Twelfth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

With the ascendance of the tantric form of Buddhism around the 5th century, several protective incantations from Mahayana Sutras and Tantra literature were personified as Buddhist gods and goddesses. This deification of mantras as deities, later on, became an essential aspect of Buddhism and such deities and their associated literature travelled across different parts of Asia. This paper delineates the transmission process of one of incantation goddess Mahamayuri and her ritual compendia that has travelled. Tantric Buddhist literature has evolved radically with the growth and expansion of Buddhist tradition over different times and spaces. It has been embracing new cultural and aesthetic ideals. This paper investigates Mahamayuri tradition with a two-tiered approach. It enquires into explaining the abstractness of her appearance and rituals through a brief overview of esoteric practices described in some of the ancient tantric texts. The archaeological and textual pieces of evidence found in India, Central, and Southeast Asia have been examined in this chapter. Moreover, symbolism, iconography, and functional aspects of rituals associated with Mahamayuri that are found in the contemporary religious sphere of Nepal and other parts of Asia have been explored in this paper. Analysing the function of Mahamayuri tradition in empirical context, this paper underscores that such practices have helped the different Buddhist communities in carrying their religious heritage and keeping alive a centuries-old tradition of constructive ritualism.