Hindu tantra

mountain in Tibet, China

Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed in the Indian subcontinent, beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, initially within Shaivism and Shaktism, and subsequently in Mahayana Buddhism and Vaishnavism. Tantra presents complex cosmologies, viewing the body as divine and typically reflecting the union of Shiva and Shakti. Tantric goals include Siddhi (supernatural accomplishment), bhoga, and Kundalini ascent; while also addressing states of possession (āveśa) and exorcism.

thumb|Shakti, the feminine power, is often personified as an aspect of Devi

thumb|An image of the Buddha in samadhi from Gal Vihara, [[Sri Lanka]] thumb|Statue of a meditating Shiva, [[Rishikesh]]

thumb|Kundalini, chakras, and nadis

The Aghori (from , ) are a Hindu monastic order of ascetic Shaivite sadhus based in Uttar Pradesh, India. They are the only surviving sect derived from the Kāpālika tradition, a Tantric, non-Puranic form of Shaivism which originated in Medieval India between the 4th and 8th century CE.

form of mystical diagram used in the Shri Vidya school of Hinduism

The Kāpālika (Sanskrit : कापालिक) tradition was a Tantric, non-Puranic form of Shaivism which originated in medieval India between the 4th and 8th century CE. The word is derived from the Sanskrit term kapāla, meaning "skull", and kāpālika can be translated as the "skull-men" or "skull-bearers".

oldest form of Shaivism

thumb|Kapala|295px

Shaktipata () or Shaktipat refers in Hinduism to the transmission (or conferring) of spiritual energy upon one person by another or directly from the deity. Shaktipata can be transmitted with a sacred word or mantra, or by a look, thought or touch – the last usually to the ajna chakra or agya chakra or third eye of the recipient.

Hindu tantric religious system

Tradition in Shaktism and tantric Shaivism

Vāmācāra (, ) is a tantric term meaning 'left-hand path' and is synonymous with the Sanskrit term vāmamārga. It is used to describe a particular mode of worship or sadhana (spiritual practice) that uses heterodox things to sublimate for spiritual growth.

Tantrāloka () is a treatise of Abhinavagupta, a writer and philosopher of the Trika-school of Kashmir Shaivism.

building in India

elements or principles of reality