A group of ten goddesses from the Tantric Hindu pantheon, consisting of Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshvari, Chhinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamala. They are revered in Shaktism, Shaivism and Vajrayana Buddhism and denote a turning point in the rise of Bhakti cults within Shaktism in the early eighteenth century. The creation of the Mahavidyas is outlined in the Mahabhagvata Purana, attributed to Vyasa.
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Indra
A major Vedic deity, he is believed to be the king of the realm of gods within Hinduism and Buddhism,…
Tripura Bhairavi
Also called Bhairavi, meaning “terror” or “awe-inspiring,” she is one of the ten mahavidyas or forms of the mother goddess…
Ardhanarishwara
A composite form of the Hindu god Shiva and his consort Parvati, depicted equally split down the middle, half-male on…
Prakriti
In the Hindu religious tradition, it is a theological concept that describes the primary principle, or source, of matter. In…
Ekadasamukha
An epithet for one of Alokiteshwara’s forms, it is Sanskrit for "the one with eleven heads." The tenth face represents…
Matanga
In Jaina religious art, a yaksha (nature spirit) who is an attendant of Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara. His iconographical attributes…
Upanishad
A body of texts written in Sanskrit and considered to be the latter part of the Vedas. They cover issues…
Bodhisattva
Within the Mahayana tradition of the Buddhist faith, it refers to any figure who has renounced society and is on…