Buddhist Borrowing

Abstract The inclusion of localized terrestrial deities into Buddhism is part of a larger process of borrowing that characterizes South Asian religious interaction in the centuries surrounding the start of the Common Era. Using Mathurā as an example, we can trace the contributions made by the devotees of terrestrial deities—such as yakṣas and nāgas—to widespread forms of religious architecture and ritual behavior. These practices are ubiquitous in South Asian religious contexts but their origins in regional deity cults often go unacknowledged. It can be difficult to reconstruct the practices of these cults due to the paucity of evidence. The relatively well-documented congregation of the yakṣa Maṇibhadra, therefore, provides valuable insights into the nature of yakṣa-centered religious practices and ritual behavior. Some of the earliest documented expressions of devotional behavior and religious architecture in the Mathurā were produced by devotees of Maṇibhadra. These sacred spaces and modes of worship seem to have become the template followed by rival religious communities, including the Buddhists and Jainas, among others.