Purpose of the Study

Keeping all this in mind the present project aims at looking at the dynamics/ relationship between the philosophical expositions mentioned in the texts and the ritual practices to be followed by the aspirants of the Lakulisa-Pasupata order. It employs a thorough and critical reading of seminal texts like Pasupata Sutra with its various translations, Ganakarika, Vayu Purana, Nakulisa-Pasupatadarsan of Acarya Madhava, Eklingamahatmaya and Visvamitri Mahatmaya in considerable detail along with iconographical and iconological schema of various sites and temples dedicated to this order.

The genesis of the present study goes back to the first year of college study tour when among other sites we were taken to the cave temples of Elephanta and Jogesvari. While introducing us to the art and architecture of these caves we were given some insight into Pasupata Saivism and at Jogesvari were told about Lakulisa, the 28^th incarnation of Siva. Being completely over-awed by the larger than life sized sculpture panels at Elephanta and fascinated by multiple images of Lakulisa at Jogesvari the desire to know more about the order responsible for excavation of these caves was felt by me. The fact that the extremely important theory of Vibhavavada (incarnation theory) of Vaisnavism, highly responsible for its later popularity, finds an interesting parallel in Saivism was a fascinating revealation to me^[1] . During my college years I visited various Saivite cave temples of Ellora, Badami Aihole, Pattadakkal etc. which added to my knowledge of Saivism and meanwhile also got introduced to the various philosophical texts and realized their richness and cryptic nature. I came across descriptions of Pasupata-Sutra one of the seminal texts of Lakulisa-Pasupata order,attributed to Lakulisa, in various books on Saivism and I was baffled to read about the curious ritual practices (vidhi) suggested for the ascetic aspirant of the order. There seemed to be a total disconnect between the highly evolved philosophy and such apparently absurd looking ritual practices viz. laughing without reason, acting like a madman, making loud noises trembling and so on which provided the central enquiry of this project and has since then been the focal interest of this study.

My idea here is not to enumerate the number of Lakulisa figures, chalk out each one of them and suggest their find place. That I think has been done by various scholars on regional as well as national level. The problem that intrigues me is the discrepancy that one sees in highly evolved philosophy of the system and the ritual practices followed by the aspirants of this order. To see and find out links between LakulisaPasupata darsana and Vidhis prescribed for its aspirants is my prime concern. The other part of enquiry which is actually nothing but trying to figure out the position of this order among various other Saivite orders plus to see in what all forms was it later propagated and if its vestiges can be presently seen in what form they are.

After a general survey of the material and data available limitation of studying Lakulisa and the regional iconographical trends in isolation was realized and also such an isolated and linear approach could not prove helpful for the nature of my query. The need to look elsewhere was felt instantaneously and I delved deep in the texts, originals wherever I could find them and translations by various scholars and in various languages. For the purpose of the present project, I found it extremely productive to contextualize the system in the larger Saivite scenario and find its connections with earlier and later cults and orders. Rather than treating the system as a frigid and self sufficient one I have tried to study it as a construct, a living breathing phenomenon, constantly in a state of flux studying the iconographical developments and the themes preferred by the order, the mythologies they favored at various sites from all over the subcontinent and in many cases beyond the Indian border also helps in better understanding of the system.

Muller-Ortega^[2] rightly observes:

“Within this heterogeneous mass, various forms have coalesced from time to time into actual group, sects and movements. In tracing the appearance of various Shaiva groups, we do not encounter a linear, evolutionary progression”

Under such circumstances talking about historicity of Lakulisa seems to be a daunting job but nevertheless scholars have tried to reason out, give proofs and suggest various historical possibilities which will be studied in detail in the next section.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The Periodic Incarnation Doctrine of Pasupata Saivism according to Linga Purana, 1.24, from Visvarupa by Maxwell, T.L pp 206-207

[2]:

Ortega Paul E,” The Triadic Heart of Siva”,Delhi, 1997, p 27