Kalka: 22 definitions
Introduction:
Kalka means something in Hinduism, Sanskrit, Marathi, biology. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
In Hinduism
Ayurveda (science of life)
Rasashastra (Alchemy and Herbo-Mineral preparations)
Kalka is the fine paste of macerated fresh plant material. (see the Paribhāṣā-prabandha: an Ayurvedic treatise on medical terminology by Jagannāthaprasāda Śukla).
Kalpa (Formulas, Drug prescriptions and other Medicinal preparations)
Kalka (कल्क, “paste”) is a Sanskrit technical term appearing in the 15th-century Yogasārasaṅgraha (Yogasara-saṅgraha) by Vāsudeva..—Kalka (“paste”) is also known as praseka and āvāpa. It is obtained by grinding drugs with water, if necessary.
Kalka (कल्क) refers to the “grounded paste of medicine” (when they are dried known as cūrṇa or ‘powder’) and represents one of the various Ayurvedic medicinal preparations and formulations.—Ayurvedic medicine are of different types. They can be used as single drugs, i.e. plants, metals and mineral drugs and animal drugs used in a single.
Agriculture (Krishi) and Vrikshayurveda (study of Plant life)
Kalka (कल्क) refers to a “thick paste” used for besmearing certain fruit trees, according to the Vṛkṣāyurveda by Sūrapāla (1000 CE): an encyclopedic work dealing with the study of trees and the principles of ancient Indian agriculture.—Accordingly: “An ordinary mango tree gets the good quality of a high class mango tree and puts forth fragrant blossom attracting the bees if it is smeared with the thick paste (kalka) of Syzygium cumini, coral, Cyperus hexastachys communis and the roots of Vetiveria zizanioides and then sprinkled with the water from the same paste”.
Unclassified Ayurveda definitions
Kalka is a medical term used in Ayurveda meaning "paste".
Kalka or ‘wet bolus’ is made by crushing the herbs and plants to make a paste. It is usually used for external applications and if taken internal, the recommended dosage is 1 karsha (12g). For example, Nimba-kalka, Rasona-kalka.
Kalka (Paste): A fresh drug or a dry drug is converted into a paste by rubbing it on a stone with little quantity of water. Fresh or dry drugs are first cleaned with water. In case of dry drug, it is powdered first and filtered with a cloth and mixed with appropriate quantity of water and then rubbed in pestle and mortar and made into a paste. In case of fresh drugs, they are first chopped into fine pieces, pounded and macerated in mortar and pestle until the paste becomes fine.
Kalka can be used both internally and externally. Kala is also used in preparation of oils to add specific color, fragrance and medicinal properties. Dose for internal use is 5-10 gm. Eg. Paste of Nimba (Neem) can be prepared and administered in intestinal worm infestations.
Kalka (Paste): Fresh herbs grounded in to fine or coarse paste is Kalka. If the plant does not yield appreciable quantities of juice, kalka is prepared. It has quite an amount of fiber and therefore useful in digestive disorders because it stays longer in the gut. Bhūmyāmalaki (Phyllanthus niruri) is a weed plant that is freshly collected and made into kalka to use in the patients suffering from viral hepatitis.
Kalka (कल्क):—Paste prepared by grinding with or without addition of water on stone slab / machine

Āyurveda (आयुर्वेद, ayurveda) is a branch of Indian science dealing with medicine, herbalism, taxology, anatomy, surgery, alchemy and related topics. Traditional practice of Āyurveda in ancient India dates back to at least the first millenium BC. Literature is commonly written in Sanskrit using various poetic metres.
Vastushastra (architecture)
Kalka (कल्क) refers to “= śarkarākalka §§ 2.16-17.”.—(For paragraphs cf. Les enseignements architecturaux de l'Ajitāgama et du Rauravāgama by Bruno Dagens)

Vastushastra (वास्तुशास्त्र, vāstuśāstra) refers to the ancient Indian science (shastra) of architecture (vastu), dealing with topics such architecture, sculpture, town-building, fort building and various other constructions. Vastu also deals with the philosophy of the architectural relation with the cosmic universe.
Biology (plants and animals)
Kalka in India is the name of a plant defined with Altingia excelsa in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Liquidambar altingiana Blume.
Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):
· Species Plantarum (1753)
· Journal of the Arnold Arboretum (1977)
· Verhandelingen van het bataviaasch genootschap van kunsten en wetenschappen (1790)
If you are looking for specific details regarding Kalka, for example health benefits, chemical composition, side effects, diet and recipes, pregnancy safety, extract dosage, have a look at these references.

This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.
Languages of India and abroad
Marathi-English dictionary
kalka (कल्क).—n S Medicaments reduced (by levigation, pounding, bruising, boiling &c.) to a slimy consistence.
Marathi is an Indo-European language having over 70 million native speakers people in (predominantly) Maharashtra India. Marathi, like many other Indo-Aryan languages, evolved from early forms of Prakrit, which itself is a subset of Sanskrit, one of the most ancient languages of the world.
Sanskrit dictionary
Kalka (कल्क).—a. [kal-ka Uṇādi-sūtra 3.4]
1) Sinful, wicked.
-lkaḥ, -lkam 1 The viscous sediment deposited by oily substances when ground.
2) A kind of tenacious paste; गौरसर्षपकल्केन (gaurasarṣapakalkena) (snapanam) Y.1.277. An unguent paste; कल्काश्चूर्णकषायांश्च स्नानानि विविधानि च (kalkāścūrṇakaṣāyāṃśca snānāni vividhāni ca) Rām.2.91.74; a paste used as plaster or cement also called Yoga (mixture).
3) (Hence) Dirt, filth (in general).
4) Ordure, fæces.
5) Meanness, deceit, hypocrisy; Śiśupālavadha 19.98.
6) Sin. तपो न कल्कोऽध्ययनं न कल्कः स्वाभाविको वेदविधिर्न कल्कः । प्रसह्य वित्ताहरणं न कल्कस्तान्येव भावोपहतानि कल्कः (tapo na kalko'dhyayanaṃ na kalkaḥ svābhāviko vedavidhirna kalkaḥ | prasahya vittāharaṇaṃ na kalkastānyeva bhāvopahatāni kalkaḥ) (dīnadaṇḍareṣā) Mahābhārata (Bombay) 1.1.275.
7) Levigated powder; तां लोभ्रकल्केन हृताङ्गतैलाम् (tāṃ lobhrakalkena hṛtāṅgatailām) Kumārasambhava 7.9.
8) Incense.
9) The wax of the ear.
Kalka (कल्क).—mfn.
(-lkaḥ-lkā-lkaṃ) Sinful, wicked. mn.
(-lkaḥ-lkaṃ) 1. Sediment, the deposit of oil, ghee, &c. 2. Dirt, filth. 3. Ordure, fæces. 4. Sin. 5. Hypocrisy. 6. Pride. 7. The beleric myrobalan. 8. The wax of the ear. 9. Levigated powder. E. kal to count, &c. ka Unadi aff.
Kalka (कल्क).—m. (and n.) 1. Sediment, [Yājñavalkya, (ed. Stenzler.)] 1, 276. 2. Paste, [Daśakumāracarita] in
Kalka (कल्क).—[masculine] dough, paste; dirt, sin.
1) Kalka (कल्क):—m. (n., [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]), (√3. kal, [Uṇādi-sūtra iii, 40]), a viscous sediment deposited by oily substances when ground, a kind of tenacious paste, [Suśruta; Yājñavalkya] etc.
2) dirt, filth
3) the wax of the ear
4) ordure, faeces, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
5) impurity, meanness, falsehood, hypocrisy, deceit, sin, [Mahābhārata; Bhāgavata-purāṇa] etc.
6) Terminalia Bellerica, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
7) Olibanum, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.]
8) mfn. sinful, wicked, [cf. Lexicographers, esp. such as amarasiṃha, halāyudha, hemacandra, etc.] (cf. kaluṣa, kalmaṣa, kilbiṣa.)
Kalka (कल्क):—[(lkaḥ-lkaṃ)] 1. m. n. Sediment, dirt, sin; pride. a. Sinful.
[Sanskrit to German]
Kalka (कल्क) in the Sanskrit language is related to the Prakrit word: Kakka.
