Cultural Heritage of ??kta Tantric Communities in India

Despite the long tradition of exploring the Tantric temple culture of Namp?tiri Brahmins within tantric studies, the ??kta stream remains under researched. This book therefore enriches understanding of these largely neglected samprad?yas (spiritual traditions), bringing them to the attention of the wider academic community, and ultimately shedding light on ??kta communities often marginalized in the discourses on mainstream Asian religions. Forming one of the richest surviving religious-philosophical traditions of South Asia, Kerala ??kta Tantra is a complex ritualistic system that evolved under strong influence of various esoteric traditions, including Kashmirian ?aivism (Krama). Drawing on ethnographic data and anthropological research collected during fieldwork in Kerala, as well as interviews with practitioners of ka?aripaya??u and members of the N?yar, Pi??rar, Panikkar and Kalari Kurupp clans, this book explores the diversity of folk and Sanskritic traditions and highlights the importance of ??ktism, particularly K?l? Krama and ?r?vidy? traditions in Kerala. Chapters discuss sacred spaces in Kerala, introduce various tantric communities, and examine the social changes in modern Kerala that instigated broader acceptance of those from so-called low castes to worship in Hindu temples. The book also offers a philological study of hitherto unexamined Sanskrit and Malayalam manuscripts (ritual manuals) from Kerala, which provide insights into the modes of worship of fierce and fearsome goddesses of the Tantric pantheon. Arguing that the Kerala ??ktism forms an intricate system preserved by so-called ??kteya clans in Kerala, this important volume will be of use to scholars, postgraduate students and researchers in the fields of Asian Religion, Tantric Studies, South Asian Religion and South Asian Studies.