New Archeological Evidence Suggest Tantric Worship in South India more 2100 years ago

Kondapur Region in Medak District in Telangana in India was believed to be a Buddhist site. But new excavations conduction in the region suggests that Tantric worship was practiced here from the 3rd century BC to 3rd Century AD. The region was then under the Satavahana Kings.

Digital Journal writes

“Even though Satavahana kings were under the control of King Ashoka, who embraced Buddhism, they have also patronised Vedic religion,” said G. Maheswari, the Superintending Archaeologist of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Chennai Circle. 

“A kaolin (lime and clay) image of a Brahmin, probably the Raja Guru, with a thick sacred thread, embracing the king, goes to show the status enjoyed by Brahmin priests. Presence of ‘pancha mathas’ and images of ‘Lajja Gowri’ clearly proves it is a Tantric cult site, where the goddess of fertility was worshipped,” said Ms. Maheswari. 

Ms. Maheshwari also pointed to the presence of Images of nude women adorned with jewels, as proof of the worship of the fertility goddess. She said kings would have performed yagnas or vedic rituals and sacrificed animals to the goddess. 

The excavations were performed in 2009-10 and again in 2010-11 over an acre of 81 acres (33 hectares) and an 11-meter-tall mound. Earlier, G. Yazdani of the erstwhile Department of Archeology of Hyderabad had concluded that this place was a Buddhist site after collecting evidence of Buddhist structures. “He had concentrated only on the peripheral areas. But excavations inside the mound have disputed his theory,” said Ms Maheswari.

The findings included sacrificial altars with ashes and animal bones, yagna kundas (sacrificial pits) made of baked bricks, terracotta bowls to offer grains to gods, coins, beads, rust-free iron nails and finely-crafted horse images.