Connection between Lakulisa-Pasupatas and Kapalikas

[Full title: Kapalikas and the cult of body: Connection between Lakulisa-Pasupatas and Kapalikas]

Prabhasa has been known as a sacred pilgrimage spot for Saivas since ancient times and its merits have been enumerated in Mahabharata. From 10^th CE we start getting the inscriptions mentioning the importance of Somanatha temple at Prabhasa. According to these inscriptions Soma to free himself from consumption founded the city of Prabhasa and constructed a golden temple for the lord of Somanatha. Interestingly there is a mention that the authority of the temple was given to the Acaryas of Pasupata school by Soma after his own creed had gone out of vogue in the Krta age by the curse of Parvati. The legend gives us an interesting lead in the connection between SomaSiddhantins (Kapalikas) and Lakulisa-Pasupatas. To further substantiate my contention, in Siva Purana and Vayu Purana Siva is told to have incarnated himself at Prabhasa as Somanatha having four disciples viz. Aksapada, Kanada, Uluka and Vatsa. Here it is significant how Cintra Prasasti of Sarangadeva (1286CE) records how Siva came to Lata and dwelt at Karohana as Lakulisa in order to bestow favor on the universe and also to favor the off-springs of Ulka who for long were deprived of sons in consequence of a curse laid upon their father.

The taking up of the authority at Somanatha by Lakulisa-Pasupatas from early Kapalikas somewhere points at the break in the earlier tradition. However the exchange of authority seems to have been a peaceful process hence suggesting that there was some close connection between in Kali Yuga was called Icchapuri in Krta Yuga, in Treta as Mayapuri and Meghavati in Dvapara. Presently it is identified with the village Avakhal near Karvan. The incarnation in the first yuga was Isvara(Isana), second Mahabala,third Vrddhadeva and fourth as Lakulisa. Hence before Kaliyuga Vrddhadeva, which seems to have been lord of Kapalikas was considered as an important incarnation of Siva and predessesor of Lakulisa.

The famous Prasasti, originally from Somanatha discloses the existence of Gargya gotra ascetics. It refers to the reign of Chalukya king Sarangadeva of Anhilvad Patan in whose time it was composed mainly in honor of the consecration of the five lingas in as many temples built by Saiva ascetic Tripurantaka at Devapattan in Saurashtra.Tripurantaka is supposed to have visited all the holy places of Pasupata Saivism and paid his homage to Mallinatha at Sriparvata in South India. This incident throws light on a spiritual and religious connction between Kapalikas of Sripartvata and ascetics of Gargya gotra in Gujarat.One understands the changing hand of the spiritual authority between Kapalikas and Pasupatas better in this light.

Till today people from various parts of Gujarat come to Kayavarohana to get cured of their diseases. While talking to some local pilgrims I was told that they had come specially to get some medicine which could only be found there. Interestingly various temples dedicated to Kapilesvara have been famous for such special power of healing.

An inscription from a temple of Kavalji (Kapalin) in Kotah (Rajasthan), dated to 1288CE records^[1] :

“May the god Kapalisvara through compassion manifest that which is desired of by men and destroy the pain of bodies spoilt by leprosy, elephantiasis and cutaneous eruptions”

The most famous Kapalesvara temple located at Mylapore near Madras is also known for such powers. 7^th CE Saivite saint Tirunanasambandhar is said to have revived a dead girl whose bones had been kept in a pot by her father in the temple.Curing, healing and magical control over empirical knowledge all these things have played an important role in popularizing such saints and sages all over the country. Regarding the Tantric influence in temples at Orissa, K.C Panigrahi^[2] argues that some of these temples and especially Vaital Deul was originally a Kapalika shrine, as the main deity in the shrine is ferocious looking Camunda. Moreover the other fierce deities sculptured around the inner shrine and the panel of erotic couples all point at its Tantrik lineage.The fact that one finds multiple images of Lakulisa in this temple points at the connection between Lakulisa-Pasupatas and Kapalikas in this region too

Another important inscription focusing on the link is found at famous Pasupatinatha temple in Nepal. This inscription written in Sanskrit and belonging to the reign of King Jisnugupta (630CE) records a gift to “Varahasvamin, Dharma ….and to Somakhaddukas (ascetics wearing moon bracelets (Kapalikas) in the congregation of the Mundasrnkhalika (Pasupata acarya wearing a chain of heads).^[3]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Haldar R.R., “Inscriptions of the time of Hammir of Ranthambho”r,EI XIX 45-52

[2]:

Panigrahi K.C, Sculptural Representations of Lakulisa and other Pasupata Teachers, Journal of India History, Vol-38, April 1960, 635-640

[3]:

Lorenzen David. P.94