In the context of Hindu mythology

Hindu mythology

Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...

, Nidhi, that is, a treasure, constituted of nine treasures (nawanidhi) belonging to Kubera

Kubera

Kubera , also spelt Kuber, is the Lord of wealth and the god-king of the semi-divine Yakshas in Hindu mythology. He is regarded as the regent of the North , and a protector of the world His many epithets extol him as the overlord of numerous semi-divine species and the owner of the treasures of...

 (also spelt as Kuvera), the god of wealth. According to the tradition, each nidhi is personified as having a guardian spirit, and some tantrikas worship them. The nature and characteristics of nidhis have remained largely unexplained and have not been fully understood. According to Amarakosha

Amarakosha

The Amarakosha from amara "immortal" and kosha "treasure, casket, pail, collection, dictionary", also Namalinganushasana from nama-linga-anu-shasana "instruction concerning nouns and gender") is a thesaurus of Sanskrit written by the Jain or Buddhist scholar Amarasimha...

, the nine nidhis are:

- mahapadma "great lotus flower"

- padma "lotus flower"

- shankha "conch"

- makara "dolphin or crocodile"

- kachchhapa "tortoise"

- mukunda "a particular precious stone"

- kunda "jasmine"

- nila "sapphire"

- kharva "dwarf"

When considered as mines, minerals, earthenware and ocean resources, the nine treasures of Kubera are interpreted as:

- padma (lake in Himalaya with minerals and jewels)

- mahapadma (lake double the size of padma in Himalaya with minerals and jewels)

- makara (Synonym of Padmini, black antimony)

- nila (Antimony)

- mukunda (cinnabar, or quicksilver)

- kunda (arsenic)

- kharva (cups or vessels baked in fire)

- kachchhapa (tortoise or turtle shell)

- sankha (conch shell)
Nidhis are also called Nidhana, Nikhara, and Sevadhi.
Some of the nidhis names are used in the Indian numbering system

Indian numbering system

The South Asian numbering system, used today in the Indian subcontinent , is based on grouping by two decimal places, rather than the three decimal places commonplace in most parts of the world. This system of measurement introduces separators into numbers in places appropriate to the two-digit...

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