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Widely conflicting are the views with regard to the place of origin of the Tantra form of worship whence it spread over all parts of India. In the midst of this confusion we can clearly notice two main groups one suggesting an extra- Indian and the other Indegenous

origin. 157 Several theories have been propunded regarding the extra-Indian origin of the tantras almost all of which are found to point to the North or North-east of India as the probable region from which tantricism travelled into India. A few passages of the Tantras themselves seem to support the theory of an extra Indian origin. Some of them point to the trans-Himalayan region whence spread the form of worship laid down in the tantras. The cult of Tara appears from Sadhanamala to have been taken from the country of Bhota or Tibet. 41 A story of Vasis tha's going to Buddha in Brahmanic tantra work, e.g., Rudrayamala or Brahmayamala as quoted in the Taratantra (Appendix to verendra Research Society edition, 1913). The Devibhagavata (VII, 38,13) categorically refers to Cina as the place of origin of the tantric goddess 42 Nilasarasvati. Kalitantra (XII. 7-10) also seems to indicate that Vamacara and Kulacara have been imported 43 from Cina or Mhacina. A cina sect of Tantra worshippers is mentioned in the Sakti-Sarigama Tantra (5.92-93). A verse quoted from the Svatantra-Tantra again states that the lake of colana to the West most of Meru was the place from which originated the Goddess Tara. 44 One of the most important of the tantric dieties viz. Siva is supposed to have been a trans-Himalayan God. 45 He has a good many Himalayan characteristics. He is

158 n pictured as living in Kailasa attended by the Himalayan ganas, yaksas, gandharvas etc. He marries the daughter of the Himalayas and carries the Ganges on his head. The coins of the Kusans, a trans-Himalayan people bear the images of Siva and Najdi. The various foreign people who came to India from almost the same region e.g., the Hunds, the Sakas and the Pallavas were all worshippers of Siva. Mihir-Kulas coin bear the bull and trident. The Pallavas have the Naga ensign and bull standard. The Linga at Gudimallan, a very ancient one (circa 200 B.C.), has the figure of Siva with Mongolean features curved on it. The image has plaited hair, and 46 no holy thread.' The cult of Kubjika seems to have travelled to India from outside, for the deity is found in the kubajikamata is to be entreated to go to Bharatvarsa for getting established there. MM H.P.Shastri is of the openion that the Tantraform of worship was introduced into India by the priests of Turkesthan, the local aboriginal religion of which place was ousted by the progress of Islam. 47 Dr. D.B.Spooner traces the origin of Sakti worship to a Persian source. But R.C.Chanda in his IndoAryan Races (p.158& ff) has sought to refute the theory of spooner.

159 According to some, the tantra-form of worship was derived from Shamanism with which the doctrines of yoga with its repulsive developments have a close similarity. 48 A Bengal origin of the tantras is supposed by many scholars. "The original home of the Mantras", says 49.. Prof. Winternitz, seems to have been in Bengal whence they spread throughout Assam and Nepal, and even beyond India to Tibet and China throught the agence of Buddhimm. The description of some of the sounds of the sanskrit alphabat again, given in the varada-tantra (chapt. 鉁�) as quoted in the Pranatosini points to Bengal as its probable place of origin. Thus we read that the sound `n which precedes a 'y' has the sound of jh and the one preceeding a 'v' has the sound 'bh. Again`y' beginning words has the sound of '1'. The same thing occurs in words like keyura. In other cases it is pronounced as a gutteral.It will be seen that these descriptions refer to the prounciation of Bengal and in some cases (e.g., 'n' as 'bh) to that of Eastern Bengal. According to a verse quoted by Jayaratha (12th century) in his commentary on the Tantraloka of Abhinavagupta, the Kaula tantras are said to have issued 50 from Kamrupa or Assam. The colophon of the Mahakaulajnanavinernaya refers to candradvipa of Eastern Bengal from which place it issued. "

160 According to the accounts found in some Puranas, Linga or Phallic worship was first established in Daruvana or Davadaruvana about the present location of which there is some amount of confusion. The Kurmapurana (Pt. II. ch.37) is giving on account of the origin of the Linga places it (V.99) on the peak of the Himalayas. The Ramayana (Kiskindhya Kanda 43.13) also seems to point to that region Siva Furana (1.56) places close to Western Ocean. And it has been identified with Aundh in the 51 Nizam's territory. We are also told that it was in camatkarapura identified with Baranagara in the district of Gujrat that Linga worship was first established.52 It is scarsely possible in the present state of our knowledge to come to a definite conclusion on this knotty problem of Tantric origin. But whatever be the origin and Tantra system of worship has been occupying a position of supreme importance in the religious life of Hindus all over India for at least the last four or five hundred years. The religion of the Hindus has been for a long period of time a composite thing. It is partly Vedic, partly Furanic and partly Tantric. We have here a superstructure of Purana-Tantra lore on a Vedic substratum with establishments from different sources, taking different forms in different parts of the country. The Tantras especially exercise a great influence on the religion as practised by the Vast majority of the Indian cely misunderpeople; yet they are much maligned and largely stood.

