Circumambulation

For the album by True Widow, see Circumambulation (album). For the New York avant-garde bookshop, see The Sunwise Turn.
Relief of ancient Indian Buddhists (monks at left, a lay couple at right, statues behind) circumambulating a stupa in a chaitya temple

Circumambulation[1] (from Latin circum around[2] and ambulātus to walk[3]) is the act of moving around a sacred object or idol.[4]

Circumambulation of temples or deity images is an integral part of Hindu and Buddhist devotional practice (known in Sanskrit as pradakśiṇā).[5] It is also present in other religions, including Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

  1. ^ Goblet d'Alviella, Eugène (1908). Circumambulation in: Encyclopædia of Religion and Ethics, Volume 3, 667 – 669. Edinburgh: Clark.
  2. ^ "Circum-". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
  3. ^ "Ambulate". Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2014-03-07.
  4. ^ Bowker, John (1999). The Oxford Dictionary of World Religions. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 224. ISBN 0-19-866242-4.
  5. ^ "Buddhamind.info: Circumambulation". Archived from the original on 2012-07-17. Retrieved 2005-11-21.