Tantra, ( Sanskrit: “Loom”) any of numerous texts dealing with the esoteric practices of some Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain sects. In the orthodox classification of Hindu religious literature, Tantra refers to a class of post-Vedic Sanskrit treatises similar to the Puranas (medieval encyclopaedic collections of myths, legends, and other topics). In this usage Tantras are, theoretically, considered to treat of theology, Yoga, construction of temples and images, and religious practices; in reality, they tend to deal with such aspects of popular Hinduism as spells, rituals, and symbols. They are distinguished along Hindu sectarian lines between the Shaiva Agamas, the Vaishnava Samhitas, and the Shakta Tantras.
The lists of the Shakta Tantras differ considerably from one another but suggest that the earliest manuscripts date from about the 7th century. They emphasize the goddess Shakti as the female personification of the creative power or energy of the god Shiva. This view taken to its extreme holds that Shiva without his Shakti is like a corpse. In the Tantras that deal with Yoga, Shakti is identified with the kundalini, or the energy that lies coiled at the base of the spine until brought up through the body by yogic disciplines. The Tantras also stress the efficacy of yantras and mandalas (ritual diagrams) and of mantras (mystic syllables or sacred formulas). Among the major Shakta Tantras are the Kularnava-tantra, which treats of “left-hand” practices, such as ritual copulation; the Kulacudamani-tantra, which discusses ritual; and the Sharadatilaka-tantra, which deals almost exclusively with magic.
The Buddhist Tantras are traced to the 7th century or earlier, the Tathagataguhyaka being an early and extreme work. They were translated into Tibetan and Chinese from about the 9th century onward, and some texts have been preserved only in those languages, the Sanskrit originals having been lost. Among the Buddhist Tantras an important text is the Kalacakra-tantra.