पृष्ठम्:ईशानशिवगुरुदेवपद्धतिः (प्रथमः भागः).djvu/९

Introduction 5 Parasurama should establish numerous temples and must make arrangements for their ritualistic affairs. Accordingly Parasurama established temples and then brought Brahmins for conducting rituals. The following stanzas from Keralamāhātmya are interesting: ब्राह्मणैर्वेविद्भिश्च धर्मिष्ठैस्तन्त्रपारगैः । पूजां प्रत्यहमस्माकं कारय त्वं भृगूत्तम् ॥ तन्त्रिणो द्वादश श्रेष्ठान् प्रतिष्ठार्थमकल्पयत् ॥ चतुर्विंशसहस्रं च देवालयमकल्पयत् ॥ A Brahmin belonging to Tarananallur family was given the Tantric rites of Kerala temples by Paraśurāma himself. Members of this family still perform Tantric rituals in the temples of Kerala despite the passage of several centuries.Thus Parasurāma is to be credited with the introduction of Tantra in Kerala. It is well known that there are three systems in Tantra pre- valent in the different parts of our country. They are the Kashmir system, the Bengal system and the Kerala system while the first two systems generally follow the Vamamärga, the last mentioned system current in Kerala pertains to the Dakṣiṇamārga In other words the southern system is more Vedic than the other ones which are non-Vedic srstems. Dakṣiṇācāra followed in Kerala is predominantly Sättvika in its nature. Yantras and homas are also used for worship of deities. Bhagavatiseva or the Worship of Durgă in her Sättvik form as Lalitã is commonly conducted in Kerala houses as a domestic ritual. For this a Yantra is drawn with the prescribed materials and the worship is done on a bell-metal lamp placed in the centre of the ritualistic diagram. The sacrificial act or homa popularly conducted in Kerala is the Ganapatihoma to please Vighneśvara. There are many special features in the matter of rituals and worship in Kerala. For a proper understanding of the Tantric works of the region, the special features of Kerala temples and modes of worship conducted there must be appreciated. Without a know- ledge of these features Kerala works on Tantra would remain un- intelligible.