a pulpit or raised platform in a Hindu or Buddhist place of worship from which a religious teacher speaks or conducts ceremonies.
From Sanskrit 'aṇḍa,' which may relate to concepts of elevation or seating. Used primarily in South Asian religious contexts to describe ceremonial platforms.
In Hindu temples, the anda serves the same spiritual function as a pulpit in a church or a bimah in a synagogue—each culture's religious architecture independently invented the idea of elevating teachers so everyone can see and hear.
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