[INDOLOGY] Information sought regarding Telugu "Saccra" (cakra)

[jacob at fabularasa.dk]

Dear Nagaraj,

Many thanks for your reading of the yantra, and for the confirmation 
that it is indeed a yantra (though I would still be curious to know if 
cakra is sometimes used with the same meaning). I am sure the museum 
will be most appreciate of the information.

Also thanks to Arlo Griffiths for the references. A. A. Ślączka's 
original doctoral thesis can be downloaded from Leiden University here:

https://openaccess.leidenuniv.nl/bitstream/handle/1887/4581/total%20document.pdf?sequence=17

Best wishes,
Jacob

Nagaraj Paturi skrev den 2016-10-11 22:04:
> Dear Jacob,
> 
> It is a Yantra. It has the word yantra inscribed on it.
> 
> It has :
> 
> యంత్రరాజాయ విద్మహి(sic)
> మహాయంత్రాయ ధీమహి శం నో
> యంత్రః ప్రచోదయాత్
> 
> (yaṁtrarājāya vidmahi mahāyaṁtrāya dhīmahi śaṁ nō
> yaṁtraḥ pracōdayāt )
> 
> అస్మిన్  తాంబ్రయంత్రసుఖం
> చిరం కర్తుం .... స్వాహా
> 
> (asmin  tāṁbrayaṁtrasukhaṁ ciraṁ kartuṁ .... svāhā )
> 
> హీం జ్వలాయ విద్మహి (sic)  మహా
> శూలినే ధీమహి
> 
> (hīṁ jvalāya vidmahi (sic)  mahā śūlinē dhīmahi )
> 
> There is a mention of a deity called pratikriyāśūlin  in the
> yantra.
> 
> This may indicate that the yantra is meant to counter the action of
> another supernatural power.
> 
> If this guess is correct, it is usually not the kind used in the
> pratśṭhā in a temple.
> 
> The interpretation  " it is a Telugu "Saccra" (cakra) used to ward off
> disease and spirits of possession" should be correct.
> 
> Using yantras in the installation (pratśṭhā ) in a temple is a
> usual practice. But this one does not seem to be of that kind.
> 
> On Tue, Oct 11, 2016 at 8:40 PM, <jacob at fabularasa.dk> wrote:
> 
>> Dear list,
>> 
>> Bornholms Museum, located on the eponymous rock island in the Baltic
>> Sea, asked me for clarification about the attached object. According
>> to the registration notes, which probably date back about a hundred
>> years, it is a Telugu "Saccra" (cakra) used to ward off disease and
>> spirits of possession. It is also stated that cakras are generally
>> installed below temple deities to empower the deity and attract
>> people to the temple.
>> 
>> If anybody knows the specific name of the cakra and any other
>> details of its application, I would be happy to convey the
>> information to the museum. I would also be interested to know what
>> the distinction between a cakra and a yantra is in this context, and
>> whether the installation of cakras/yantras to empower deities,
>> attract people, or otherwise is indeed a general practice in Indian
>> temples.
>> 
>> Kind regards,
>> Jacob
>> 
>> Jacob Schmidt-Madsen
>> PhD Fellow (Indology)
>> Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies
>> University of Copenhagen
>> Denmark
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> 
> --
> 
> Nagaraj Paturi
> 
> Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.
> 
> Former Senior Professor of Cultural Studies
> 
> FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of  Liberal Education,
> 
> (Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA )