Uṣṇīṣa, Ushnisha

Uṣṇīṣa or ushnisha in Ancient India referred to any head ornament worn round the head such as turban, diadem, crown.

By derivation, it is the Buddhist term for the topknot of curly hair crowning the head of the Buddha, a bun or any kind of protuberance at the top of the head seen as a mark of wisdom and sanctity. This attribute has undergone various adaptations in Southeast Asian visual arts, as the symbol of royal status (crown) was combined with those of sanctity. This is particularly obvious in Angkorian sculptures at the time of Jayavarman VII.

In modern Khmer, it is often called ឧណ្ហីស [transliteration of ushnisha]. The National Museum of Cambodia (NMC) Glossary defines it as the "protuberance from the skull crowning the head of Buddha".