Panchamukha
Encyclopedia
Panchamukha also called Nagari , is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal...
: पञ्चमुख) (alternatively Panchamukhi) is a Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
word meaning 'five-faced'. Most of the Hindu deities
Hindu deities
Within Hinduism a large number of personal gods are worshipped as murtis. These beings are either aspects of the supreme Brahman, Avatars of the supreme being, or significantly powerful entities known as devas. The exact nature of belief in regards to each deity varies between differing Hindu...
are shown as having several faces. It is generally a metaphorical representation of various traits or characters.