Yogini Cult of Orissa

The Yogini Cult of Orissa represents the Tantric culture of the ancient times. The Yogini Cult became famous during the 8th century. According to the rich religious history, the Yogini Cult comprised of sixty four Yoginis who displayed the zeal to realize the existence of the Supreme Being through meditation and Yoga.

The Yogini Cult provides a deeper insight into the religious and historical facts about Orissa during the ancient period. According to the Vedic literature, the Yogini Cult was the manifestation of the worship of Mother Goddess. The Markendeya Purana depicts the creation of Shakti or Goddess Durga, the Supreme Power through the contribution of each God to end the rule of Raktavirya. When Raktavirya was killed, the Yoginis drank his blood to inherit immense power.

According to another version, the Yoginis were simple women who displayed supernatural powers on various occasions. Some of the principle kinds of Yoginis are:

• Mantraja
• Pithaja
• Yogaja
• Ksetraja
• Kulaja
• Sahaja
• Antyeja

Representing the religious fervor of the region during the bygone era, the Yoginis were worshipped by the local indigenous population at times of adversity. The native population sought the divine blessings of the Yoginis in their day to day social and cultural life.

The Yogini Cult of Orissa displayed the overriding importance of the Mother Goddess. All the various religious texts of Hindus have reference to the sixty four Yoginis who were worshipped by the native population of Orissa. An extreme form of Tantricism, the Yogini Cult showed the dominance of the Supernatural world over the mundane world.