The Mahakala cult in Tibet: some aspects of its history
Abstract
The article offers a research on Mahakala cult in Tibet. Mahakala is a deity common to Hinduism and Buddhism. It appears also as protector deity known as dharmapala – the Protector of Buddhist Doctrine. The author addresses some issues regarding the genesis of this cult, namely materials and historical facts about how it did appear in the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon, and how it did subsequently receive its further development and became popular inTibet. The author uses the already published scholarly works to illustrate some of the main forms of the deity manifestation and their functional aspects. She also draws attention to the ways of Mahakala teaching lineages and transmissions as well as religious practices, which did exist in the early stages of the cult formation. The article emphasizes the importance of the deity cult inTibet, as well as the prevalence of the Mahakala Six-Armed manifestation. This ancient and multifaceted cult was tightly connected with that of the deities in ancientIndia became firmly rooted in the Buddhist pantheon. Subsequently it gained significant popularity not only in the “Land ofSnows” but also in all other areas where the Tibetan Buddhism was spread.
About the Author
Soelma R. Batomunkueva
Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies, SB RAS
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Soelma R. Batomunkueva ‒ Ph. D., Junior Researcher
Ulan-Ude
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Supplementary files
Acknowledgments: The research was carried out within the state assignment (project “Monuments of scripts of Inner Asia nations: research, interpretation and presentation”, № АААА-А19-119111300043-4).
For citation:
Batomunkueva S.R. The Mahakala cult in Tibet: some aspects of its history. Orientalistica. 2020;3(4):1114-1130. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.31696/2618-7043-2020-3-4-1114-1130
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