Tantric Rituals of Kerala Temples: Texts and Traditions

Contents: Preface. Part I. The Great Traditions of Tantra: 1. Canons of major tantric traditions and their divisions. 2. Tantric rituals: their general characteristics. Part II: The Kerala Tantra: 3. General features of Kerala tantric rituals. 4. Previous studies on Kerala Tantra. 5. Tantric ritual manuals of Kerala. 6. The disappearing and expanding rituals. 7. The post-Tantrasamuccaya phase of Kerala Tantra. Part III: Transmission: Formal and Informal Methods: 8. Informal transmission: historical context. 9. Formal transmission: Brahmanical and 289 non-Brahmanical institutions. Conclusion. Bibliography. General Index. Title Index.

Kerala Tantra is a regional phenomenon, which is an offshoot or synthesis of Saiddhantika and Pancaratra tantric ritual rites. It is a tradition deeply rooted within the Vedic ritualistic fold and characterized by Smarta-Pauranika beliefs and customs. 

This volume is a general, but a serious and in-depth study of distinct temple ritual cult of Kerala. Kerala Tantra still remains to be a less explored subject. There is no exclusive study on the ritual peculiarities of Kerala Tantra. This book focuses on filling that gap covering extensively the prominent characteristics of the unique ritual cult of Kerala.

The data presented in the book are based on many unpublished and less-known, but authentic manuscripts of late medieval period, and interviews with previous and current generations of tantrins and their testimonies. It covers the great traditions of Tantra, Kerala Tantra, and transmission of tantric knowledge through formal and informal methods. It also talks about the institutionalization of Tantric education, taking a cue from the context of Vedic and Sanskrit education of Kerala.