Rudra Pashupati: An Insight

Book excerpt: Several scholars have presented their research and views on various aspects of the Pashupata cult. Still, it is a matter of regret that the history of the Pashupata cult is not present in the form of an independent script. No single book covers literary, religious, philosophical, historical development, inscriptions, and Lakulish statues comprehensively. Many questions based on the antiquity and foundation of the Pashupata cult have been unanswered to date. For example, the problem of the antiquity of the Pashupata cult before Lakulish and the historicity of Srikanth and Shvetacharya. Some other missing facts are the role of Srikanth and Shvetacharya in the emergence of the Pashupata cult, the relation of Vedic and non-Vedic branches and the spread of Pashupata after Shankaracharya. 'Rudra Pashupati: An Insight' has tried to answer most of the questions and presents an authentic history of the Pashupata cult.