Bhūtaḍāmara

The Bhūtaḍāmara Tantra is a Buddhist esoteric text on magic and exorcism, detailing rituals for controlling spirits and deities under the authority of Vajrapāṇi as Bhūtaḍāmara, the “Tamer of Spirits.” Likely compiled in eastern South Asia around the 7th–8th century CE, it introduced the cult of Bhūtaḍāmara. The text was later absorbed into Hindu traditions with a Śaiva reinterpretation and spread throughout the Himalayas and Tibet. It opens with Śiva being overpowered, slain, revived, and converted by Vajradhara, after which he becomes a Buddhist protector. The tantra’s sādhanas invoke female deities who grant yogīs supernatural power and wealth. Apart from a few ritual manuals, this remains the primary text dedicated to Bhūtaḍāmara (Source: 84000, Religion Database) The current mss. contains damaged and torn leaves. Writing is washed out and illegible in the last few folia.