🇮🇳 Magic in India
162 entries from India, best known first, across 80 places of magic.
Tantra is an esoteric yogic tradition from the Indian subcontinent, initially within Shaivism and Shaktism, later in Buddhism and Vaishnavism. It views the body as divine and uses mantras and rituals to achieve spiritual goals like liberation or supernatural power.
- Tantra means loom or weave in Sanskrit
- It began in India around the 1st millennium CE
- Mantras are central to tantric practice
- Sexual practices are rare and restricted
- Vajrayana Buddhism uses tantric ideas
Overview
Tantra developed in India around the middle of the first millennium CE. It began in Shaivism and Shaktism before spreading to Buddhism and Vaishnavism. The word means loom or weave, suggesting a system that interlaces different teachings. Practitioners see the human body as a reflection of the cosmos. They aim for union with the divine through complex cosmologies. This path is also called the Path of Mantra. It shares influences with Jainism, Taoism, and Shinto. Western views often wrongly link it to sex, but scholars say sexual practices are rare and restricted.
Practices and beliefs
Practitioners use mantras, rituals, and yoga to transform the self. Goals include siddhi, supernatural accomplishment, and kundalini ascent. Texts describe systems for worship and meditation. Deities, both male and female, are central to ritual worship. Magic, sorcery, and divination appear in these texts. The subtle body is mapped to cosmic elements. Geometric patterns called mandalas guide meditation. Initiation by a teacher is required for many advanced techniques.
Rites and charms
Rites focus on sādhanā, which includes initiation and daily practice. Puja, or ritual worship, honors deities and icons. Meditation helps awaken inner energy. Physical purification techniques cleanse the body and mind. Specific gestures and sounds assign meaning to sacred spaces. The house is swept and salt is thrown at the door in some folk contexts, though Tantra focuses more on internal transformation. These rites are said to protect against negative forces and aid spiritual progress.
Who practises
Tantrikas are adepts who follow specific tantric lineages. They undergo diksha, or initiation, to receive knowledge. Teachers guide students through complex practices. Scholars note that living traditions are often secretive. Ethnography of these groups remains scarce due to this secrecy. Practitioners view their path as a way to realize non-duality. They mix tantric elements with other religious aspects freely.
Regions and communities
Tantra spread across South and East Asia. In Tibet, it influenced Vajrayana Buddhism. Japan has Shingon Buddhism, which uses tantric ideas. China developed Esoteric Buddhism based on Indian tantras. Nepal has Newar Buddhist traditions with tantric roots. Southern Esoteric Buddhism parallels tantric ideas without direct reference. These regional variations show how the tradition adapted to local cultures while keeping core concepts.
The calendar
The text does not specify particular festivals or seasonal events for tantric rites. Practices are often tied to personal sadhana rather than public calendars. Life events may involve tantric rituals for protection or blessing. However, no detailed calendar of ceremonies is provided in the source material.
Law and the state
No information is given about legal status or persecution. The text mentions colonial-era definitions but not modern laws. Western scholarship historically labeled tantra as occult or secret. This was a construction by 19th-century Indologists. There is no mention of state treatment or witch-hunts in the provided article.
Today
Modern views often misrepresent tantra as erotic. Scholars work to correct this by studying texts and living traditions. Anthropological study is difficult due to the secretive nature of practitioners. Some researchers try to demystify the myth of secrecy. The tradition continues to influence Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain practices globally.
The facts in this overview come from the Wikipedia article "Tantra", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. EveryJaadu rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
Places of magic in India
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreAstrology
A divinatory practice that reads human fate through the positions of celestial bodies.Belief · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 IndiaChakraचक्र
Meditation points in the subtle body used in Hindu and Buddhist yogaTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living
🇮🇳 IndiaMahakaleshwar JyotirlingaMahākāleśvara
A sacred Shiva shrine in Ujjain, India, known for its south-facing idol and ancient origins.Tradition · Protection · Power and authority Living
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreKalachakraདུས་ཀྱི་འཁོར་ལོ།
A Tibetan Buddhist tantric deity and system of yogic time cyclesTradition · Change and initiation · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇲🇬 Madagascar and 4 moreGeomancy
A cross-cultural system of divination using earth, sand, and landforms to read the future or align spaces.Oracle · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreHoliहोली
A Hindu spring festival marked by coloured powders and bonfires to celebrate love and virtue.Tradition · Love and attraction · Cursing and harm Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 morePilgrimage
A journey to a sacred site for spiritual growth or religious dutyTradition · Healing · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAghoriअघोर
An ascetic monastic order of Shaivite sadhus known for antinomian rituals in cremation groundsTradition · Healing · Change and initiation Living
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreVajrayanaVajrayāna
A Buddhist path using rituals and mantras for rapid awakeningTradition · Change and initiation Living
🇮🇳 IndiaNechung Oracleགནས་ཆུང་ཏ་བླ་མ
The official prophetic medium and spiritual advisor to Tibet's Dalai LamaOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Protection Living
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka and 1 moreKataragama templeකතරගම / கதிர்காமம் முருகன் கோயில்
A Sri Lankan shrine shared by Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims and VeddasTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreKolamகோலம்
A daily geometric floor drawing made with rice flour at the home entrance in South IndiaTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreAshtamangalaअष्टमङ्गल
A set of eight sacred symbols used in Indian religions to mark auspicious occasions and teach spiritual truths.Tradition · Power and authority · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇮🇷 Iran and 5 moreMagi
Priests of Zoroastrianism and the figures who inspired the word for magicTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Power and authority Living
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreTantraतन्त्र
An esoteric yogic tradition from India focusing on ritual, mantra, and body-based spiritual practices.Tradition · Power and authority · Change and initiation Living
🇮🇳 IndiaKavu
Sacred forest patches in South India that protect local deities and wildlifeTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 IndiaHindu astrologyज्योतिष (Jyotiṣa)
A traditional Hindu system of astrology and timekeeping rooted in the VedasTradition · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreNavagrahaनवग्रह
A group of nine celestial deities in Hinduism that govern fate and astrologyTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 IndiaBhuta KolaBhūta Kōla
A Tulu folk dance and ritual where spirits are channelled into human performersTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreRangoliरंगोली
Floor art made with coloured powders and flowers to welcome guests and deitiesTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreYantraयन्त्र
A geometric diagram from Indian traditions used for worship and meditationTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 IndiaKapalikaकापालिक
A medieval Indian Shaivite ascetic order known for wearing skulls and transgressive ritualsTradition · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇳 IndiaPashupata Shaivismपाशुपत
An early Hindu ascetic school focused on liberation through ritual and devotion to ShivaTradition · Cursing and harm · Power and authority Historical
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreYoginiयोगिनी
A female master of yoga and tantra, or a fierce goddess aspect in Indian temples.Tradition · Power and authority · Protection Historical
🇮🇳 IndiaSarnaism
A tribal faith centered on nature worship and sacred groves in eastern IndiaTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇷 Iran and 7 moreNowruzنوروز
A spring equinox festival marking the new year across Persianate culturesTradition · Luck and prosperity · Cleansing and purification Living
🇿🇦 South Africa and 4 moreWitch doctor
A traditional healer who identifies supernatural causes of illness and performs rituals to restore balance.Tradition · Healing · Protection Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreAncestor worship
Rites of respect for the dead that maintain family bonds and seek spiritual guidanceTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇪🇬 Egypt and 5 moreSacred dance
Movement used in worship to honour deities, heal communities, or connect with the spirit world.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇷🇴 Romania and 5 moreVampire folklore
Global legends of blood-drinking spirits and undead revenantsBelief · Cursing and harm · Protection Historical
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDiyaदीया
A small oil lamp used in prayers and festivals across the Indian subcontinentTradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreMandalaमण्डल
A sacred geometric design used in Indian religions for meditation and spiritual mapping.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Wonder and entertainment Living
🇮🇳 India and 2 moreDurga Pujaদুর্গাপূজা
A ten-day autumn festival honouring the goddess Durga and her victory over evil.Tradition · Protection · Luck and prosperity Living
