Siddhaṃ alphabet - Acala Postcard

Siddhaṃ alphabet Siddhaṃ (Sanskrit सिद्धं, "accomplished" or "perfected") —, also called Siddhaṃātṛkā, is the name of a North Indian script used for writing Sanskrit during the period ca 600-1200 CE. It is descended from the Brahmi script via the Gupta script, which also gave rise to the Devanāgarī script as well as a number of other Asian scripts such as Tibetan script. There is some confusion over the spelling: Siddhāṃ and Siddhaṃ are both common, though Siddhaṃ is correct. The script is a refinement of the script used during the Indian Gupta Empire. The name arose from the practice of writing the word Siddhaṃ, or Siddhaṃ rastu (may there be perfection) at the head of documents. Acala In Vajrayana Buddhism, Ācala (alternatively, Achala or Acalanātha (अचलनाथ) in Sanskrit) is the best known of the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm. He is also known as Ācalanātha, Āryācalanātha, Ācala-vidyā-rāja and Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa. The Sanskrit term ācala means "immovable"; Ācala is also the name of the eighth of the ten stages of the path to become a bodhisattva. His siddham seed-syllabe is "hāṃ". Ācala is the destroyer of delusion and the protector of Buddhism. His immovability refers to his ability to remain unmoved by carnal temptations. Despite his fearsome appearance, his role is to aid all beings by showing them the teachings of the Buddha, leading them into self-control. He is seen as a protector and aide in attaining goals. Shingon Buddhist temples dedicated to Ācala perform a periodic fire ritual in devotion to him. The buddha Akshobhya, whose name also means "the immovable one", is sometimes merged with Ācala. However, Ācala is not a buddha, but one of the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm as found in the Japanese Shingon sect of Buddhism. As Fudō myōō, Ācala is considered one of the Thirteen Buddhas and is usually invoked first for spiritual protection. Fudō myōō, meaning "Immovable Wisdom King", is the patron deity of the Yamabushi. He usually holds a sword and a lariat, is clad in rags, has one fang pointing up and another pointing down, and a braid on one side of his head. His statues are generally placed near waterfalls and deep in the mountains and in caves.