Temples & Legends of Assam
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Temples & Legends Of India

TEMPLES IN KAMRUP DISTRICT

The mode of worship of Goddess Tripura Sundari "consists in the worship of a picture of the female organ drawn in the centre of another consisting of a representation of nine such organs, the whole of which forms the Sricakra. The pictures are drawn on a Bhurja leaf or on a piece of silken cloth or on a gold leaf.

With reference to this worship it must be observed that there are two  classes of Saktas; (1) Kaulika and (2) Samayin. The former worships the gross material object, while the latter have recourse to imagery. The worship of the pictures just mentioned is resorted to by ancient (purva) Kaula, while the modern (uttara) Kaulas worship the organ of a living beautiful woman. The Kaulas worship their Goddess by offering to her and themselves using wine, flesh, honey, fish and such other things.

The Samayins of course abstain from such practices. There are even Brahmanas who secretly profess the doctrines of the Sakta school and worship the Goddess Tripura Sundari in accordance with the Purva - Kaula or Uttara-Kaula way. There are no distinctions of caste when the worship of the Bhairavicakra is going on. Men of all castes become Brahmanas, but they resume their own caste when the worship is over." 8


8. Bhandarkar, Op. Cit., pp. 146-147.

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