🇬🇷 Greece and 2 moreAstragalomancy
Divination by casting marked bones, carved rods, or numbered diceOracle · Seeing and foretelling · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 morePitru Pakshaपितृ पक्ष
A sixteen-day Hindu period for honoring ancestors through food offerings and death ritesTradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 IndiaAkshaya Tritiyaअक्षय तृतीया
A Hindu and Jain spring festival marking a day of inexhaustible merit and new beginnings.Tradition · Luck and prosperity · Protection Living
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreNakshatraनक्षत्रम् (Nakṣatram)
A system of lunar mansions used in Hindu and Buddhist astrology to map the sky.Tradition · Seeing and foretelling · Luck and prosperity Living
🇮🇳 IndiaChödགཅོད
A Tibetan Buddhist ritual that uses fear and self-offering to sever attachment to the selfTradition · Cursing and harm · Change and initiation Living
🇮🇳 IndiaMuhurtamuhūrta
A Hindu unit of time used to select auspicious moments for rituals and daily practiceBelief · Power and authority · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreShakta pithasशाक्त पीठ (Śākta Pīṭha)
Sacred shrines in Shaktism marking where parts of the goddess Sati fell to earth.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Power and authority Living
🇮🇳 India and 5 moreSnake worship
Veneration of serpents as divine or ancestral beings across global culturesTradition · Protection · Healing Living
🇮🇳 IndiaLeft-Hand and Right-Hand Paths
Two distinct orientations in occult magic, dividing taboo-breaking from orthodoxy.Tradition · Change and initiation · Power and authority Living
🇨🇳 China and 4 moreSky burialབྱ་གཏོར་
A Tibetan funerary rite where human remains are offered to scavenging birdsRite · Speaking with spirits and the dead · Change and initiation Living
🇮🇳 India and 4 moreBonབོན།
The indigenous religion of Tibet and the Himalayas, preserving ancient rituals alongside Buddhist teachings.Tradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 7 moreMakar Sankrantiमकरसङ्क्रान्ति
A solar festival marking the sun's northward shift and the winter harvest across South Asia.Tradition · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇮🇳 India and 2 morePadmasambhavaཔདྨ་འབྱུང་གནས།
A tantric master credited with establishing Buddhism in Tibet and founding the Nyingma school.Figure · Protection · Power and authority Living
🇸🇳 Senegal and 5 moreAncestor veneration
Rituals of respect and offerings for the dead across many culturesTradition · Protection · Speaking with spirits and the dead Living
🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreVotive offering
Objects left in sacred places to honor a deity or fulfill a vow, never to be recovered.Tradition · Protection · Healing Living
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Kolam: mckaysavage, CC BY 2.0, source
- Holi: Jitenderasingh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga: Ashverse, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kalachakra: Nabin K. Sapkota, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Kaula: Joshua Jonathan, CC0, source
- Chakra: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Ashtamangala: Redtigerxyz, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Magi: Colijn de Coter, CC0, source
- Astrology: Wilfredor, CC0, source
- Tantra: William Clark, Public domain, source
- Kavu: Ashwin.appus, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hindu astrology: Unknown author, CC BY 4.0, source
- Navagraha: Kiran891, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Bhuta Kola: Unknown author, Public domain, source
- Rangoli: SreeramKalyan, CC0, source
- Yantra: Photo by Daniel Conrad (Chromacon), artwork by Daniel Conrad under dir, Public domain, source
- Yogini: Soumendra Barik, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Sarnaism: বুদ্ধি, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nowruz: Katzenfee50, CC0, source
- Witch doctor: Lucjan Wędrychowski, Public domain, source
- Ancestor worship: Lyn Gateley, CC BY 2.0, source
- Sacred dance: Jorge Barrios, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Vampire folklore: Dick Thomas Johnson, CC BY 2.0, source
- Baphomet: Eliphas Levi, Public domain, source
- Diya: Suyash Dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Mandala: Marion Golsteijn, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Durga Puja: Subhrajyoti07, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Astragalomancy: Roland zh, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pitru Paksha: Firoz Shakir, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Akshaya Tritiya: Fgndgndgnr, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nakshatra: Kishorekumar 62, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chöd: Christopher J. Fynn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Shakta pithas: Abhishek Chandra, Public domain, source
- Snake worship: Alexandermcnabb, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sky burial: FishOil at English Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Bon: Jialiang Gao (peace-on-earth.org), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Makar Sankranti: Saloni Desai, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Padmasambhava: John Hill, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ancestor veneration: Thang Nguyen, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Votive offering: Walter J. Pilsak, Waldsassen ( W.J.Pilsak at de.wikipedia ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pilgrimage: Ali Mansuri, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Aghori: Retratistadelsur, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Vajrayana: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0, source
- Nechung Oracle: Christopher Michel, CC BY 2.0, source
- Kataragama temple: Ghostface Buddha, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Geomancy: Jacopo188, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
The weekly digest
Every Monday: seven entries you may not know, what is on the calendar this week, and one rite drawn step by step.