wider social coherence. The S ́aiva Siddha ̄nta is the basic ritual and theological
structure to which the other tantric traditions respond and build. Many of the
S ́aiva Siddha ̄nta Tantras and manuals are concerned with temple ritual, such
as the Rauravottara ̄gama, while others, such as the Mr.gendra, are not concerned
with temples but rather with personal practice under the direction of a teacher.
TheRauravottaradescribes various styles of temple, the rites for the installation
of the temple, and for the installation of deities within it (pratis.t.ha ̄). The deities
of the directions (din.mu ̄rti) are first established and then others may be installed
in the vicinity of the central shrine, namely the gods Gan.es ́a, Daks.in.a ̄mu ̄rti,
Vis.n.u, Brahma ̄, and Durga ̄. Finally the lin.gais installed as the central icon of S ́iva.
Thelin.gais regarded as the highest, undifferentiated (nis.kala) form of S ́iva in
contrast to the anthropomorphic form which is differentiated (sakala). The lin.ga
with a face or faces is a mixture of both (sakalanis.kala) (Davis 1991: 121–2).
There are different kinds oflin.gafor different kinds of temple, and an elaborate
typology is offered in the Rauravottara(Rau A ch. 15). Abhinavagupta offers an
esoteric interpretation of the lin.gaas being unmanifest where it is equated with
absolute consciousness or the “supreme heart of tranquility” (vis ́ra ̄ntihr.dayam
param), manifest-unmanifest (vyakta ̄vyakta) when identified with the body, and
manifest (vyakta) as an outer symbol (TA 5 117a). It is with the outer symbol
and its worship that the S ́aiva Siddha ̄na is mainly concerned. Having made the
icon of wood, metal or stone, the eyes are opened and the icon is purified by being
immersed in water, the altar (vedika ̄) constructed, firepits (kun.d.a) placed around
it, the deity invoked in the icon, the icon bathed (abhis ́eka), priests honored
and brahmins fed (Bhatt 1982: cxii). Daily rites are thereafter performed involv-
ing bathing the icon (abhis.eka), its decoration, the offering of vegetarian food
(naivedya) to the accompaniment of ringing bells, the vision (dars ́ana) of the deity
for devotees, and the offering of light (dı ̄pa).
Daily domestic rites of the S ́aiva Siddha ̄nta initiate involve a similar pattern
of making offering to a lin.ga. This will involve the tantric pattern of the devotee
bathing, purifying the body through its symbolic destruction (bhu ̄tas ́uddhi),
re-creating a divine body through the imposition of mantras (nya ̄sa), mental
worship (antara/ma ̄nasa-ya ̄ga), followed by external worship (bahya-ya ̄ga) with
offerings into the fire pit (Davis 1991: 51–60; 148–62. For a complete account
of daily ritual see SSP vol. 1, 1963 and Brunner-Lachaux’s introduction). As we
have seen, the initiate into the tantric systems of the “left,” while conforming to
orthodox society, after his initiation undertook worship of the trident man.d.ala
in his imagination (Sanderson 1985) and made offerings of impure substances
in the Kaula system (kula prakriya ̄). But even within the S ́aiva Siddha ̄nta there
are varying levels of commitment and expectation. The texts speak of four kinds
of devotee: the samyinwho has simply undergone the basic initiation or sama ̄ya
dı ̄ks.a ̄discussed above; the putraka,who has also undergone the nirva ̄n.a-dı ̄ks.a ̄;
thea ̄ca ̄ryawho can perform initiations and has undergone a special consecra-
tion called the a ̄ca ̄rya ̄bhis.eka; and the sa ̄dhakawho desires to follow the path
of power and has undergone the sa ̄dhaka ̄bhis.eka(see Brunner 1975). The
Matan.gapa ̄rames ́vara ̄gamasays that the samayin should serve his teacher in
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