Kalachakrayana (in Tantric Buddhism)

[Full title: Tantric Buddhism in Orissa (Introduction) (3): Kalachakrayana]

The word Kalachakra literally means the wheel of time. But in Kalachakrayana it has a different meaning. It is made of two words “Kala” denoting time, death and destruction and “Chakra” meaning wheel, so “Kalachakra” is the wheel of destruction and Kalachakrayana means the vehicle for protection against the wheel of destruction. Some scholar describes this as demonology or devil-worship. Though this term is mentioned in the Tantric texts many a times but the scholars are unable to explain its nature, as the materials available regarding Kalachakrayan are very few. As a result, it has become difficult to form a complete and definite definition describing the characteristics of this school.

Towards the end of tenth century CE Kalachakrayana, an offshoot of Vajrayana, was introduced into Orissa, it is known from the Tibetan accounts that Orissa, particularly the institution of Ratnagiri played a significant role in the dissemination of Kalachakra-tantra (Mitra 1978:18). According to the Pag-Sam-Zang on Vajrapani’s instruction Acharya Pitopa went to Sambhala by magic and brought the Kalachakra-tantra to Ratnagiri Vihara and there he explained the doctrine to Bhiksu Abadhutipa, Badhisri and Naropa (Dutta 1944:49). The Blue Annals corroborates the fact that the Kalacakra-Tantra was in prevalence in Ratnagiri Vihara and it was read there by one Acharya Tsi-Lu-Pa (Cheluka). It states that Acharya Cheluka was born in Orissa and he studied important Buddhist scriptures at Ratnagiri, Vikramshila and Nalanda (Mitra 1978:78).

The textual evidences are supported by the excavations conducted at Ratnagiri from where a large number of sculptures and votive stupas have been found with the reliefs of the Vajrayana pantheons, inscribed stone slabs, molded terracotta plaques with dharanis amply justifies the above statement (Mitra 1978:19).

Thus from the above discussion, it is evident that Ratnagiri vihara played an important role in the emergence, development and decimation of the Kalachakra-tantra.

With due course of time people were gradually becoming disillusioned, uncomfortable and fed up with the new concepts and tenants creeping up in to Buddhism. Vaishnavism on the other hand, under the guise of Jagannath cult was catching up with the people. Many a tenants of the then prevailing Buddhism was also incorporated within the Jagannath cult and Buddha was made an avatara of Vishnu. This is evident in the contemporary literary and religious texts that equated Buddha with Jagannath. This gave rise to a movement locally known as Nathism in the twelfthfourteenth century CE. It was within the fold of Buddhism and was mainly against the esoteric practices of Buddhism. It was a powerful yogic cult. Gorakhanatha was the person who was responsible for propagating Nathism in Orissa. This movement was greatly influenced by the religion, philosophy and yoga system of the Jagannath cult and developed as a Buddhist Vaisnava cult in the fifteenth-sixteenth century CE (Patnaik 2000:39).