Women as Religious Masters: Kālarātrī and Her Band of Witches

Presenter:

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Abstract

The paper will investigate the depiction of Tantra or magico-ritual practice specifically by women in the narratives of the Kathāsaritsāgara, a Sanskrit text composed in the Early Medieval period. The practices are placed in the history of religious development in Kashmir where there was existence of a wide variety of cults and religious systems. Buddhism had flourished there, and by the eleventh century the Śaiva schools had gained great prominence especially a wide range of Tantric cults. The adepts and exegetes of these schools were a prominent part of the society of Kashmir; yet, the culture represented in the sophisticated works of these authors was considered scandalous at the level of practice and attempted to be repressed. In these religious systems women were given the authority to become priestesses and teachers who initiated disciples into spiritual practices and managed their own respective institutions. With this understanding the paper investigates the specific representation of the Tantric practices by women in the Kathāsaritsāgara, specifically focusing on the depiction of the ‘witch’ Kālarātrī as the leader of a band of ‘witches.’ The paper directly addresses the questions raised by the panel abstract regarding the role of women as religious teachers and leaders by examining the depiction of women in similar roles in the historical background. It is possible that practices in pre-modern South Asia were extremely varied in space and time, contrary to the suggestion and/or perception that they did not assume leadership as spiritual or religious masters. This also might explain the acceptance, even if contentious, of women in such roles.