Essay name: History, Culture and Antiquities of Tamralipta
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Affiliation: University of Kerala / Faculty of Oriental Studies
This Study deals with the History, Culture and Antiquities of Tamralipta: an ancient city-port and important Trade centre with a rich history of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Tamralipta corresponds to the modern Tamluk, situated in West Bengal (India) and witnessed prosperous times during the Gupta dynasty.
Chapter 5.1 - Life and Culture of Tamralipta (Introduction)
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127
厂腻办迟颈
"Proto-type of the female power (prakriti) which developed into
that of Sakti.137
In Bengal Saktism has been associated with
艢aivism and Vaishnavism since the early period and it manifests
itself primarily in one or other forms of the consort of Siva
Durg膩, Kali, Parvati and so on. Similarly the Saktis of Vishnu
namely Lakshmi, Radhika (Radha) have ever been very familiar to
the Bengalees. Since the six-seven centuries A.D. Saktism has
become very popular in Bengal as known from the literary evidence.
During the P膩la-sena period Sektism played an important role in
the religious life of the people of Bengal as evident from the
discovery of a large number of images of the goddesses of Hindu
139 138
and Buddhist pantheon. In this connection it is to be noted that
the Sakti cult appeared as a popular form of worship in India since
140 the Indus Vally civilization. One of the aspects of Sakti cult
is the popularity of the village goddesses generically termed as
Gramadevat膩s. These deities have no scriptural sanction and they
have their origine among the pre-Aryan people 1.e., outside the
scope of Brahmanical Hinduism. In Bengal we have overcome many such
village (laukik) goddesses of humble origin and even today in our
place of study we also notice many of them. All these suggest the
predominance of the matriarchial society in Tampalipta janapada.
The discovery of a good number of small female terracotta figurines
137. Marshall, Mohenjo Daro and the Indus Civilisation,
Vol. 1, p. 51
saktas,
tas,
p. 85
138. Payne, B.A., The Saktas
139. Ghose, B., Paschimbanger Sanskriti, p. 734
140. Marshall, op. cit., Vol.
op.cit.
P. 722
- 1 Pg 51 ; Ghose, B., op.cit.
