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Woodroffe, Sir John (Arthur Avalon)
(1865–1936) scholar of tantric texts
Sir John Woodroffe was an Englishman, Indian
civil servant, and scholar who pioneered the mod-
ern study of the tantric literary tradition.
Woodroffe was born December 15, 1865, the
eldest son of James T. Woodroffe, advocate-gen-
eral of Bengal and occasional member of the gov-
ernment of India, and his wife, Florence. John was
educated at Woburn Park School and University
College, Oxford, where he studied law. He was
called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1889. He
soon served as advocate of the Calcutta (Kolkata)
High Court and was made a fellow of Calcutta
University and appointed Tagore Professor of Law.
He served as judge on the High Court and in 1915
served as chief justice.
In addition to his practice and writing on
jurisprudence, Woodruffe studied SANSKRIT and
Hindu philosophy extensively, particularly TA N-
TRIC literature. As a result of long and assiduous
study of classical texts and contacts with tantric
pundits of Bengal, he translated important tan-
tric texts and added his own commentary and
introductions. His publication The Garland of
Letters is a clear and authoritative exposition of
the Mantra Shastra and includes his explanation
of the philosophy underlying tantric philosophy
and practice.
Around 1910, Woodroffe was initiated by Shi-
vachandra Vidyarnava. He did not take students,
but rather remained a scholar, intent upon provid-
ing clear and authoritative translations and expo-
sitions that would be appreciated only decades
after his death.
His publications have left an enduring legacy
of original resources translated into English and
valuable commentary on tantra. He collaborated
with a fellow initiate, Atal Behari Ghose, in pro-
ducing the first translations and interpretations
of tantra in a Western language. Because Ghose
remained anonymous in his publications, Wood-
roffe also published under a pseudonym, Arthur
Avalon. Under the name Avalon, he published
Shakti and Shakta, commentaries on the Shakta
Tantra Shastra, and under the name Woodroffe, he
published The Garland of Letters, a commentary
on the Mantra Shastra. He lectured in England
and India, including addresses to the Royal Asi-
atic Society and the Vivekananda Society. After
retirement from legal work in India, he returned
to England and served as reader in Indian law at
the University of Oxford. He died there on Janu-
ary 18, 1936.Further reading: Arthur Avalon, (Sir John Woodroffe),
Shakti and Shakta, 2 vols. (Madras: Ganesh, 1959);K 502 Woodroffe, Sir John