This chapter shall be updated as I add new words and concepts. Do check these chapters when I update for new words and their meanings.

Chai: tea

Zamindar: holder of some land and semi-autonomous ruler of a province.

Jagannath: an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Jagannath means 'Lord of the World' and he resides in Puri, Odisha.

Dhumavati: the widowed avatar of Adi Shakti.

Nitya sumangali: Nitya means forever and sumangali means a woman who is fortunate, so together it adds up to 'forever fortunate'. It is used to address devadasis, because they are married to gods and their sindur will never die. They shall remain married forever and never become a widow.

Garbha Griha: innermost part of a temple where the deity resides.

Niramish and Aamish: Aamish is referred to food which we eat with desire, and niramish is food which we eat without desire or yearning. However, nowadays it is often considered that aamish food means nonveg and niramish is veg food, which is a misconception. In Bengal, certain vegetables and lentils are also considered aamish, like onion and garlic.

Devadasis: dancers, who are not just talented in dancing but also various forms of art who devote their lives serving gods and goddesses. They cannot marry as their life is pledged to a certain deity(their spouse). They were very famous in India and well respected, however after the British came their fame declined. Their image was tarnished by foreigners who associated bad connotations to devadasis. Post independence, their numbers declined.

Sindur: a red powder women use to decorate their forehead and use as marital status. It is said that sindur has power to protect the husband and so women wear it for their welfare.

Memsaheb: a respectful address for a woman.

Babu: respectful address for a man.

Andarmahal: The part of a house where the women live. Usually found in large houses and mansions, like that of the rich people.

Khatia: an old kind of bed where people used to sleep.

Shraddha: the last rites of a person which is done 11 or 13 days(based on caste) after the death.