Wai

Wai or WAI may refer to:

Thai greeting

The Thai greeting referred to as the wai (Thai: ไหว้, pronounced [wâi]) consists of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. It has its origin in the Indic Añjali Mudrā, like the Indian namasté and the Cambodian sampeah. The higher the hands are held in relation to the face and the lower the bow, the more respect or reverence the giver of the wai is showing. The wai is traditionally observed upon formally entering a house. After the visit is over, the visitor asks for permission to leave and repeats the salutation made upon entering. The wai is also common as a way to express gratitude or to apologise.

The word often spoken with the wai as a greeting or farewell is sawatdi (RTGS for สวัสดี, pronounced [sàwàtdiː], sometimes romanized as sawasdee). This verbal greeting is usually followed by kha when spoken by a female and by khrap when spoken by a male person (see note on Thai polite particles). The word sawatdi was coined in the mid-1930s by Phraya Upakit Silapasan of Chulalongkorn University. Derived from the Sanskrit svasti (meaning "well-being"), it had previously been used in Thai only as a formulaic opening to inscriptions. The strongly nationalist government of Plaek Pibulsonggram in the early 1940s promoted its use amongst the government bureaucracy as well as the wider populace as part of a wider set of cultural edicts to modernise Thailand.

Wai, Maharashtra

Wai ( pronunciation ) is a town in Sātārā District, in Mahārāshtra state, India.

Located on the Krishna River, Wai was a town of some prominence in the days of the Peshwas. Two important Maratha Brahmin queens were born into local families: Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi (Tambe family) and Rani Gopikabai, wife of Nanasaheb Peshwa (Raste family). Peshwas, a word derived from the Persian word for "foremost leader," were similar to a modern prime minister, and served Maharashatra state from 1713 to 1857.

Wai has long been a cultural center. Locally prominent families built several architecturally significant temples in Wai. A few kilometers from Wai on a hill 4,650 feet above sea level is the temple of Mandhradevi Kalubai, which is more than 400 years old. In more recent times, some 300 Bollywood and Marathi movies have been filmed in Wai.

History

Wai has the epithetic name "Dakshin Kashi" (City of Temples) because of the city's more than 100 temples. Wai is known in Maharashtra for its ghats on the banks of the Krishna River and its temples, especially the Dholya Ganapati temple on Ganapati Ghat.

I'wai

In Australian Aboriginal mythology, I'wai is the culture hero of the Koko Y'ao. I'wai was a crocodilian man who brought most of the Koko Y'ao religious rites and ceremonies.