The image of goddess Kāmākṣī in Sanskrit texts from Kāñcipuram

The cult of goddess Kāmākṣī with its centre and main temple in Kāñcipuram belongs to the southern formulation of the "Śrīvidyā" tradition. Its present form is a result of interaction of various religious traditions which influenced the image of the goddess, the myth, the doctrine and the ritual. Though tantric in essence, the tradition is heavily influenced by the "Advaitavedānta" philosophy and the ritual practice of the smārta brahmins. The monastic institution Kāñci Kāmakoṭi Pīṭha located in Kāñcipuram promulgated the conventional form of the "Śrīvidyā" purged of controversial ritual behaviours distinctive of the "Kaula" tantrism. The image and the myth of Kāmākṣī propagated in the devotional and narrative literature associated with the monastery are realigned with the norms of brahmanical ethics. However, the texts preserved elements of the older local cult focused on a ferocious dark-skinned goddess. The article is based on two Sanskrit sources: the "Mūkapañcaśatī" (‘Five Hundred Stanzas by Mūka’), a long hymn eulogizing the goddess, authored by Mūka and the "Kāmākṣīvilāsa" (‘Manifestation of Kāmākṣī’), a purāṇic work presented as an attachment to the "Mārkaṇḍeyapurāṇa".