Upper-Status Tantrism
As we have noted in chapter 5, there is an upper segment of Bhaktapur's macrostatus system whose male members, after completing initiation as full members of their thar (and whose female members under certain
conditions and restrictions), have the right to Tantric initiation. These are the Rajopadhyaya Brahmans, all the thars at the Chathariya and Pa(n)cthariya levels, the Tini, and one Jyapu thar with some priestly functions, the Jyapu Acaju.[3] All of these thars share certain rights and customs in contrast to other, lower, thars . Their male members have the exclusive right to wear the sacred thread, the jona ; they alone have a special kind of lineage deity, the Aga(n) God; they alone have the right to have Tantric gurus (who are Rajopadhyaya Brahmans), initiation, and practice. The worship of the dangerous deities by people of the middle and lower thars is not considered Tantrism by upper-level initiates, nor by members of the lower-level thars themselves.
We will follow this distinction and consider Tantrism per se as the practices of initiates. We will begin with Tantric worship, that is, Tantric puja , in Bhaktapur. We can then consider the uses of that worship. These are of two general kinds for upper-status initiates, worship directed to the phuki's lineage god and practices directed to mukti or "individual salvation." We will then turn to forms that span both esoteric initiate religion and the symbolism and religion of the larger city.