Padmini

What does Padmini mean?

Padmini is a Sanskrit lotus word, with meanings including a lotus plant, a group of lotuses and a lotus pond. Monier-Williams explains it through padma, ‘lotus’, and an element indicating possession. Wiktionary records the Hindi word and given name. ‘Lotus pond’ is therefore a supported definition. The association with Rani Padmini belongs to a literary legend rather than the word's etymology, and should be understood separately from its botanical meaning.

Source: Wiktionary, पद्मिनी. How we use sources.

Spelling and pronunciation

पद्मिनी is read pad-mi-nee, in three syllables with a short middle i and a long final vowel. Keep d and m together without adding another syllable. Padmavati is a separate name built on the lotus root, rather than an alternative spelling of Padmini.

Padmini in tradition and story

Rani Padmini, also called Padmavati, is the queen of Chittor in Malik Muhammad Jayasi's sixteenth-century poem Padmavat. The story is treated as legend rather than established biography, and has continued in Rajput memory, literature and film.