. The archaeological survey of Mayurabhanja. acent places, we observed a large numberof objects of special interest to the Caktas ofthe Mahayana Buddhists as well as of otherHindu Tantrika schools. These would fnrnishmaterials for the history not only of the provincein which they were discovered, but also of thevast community of the Caktas all over India. It is difficult to ascertain the exact periodat which Caktaism first made its appearance inIndia. It is almost certain, however, that theTantras, the scriptures of the Caktas, claim avery remote antiquity. That a reference to theirorigin may
. The archaeological survey of Mayurabhanja. acent places, we observed a large numberof objects of special interest to the Caktas ofthe Mahayana Buddhists as well as of otherHindu Tantrika schools. These would fnrnishmaterials for the history not only of the provincein which they were discovered, but also of thevast community of the Caktas all over India. It is difficult to ascertain the exact periodat which Caktaism first made its appearance inIndia. It is almost certain, however, that theTantras, the scriptures of the Caktas, claim avery remote antiquity. That a reference to theirorigin may be traced even in the Atharva Veda,is admitted by some scholars. A manuscript ofa Buddhistic Tantrika work entitled Usni9a-vijaya-dharani, wi-itten on palm-leaves, has beendiscovered in the IToriuzi Monastery of was taken to that country in the sixth The original, of which it is a copy, must,therefore, have belonged to an earlier is plenty of evidence to show that Cakti Mayurabhanja Arch.^^:ologtcal 24. Dhyani Buddha from Ayodhyd. 1.] JIIE CAKTA JNFLUENCE. U Avorsliip Avas very prevalent throughout Indiaill tlie lifth century x\.D. The ancient Kadambadynasty of the Deccan were worshippers of theSapta Matrikas (seven mothers). These werealso the tutelary deities oi: the ancient Chalnkyakings,- From the rock inscription of Vigvavar-man, king of Malwa, of the year 480 Samvat{, 423-24 A. D.), we learn that the minister ofthis king had a large temple built for the Matri-kas. This inscription shows the influence of theTantras and Cakti worship in Central India aswell. It even appears from llie stone-pillar in-scription of the Gupta Emperors Kumara Guptaand Skanda Gupta that the images of Matrikaswere erected and set up for worship by theirorder.^ It will therefore be admitted, thatMatrilca or Cakti-worship is much older than thetime of the Gupta Emperors. In the verses inpraise of Civa and Cakti found in the preludeof the drama Mrchchhak
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectcults, bookyear1912
