravity) pulls life downwards, while apanan (levity) pulls life upwards. Such places are called Tirtha (ways), Kshetra (ways) or pitha (base). Sacred geography can identify sacred places and sometimes explain the importance of those which are already known.The Hindu Temple. Alain Danielou
The dwelling of gods must be built on such privileged ground (kshetras), and, as a rule, sacred cities arise around them.Brahmatsamhita,55.4-8 The temple should be close to a water course or near a lake located to the east or north. For the building of a temple, it should have a lake on the left (north) or in front (east), and not otherwise. If the temple is built on an island, the presence of water all around is of good omen.Vishnu Dharmottar Purana, 3.93.30-31