The muṇḍa/muṇḍaka crux: What does the word mean?

This article examines previous scholarship on the genealogy of muṇḍa/muṇḍaka and concludes that it is of non Indo-Aryan origin. The primary meaning of the word is usually taken to mean "bald," but it also has many additional connotations which do not appear to be connected with this primar...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Levman, Bryan (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Simon Fraser University, David See Chai Lam Centre for International Communication 2011
In: Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies
Year: 2011, Volume: 7, Pages: 45-76
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Summary:This article examines previous scholarship on the genealogy of muṇḍa/muṇḍaka and concludes that it is of non Indo-Aryan origin. The primary meaning of the word is usually taken to mean "bald," but it also has many additional connotations which do not appear to be connected with this primary meaning. It also occurs as a proper name, the name of an ethnic or tribal group, in place names and in a technical vocabulary associated with agriculture, architecture, chariot and wagon construction, torture, etc. The word mmuṇḍa is cognate with the Puṇḍra tribe of pre-Buddhist India, and possibly with the Mallas, the sub-Himalayan tribe who hosted the Buddha’s funeral. If one takes muṇḍa/muṇḍaka as an ethnic or tribal cognomen, many of the heretofore-unexplained meanings of the word are explainable, although the precise meaning still eludes us.,
ISSN:1710-825X
Contains:Enthalten in: Canadian Journal of Buddhist Studies