What is the origin of the name Kapalika?
The word Kāpālika comes from the Sanskrit term kapāla, meaning skull. This name defines a Tantric tradition of Shaivism that emerged in medieval India between the 4th and 8th century CE.
Questions about Kapalika
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did the Kapalika tradition emerge in history?
Followers of this path became known as 'skull-men' or 'skull-bearers'. They were an extinct sect of ascetics devoted to the Hindu god Shiva dating back to the 4th century CE.
Who wrote about the Kapalika during their journey to India?
Chinese Buddhist monk Hsüan Tsang wrote about these groups during his journey to India between 629 and 645 CE. He met Indian Buddhists living with naked ascetics who covered themselves with ashes but did not call them Kāpālikas.
Which literary work contains early references to the Kapalika?
Mark S. G. Dyczkowski identifies the Gaha Sattasai as one of the first extant literary references to an early Indian Kāpālika ascetic. This Prakrit poem was written by Hāla during the 3rd to 4th century CE.
What is the relationship between Aghoris and the Kapalika tradition?
Mircea Eliade stated that Aghorīs are successors to the much older and widespread ascetic order called Kāpālikas. Today the tradition survives within its Shaivite offshoots including the Aghorī order, Kaulā, and Trika traditions.