1. 2. 3. H.P.Sastri, notices of Sanskrit Manuscripts, I, Preface, P.xxiv. Philosophical Eassays, p. 151 ff. Chintaharan Chakravarty, Tantras- Studies on their Religion and Literature, p.2 4. sevesvapa padarthaka nama tu 5. 6. 7. vyutpadaka yada bhavatisa sastram | tattidhatoriha dharanartham 1 "1 (Trivandrum Sanskrit Series Ed. Part III, p.28). H.2.Sastri, Nep.II, p.69. ajna vastu samajenca girija nene chatyagamo matah tanute trayate nitya tannamitya vidurbudhah || agatam sivavakubhyo gata girijanene matace vasudevasya tasmadagamamucyate nirgata girijavada gata gari | mata vasudevasya tasmannigamucyate 161 8. 9. 10. 11. H.P.Sastri, Nep. II, p. xxii. It cannot be definitely stated if Puranakhyana, one of the topics of Tantra, refers to Puranas or to old stories only. This quotation of Gampopa is in the front page of the book Tantra-yoga by Nik Douglas(1972). Nik Douglas (1970) Tantra-yoga, p.183. 12. Quoted in Tantra-yoga by NiK.Douglas, 1970, p.11.

162 13. Foote, Collection of Indian Pre-historic and Proto-historic Antiqueities, Madras, 1906, p.20, 14. 15. 61,139; K.R.Subramaniam, origin of saivism and its history in the Tamil Land, Madras, 1929, p.23 see also P.T.Srinivasa Dyengar, Stone Age in India (Madras University). Journal of Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol.iv, p.628. Indian Antiquary, Bombay, 1906, p. 277 ff. 16. Indian Antiquary, Bombay, 1906, p. 274-276. Keith, Op.cit, p.401. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. Setubandha, Anandarram Sanskrit Series, Poona, p.5. For these see the minor Upanishads, published by the Adyar Library, Madras. Commentary of Natanandanatha on the Kamakalavitasa, p. 13 of Anthur Avalon's edition. R. Shamasastri, Indian Antiquary, Bombay, 1906, p. 262-267. Govt. Oriental Library Series Edition, Mysore, p.100-109. Keith, op.cit, p.356. Satapatha Brahmana, V.4-5 19 ff. Ibid, V. I.2, 10-19. i Asvatayana Grha Sutra, IV. 8.34. Muir, Sanskrit texts, Vol.IV, p.345 f. Atharvaveda, Grundriss Series, p. 57 ff.

163 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. Kathavatthu, xxvv, 1-2 Ekadhippayana Methuno Dhammo Sevitabho Arhantanam Vannena Amarussa Methunam Dhammam Patisevanti. I am indebted for these references to Barua's paper on Maskari Gosala's Early Life (Calcutta Review, June 1927, p. 362-63). V, 10,2,Sacred Books of the East Vol.XX, p.89. For this an also for some other references from Buddhist literature. I am indebtness to Dr.Benoytosh Bhattacharya who has incidently dealt with the history of Tantricism among Buddhists in his introduction to Sadhana-mala (Vol.II) and in his paper "A Peep into Vajrayana" (Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute-vol.x). Majjhima, 1.79. Lord Chalmers, Further Diagnosis of the Buddha, Vol.I, p.35. Buddhist Suttas, Translated by Rhys Davids, Sacred Books of the East, xi, p.196,199. Ibid, p.199-200. Brahma jala Sutta, 21, Rhys Davids, Dialogues of the Buddha, p.17. 35. Ibid, p. 23. 36. Ibid, p.32. 37. Ibid, p.50. 38. 39. 40. Barua, A History of Pre-Buddhistic Indian Philosophy, p.196-197,337. Sacred Books of the East, XLV,p.103. Jainasutras, Sacred Books of the East, XLV, p. 366.

164 41. ekajadasadhanamam samaptamayuryaga narjunapadebhete purata iti | Hirananda Sastri, The origin and cult of Tara, p.14-16. 42. 43. tatha nilasarasvatyah sthana cinesu visrutam Herman identifies (Mala) Cina with Arabec felix. Fredrich Weller rejects this identification on the authority of a Mongolian text and proposes to identify Cina with China (Asia Major, vol. IV, p. 446 ff.). Also see Suriti Kumar ChatterjeeJ. of Asiatic Society, 1959, I, p. 104-113. 44. meroh pascimale tu jolanarabyom hadi mahan | 45. 46. tamtra ase svayam tara devi nilasarasvati 11 K.R.Subramanian, Origin and History of Saiva Cult in the Tamil Land, p.25-27. T. Gopinath Rao, Elements of Hindu Iconography, Vol. I, pt. II,Introduction, p.6. 47. Bangiya Sahitya Patrika, Vol. XXXVI, p.15. 48. L.D.Bernett, Antiques of India, p.17. 49. History of Indian Literature (English Translation, 50. 51. 52. Calcutta University, Vol. I,p.592). bhairavya bhairavat praptam yoga vyapya tatah priye | sakasattu siddhena monaralyena varanane kamasye mahapithe mantena mahatmana (Kashmir Series Edition, p.24). Archeological Survey List, Nizam's territory, XXXI,21,79. N.Dey, Dictionary of Ancient Indian Geography.