One thing that really stopped me from enjoying the book as much as I could have was not knowing what I was reading. Below, I am going to give you a few definitions that will help you in understanding this book.
lamasteries: monasteries for lamas
Kim's Horn: I found out that this is a Masonic Symbol.
Joss: An idol
Bu'ts: religious images, like a painting of Jesus, Buddha or a goddess
Lala and Mian: is pretty much saying Sir or Mam, it is a sign of respect, Lala is used for Hindus and Mian is used for Muslims. Used for nobles.
The Bodhi Tree: For someone who has not studied religions, this is where it is said that Buddha gained enlightenment.
the Wheel of Things: this is the cycle of death and reincarnations that Buddhists try to escape
Yogi: Someone who is good at or does a lot of yoga
crotons: plants with large leaves
Urdu: A language that used to be used between Muslims and Hindus in India.
stupas: Monuments that are specifically Buddhist
The Sirkar: The Government of India
Marking of the dead: In wars in India that bodies of deceased soldiers where often badly mutilated
naik: is the equivalent rank to Corporal in the Indian Army and Pakistan Army
nol-kol: a pumpkin
Flux:Diarrhea or dysentery
cowrie: A shell that could be used as money in coastline cities
Caste: Each of the hereditary classes of Hindu society, distinguished by relative degrees of ritual purity or pollution and of social status. Pretty much, if you were of a low caste you would be a cleaner and high caste you could be a governor etc
Shaitan: satan; the devil
screws: cheap, badly trained horses
dry washings: purification before prayer
I was going to use OED definitions but I don't have access to their website. These are compiled from Websters dictionary, google, and the short definitions in one of the copies of Kim I checked out from the library.
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