ShaktismGoddess-centric sect of HinduismShaktism is a goddess-centric Hindu tradition; relief statues of Matrikas: from left to right Vaishnavi, Varahi, Indrani, ChamundaShaktism (Sanskrit: शाक्तसम्प्रदायः, romanised: Śāktasampradāyaḥ) is a major Hindu denomination in which Shakti or the divine feminine energy is revered as the Ultimate reality, and is personified as Adi Parashakti (Great Goddess), whose numerous forms, with each having distinct functions and unique attributes, are worshipped.
DeviDevī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva. Devi and Deva mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are gender-specific terms for deity in Indian religions. Reverence for the divine feminine in Hinduism appears in the Vedas, composed around the 2nd millennium BCE.
TantraEsoteric traditions of Hinduism and BuddhismTantric art. Clockwise from upper left: Sri Yantra, KalachakraMandala, ShaivaNathchakra, and Vajrayogini.Tantra (; Sanskrit: तन्त्र, lit. 'loom') is an esoteric yogic tradition. It was developed in the Indian subcontinent, beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE; initially within Shaivism and Shaktism practices, and subsequently in Buddhism and Vaishnavism.
List of Hindu deitiesHinduism is the largest religion in the Indian subcontinent, and the third largest religion in the world. It has been called the "oldest religion" in the world, and many practitioners refer to Hinduism as "the eternal law" (Sanātana Dharma). Within this faith, there are four major traditions or denominations, namely, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism,Ganapatya and Saurism.
MahavidyaThe Mahavidya (Sanskrit: महाविद्या, IAST: Mahāvidyā, lit. Great Wisdoms) are a group of ten Hindu Tantric goddesses. The ten Mahavidyas are usually named in the following sequence: Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari (Shodasi) , Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamala.
SampradayaTradition, spiritual lineage or a religious systemSampradaya (Sanskrit: सम्प्रदाय; IAST: Saṃpradāya), in Indian-origin religions, namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, can be translated as 'tradition', 'spiritual lineage', 'sect', or 'religious system'.
ShaivismShaivism (; Sanskrit: शैवसंप्रदायः, romanised: Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is an umbrella-term for a number of Hindu religious traditions, which worship Shiva as the supreme being. The followers of Shaivism are called Shaivas or Shaivites, numbering about 385 million people, across South Asia predominantly in India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.
ShaktiShakti in Hinduism, is the divine feminine energy. The numerous Hindu goddesses are considered personifications of Shakti, with each goddess (Devi) representing a certain aspect of her infinite nature. The origins of Shakti concept lie in the early Goddess worship traditions in the Indian subcontinent.
SanskritSanskrit (; stem form संस्कृत; nominal singular संस्कृतम्, saṃskṛtam,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism.HinduismRange of Indian religious traditions
Vedic periodThe Vedic period, or the Vedic age (c. 1500 – c. 500 BCE), is the period in the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age of the history of India when the Vedic literature, including the Vedas (c. 1500–900 BCE), was composed in the northern Indian subcontinent, between the end of the urban Indus Valley Civilisation and a second urbanisation, which began in the central Indo-Gangetic Plain c. 600 BCE.
Indian subcontinentThe Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia encompassing most of the Himalayas and the land to their south, projecting into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. Politically, the Indian subcontinent is divided among Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan, whose territories were part of historical and British India before its partition in 1947.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.