The Roots of Tantra.

• Author: Buhnemann, Gudrun
• Position: Book Review

The Roots of Tantra. Edited by K. A. HARPER and R. L. BROWN. Suny Series in Tantric Studies. Albany: STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS, 2002. Pp. ix + 270, plates.

The present volume is the result of two conferences held in the greater Los Angeles area in 1989 and 1995. The twelve individual contributions focus loosely on the possible origins and early history of Tantrism. They are divided into five parts: Overviews, The History and Development of Tantra, The Art History and Archaeology of Tantra, The Vedas and Tantra, and The Texts and Tantra. Except for one essay, all contributions deal with aspects of Hindu Tantra. The approaches to the topic differ according to the author and are textual, art historical, archaeological, or historical.

1. Padoux's paper examines the difficulties surrounding the term Tantrism. He discusses topics such as the uses of the Sanskrit term tantrika and shows that elements usually considered characteristic of Tantrism are in fact frequently found in non-Tantric traditions as well. The problem is complex and a definitive solution does not seem possible at this point. Regarding the history of the term "Tantrism," one might also want to consult the article by H. B. Urban ("The Extreme Orient: The Construction of 'Tantrism' as a Category in the Orientalist Imagination," Religion 29 [1999]: 123-46). The second paper, by D. N. Lorenzen, examines textual evidence for the early history of Tantra and concludes that the complex of elements that may be considered as constituting Tantric religion cannot be documented prior to the fifth or sixth centuries, although certain characteristics of Tantra can be traced to an earlier period. The following three papers deal with different aspects of goddess worship. M. C. Joshi addresses some aspects of Sakta Tantrism, which he traces back to concepts of the mother goddess in ancient times. He treats the emergence of important goddesses such as Kali, using evidence from inscriptions, texts, and art. At times one wishes to see concrete evidence for some of the suggested dates, for example, when the author dates the systematization of the Mahavidyas as early as the twelfth century (p. 53). The essay by D. R. Brooks examines early evidence for the existence of Srividya Sakta Tantrism in South India, by comparing material in the Sanskrit and Tamil traditions. Brooks focuses on the seventh-century Tirumantiram, attributed to Tirumular, a work that reflects familiarity with the Srividya...