What is the Charyapada?
Q: What is the Charyapada?
A: The Charyapada is a collection of caryagiti, or mystical poems, from the tantric tradition in eastern India, dating from the 8th to 12th century.
Q: How were the Charyapada meant to be performed?
A: The Charyapada were meant to be sung.
Q: When was a manuscript of the Charyapada found?
A: A manuscript of the Charyapada was found in the early 20th century.
Q: What languages are represented in the Charyapada?
A: Early examples of the Assamese, Oriya, Maithili, and Bengali languages are represented in the Charyapada.
Q: Where were the writers of the Charyapada from?
A: The writers of the Charyapada belonged to various regions of Assam, Bengal, Orissa, and Bihar.
Q: Was the Charyapada known outside of India?
A: Yes, a Tibetan translation of the Charyapada was also kept in the Tibetan Buddhist canon.
Q: What is the Charyapada's connection to Vajrayana Buddhism?
A: The Charyapada is a collection of caryagiti from the tantric tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism.