Samadhi (shrine)

Samādhi or samadhi mandir is the Hindi name for a temple, shrine or memorial commemorating the dead (similar to a tomb or mausoleum),[1][2][3] which may or may not contain the body of the deceased. Samadhi sites are often built in this way to honor people regarded as saints or gurus in Hindu religious traditions, wherein such souls are said to have passed into mahāsamādhi, or were already in samādhi (non-dualistic state of consciousness) at the time of death.

Ruined group of samadhi for the rajas of Kutch and their courts, at Bhuj, Gujarat

Samadhi of the Sikh Maharajah Ranjit Singh in Lahore

Samadhi is also used in Sikhism for the mausoleums of eminent figures, both religious and political. Examples include the Samadhi of Ranjit Singh in Lahore, and that of Maharaja Sher Singh near Lahore. Hindu equivalents are usually called chatri, although those for Maratha Empire figures also often use "samadhi".

The forms of structure called "samadhi" vary greatly. The word is sometimes used for a memorial stele, also called paliya, a type of hero stone once common in parts of Gujarat and Sindh. It may be used for small memorial buildings such as open chatri, often placed around a temple.

The tradition of India is cremation for most Hindu people at the time of death, while samadhi is generally reserved for very advanced souls, such as yogis and saints, who have already been "purified by the fire of yoga"[4] or who are believed to have been in the state of samadhi at time of death. Samadhi may not involve cremation.