Word origins

• mithaiSweets; confectionery.
• sandaA Chinese martial art, self-defense system, and combat sport, similar to kick-boxing.
• ghatsA pair of mountain ranges along the southern Indian coasts.
• vadaA type of savoury doughnut eaten as a snack in south Asia.
• MasihA surname used extensively among Christians of Northern South Asia.
• JabalpurA large city in Madhya Pradesh, India.
• MehraA surname.
• VineetA male given name from Sanskrit.
• BanuA surname.
• zillahA district or local division, as of a province, in India.
• bhajanA type of Indian devotional song.
• chachaA traditional Georgian clear strong liquor distilled from pomace.
• seersuckerA thin, all-cotton fabric, commonly striped, used to make clothing for summer wear.
• mahilaWoman or women.
• MoradabadA city, district, and division of Uttar Pradesh, India.
• BeasA river of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab in northern India, rising in the Himalayas and emptying into the Sutlej.
• KrishA male given name.
• sambarA Southeast Asian deer (Rusa unicolor).
• tabelastable or shed (for horses, cows, etc.)
• hijraA eunuch in South Asia, especially one who dresses as a woman.
• lotaA spherical pot, specifically a water pot used for washing and ablution, typically made of brass.
• ParmarA surname.
• RawatA surname from Hindi.
• diyaA small bowl-shaped oil lamp, usually made from clay, with a cotton wick dipped in ghee or vegetable oil, often used on religious occasions.
• burraBig or important, used as a respectful honorific.
• PanipatA city and district of Haryana, India, where three important battles were fought.
• tulsiHoly basil, Ocimum tenuiflorum.
• ghatA descending path or stairway to a river; a ford or landing-place.
• GondaA surname.
• shamaCopsychus malabaricus (white-rumped shama), a saxicoline songbird of India, glossy black with a white rump and brown underparts, and six other species in genus Copsychus.
• filmiMusic written especially for Bollywood films.
• WaziristanA mountainous region in northwestern Pakistan.
• rozaA garden, especially one at a mausoleum.
• gaurAn Asian species of wild bovine (Bos gaurus), of large size and an untamable disposition.
• saagAn Indian dish made from greens (usually spinach) cooked down to a thick paste.
• mynaOne of the South and East Asian birds of the starling family Sturnidae.
• BanoA surname.
• shroffA provider of financial services, especially a small-scale independent banker or money changer or (historical) a local expert at detecting bad coin.
• SankaranA surname from Hindi.
• gaonA sage of the Talmudic academies of Babylonia
• samitiA local political association
• aartiA particular Hindu prayer ritual, involving candles made from clarified butter.
• doolyA basic Indian litter or sedan chair made of poles, ropes, and a seat or cloth.
• BhardwajA surname from Hindi.
• KurukshetraA city in Haryana, India, famous for the mythical War of Kurukshetra.
• mavaA form of smokeless tobacco combined with with betel nut, lime, etc.
• bastiA slum.
• pagalMentally ill person; lunatic.
• khairThe tree Senegalia catechu from which cutch is obtained
• chukarA bird of species of partridge native to central Asia (Alectoris chukar).
• AnkitA male given name from India, of Indian usage.
• burqaAn enveloping Central Asian garment which covers the whole body, incorporating a netted screen to cover the eyes, chiefly worn by women in fundamentalist denominations of Islam to observe sartorial hijab (the practice of wearing concealing clothing in front of adult men after the age of puberty).
• bounderSomething that bounds or jumps.
• rattiA traditional Indian unit of measure for mass, approximately 0.1215 grams.
• ratanA male given name from Sanskrit used in India.
• MadhavAn epithet of Lord Krishna.
• FatehpurThe name of various cities and towns, including
• GarhwalA historical region: the western half of Uttarakhand, India.
• cowrieA small gastropod (Monetaria moneta, syn. Cypraea moneta) common in the Indian Ocean; its shell.
• choleChickpeas, or a curry consisting mainly of chickpeas.
• DevdasA grieving male lover.
• SheetalA female given name from Hindi.
• GopinathA form of the Hindu deity Krishna.
• ChaturvediA surname from Hindi.
• KhatriAn Indian merchant caste from Punjab.
• guggulCommiphora wightii, a flowering plant most common in northern India, with thin papery bark and thorny branches.
• LodhiA surname from Hindi.
• RathoreA surname from Hindi.
• TanejaA surname from Hindi.
• JuhiA female given name from Sanskrit used in India.
• MamtaA female given name from Hindi.
• biryaniA spiced dish of rice, blended with meat and/or vegetables.
• runnA tract of sandy or boggy land often overflowed by the tide.
• sangeetA gathering for the purpose of singing songs; a musical ceremony.
• SaharanpurA city, district, and division of Uttar Pradesh, in northern India.
• chikanAny act of public molestation or offense, usually of a sexual nature, against unsuspecting victims.
• dholA type of drum from India.
• vakilA surname from Hindi [in turn from Arabic].
• RastogiA surname from Hindi.
• bahuA daughter-in-law or sister-in-law, especially one who lives with her husband's family when married.
• KanwarA member of a tribal community of central India, mainly in the state of Chhattisgarh.
• RajneeshA religious and spiritual leader from India.
• machanA kind of safety platform in a tree, used when hunting large animals or to escape a flood; found most commonly in Indian jungles.
• RajaramA surname from Hindi.
• banjaraA community usually described as nomadic people from the northwestern belt of the Indian subcontinent.
• bandhA general strike, shutdown, or other form of protest used in South Asia in which a substantial portion of the population stays home and does not report to work.
• ganjganja.
• ShindeA surname from Hindi.
• NizamabadA city and district of Telangana, India.
• chupA short, loud, and urgent sound, usually of a bird.
• LalitpurA city and district of Jhansi division, Uttar Pradesh, India.
• tolaA unit of mass used in India, equal to the mass of a silver rupee coin, fixed at 180 troy grains (11.663 8038 grams) in 1833, and of a similar but slightly variable value before that date.
• chikaraAn Indian antelope (Gazella bennettii).
• bijuThe honey badger.
• malaiAn Indian cream made by heating and then cooling non-homogenized whole milk and then skimming off the resulting fatty layer.
• chapatiA flat, unleavened bread from northern India and Pakistan.
• daftarA record or register consisting of a set of loose sheets filed on a string or tied up in a cloth.
• doobDoob grass.
• AhirA member of a clan or community, mostly in northern India, whose traditional occupations are cattle-herding and agriculture, and many of whom identify themselves as Yadav.
• dabbaA kind of lunchbox or food container.