Sanskrit, also spelled संस्कृतम् (saṃskṛtam), is an ancient language of India commonly seen as the grandmother of the Indo-European language family (even English!). Closely allied with Prakrit and Pali, Sanskrit is more exhaustive in both grammar and terms and has the most extensive collection of literature in the world, greatly surpassing its sister-languages Greek and Latin.
Kannada-English dictionary
Kalka (ಕಲ್ಕ):—
1) [noun] a thick liquid in which relatively large number of small insoluble particles are in suspension and remain for long without getting settled to the bottom; gel; sol; emulsion.
2) [noun] the breaking of a divine or moral law, either by a conscious or unconscious act; a religious flaw; a sin.
3) [noun] dirt; filth; soil; defilement.
4) [noun] undisollved particles settled to the bottom of a liquid; dreg; lees.
5) [noun] a waxlike yellowish substance exuded by the ears; earwax; cerumen.
6) [noun] a false statement made deliberately; a lie.
7) [noun] a high opinion of oneself, often unduly exaggerated; pride; arrogance.
Kannada is a Dravidian language (as opposed to the Indo-European language family) mainly spoken in the southwestern region of India.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with (+21): Kal-kaipitippu, Kal-kalikattil, Kalka and kalko, Kalkabba, Kalkach, Kalkacha, Kalkacha hare, Kalkaidu, Kalkaka, Kalkal, Kalkala, Kalkalapikap, Kalkalaundaa, Kalkalaundi, Kalkalaundo, Kalkalaunu, Kalkalaya, Kalkali, Kalkalinci, Kalkalohia.
Full-text (+64): Tilakalka, Akalka, Kalkaphala, Jalakalka, Tikshnakalka, Dhanyakalka, Kalkana, Akalkata, Bahukalka, Kalkalaya, Kalkas, Tailakalkaja, Vajratara, Viniya, Kalkin, Kakka, Kalki, Shringaverakalka, Tilakalkaja, Kalka and kalko.
Relevant text
Search found 46 books and stories containing Kalka; (plurals include: Kalkas). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
World Journal of Pharmaceutical Research
Ayurvedic thaila kalpana- a review < [2020: Volume 9, May issue 5]
Role of kalka in the management of dustavrana < [2019: Volume 8, December issue 13]
Critical review of Kalka Kalpana from Sushruta Samhita. < [2023: Volume 12, May issue 7]
Sushruta Samhita, volume 4: Cikitsasthana (by Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna)
Chapter XVII - The medical treatment of erysipelas
Chapter XV - The medical/surgical treatment of the fetus
Chapter XVIII - The medical treatment of Glandular Swellings
Sushruta Samhita, Volume 6: Uttara-tantra (by Kaviraj Kunja Lal Bhishagratna)
Chapter XXXIX - Symptoms and Treatment of Fever (Jvara) < [Canto III - Kaya-chikitsa-tantra (internal medicine)]
Chapter LI - Symptoms and Treatment of Asthma (Shvasa) < [Canto III - Kaya-chikitsa-tantra (internal medicine)]
Chapter LVIII - Symptoms and Treatment of suppression of Urine (Mutra-ghata) < [Canto III - Kaya-chikitsa-tantra (internal medicine)]
Understanding of niruhabasti: compilation from sushruta samhita < [Volume 7, Issue 4: July - August 2020]
Kalka Dravya's Role in Niruha Basti Preparation: A Conceptual Analysis < [Volume 10, Issue 5: September-October 2023]
Ayurvedic management of tubal infertility: a case series. < [Volume 2, issue 6: Nov - Dec 2015]
International Ayurvedic Medical Journal
A review on shatavari punarnavadya ghrita < [2024, Issue 03. March]
Mukha kriyakalpa - procedures for prevention and management of oral cavity disorders < [2021, Issue 12, December]
Study of effect of ardrakadi kalka in arochaka < [2014, Issue IV Jul-Aug]
Anti-rheumatic formulations from ayurveda < [Volume 11 (issue 1-2), Jul-Dec 1991]
Studies on the standardisation of mahalaksadi taila < [Volume 9 (issue 1), Jul-Sep 1989]
Indigenous knee osteoarthritis care: Lakshadi Guggulu, bandhan, traction. < [Volume 26 (issue 3), Jan-Mar 2007]
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