[INDOLOGY] Lomasa rsi in a Himachali mahatmya?

[Westin Harris]

Dear all,

Thank you for your replies. I have passed them along to my colleague.

In *The Holy Land Reborn* (2008: 246), Huber states:

There are Śaivite temples at the site that predate the modest
> nineteenth-century Tibetan temple there, and a local Sanskrit māhātmya for
> the area records the legend of Ṛishi Lomaśa, a figure whose exploits there
> are in fact very similar to those attributed by the Tibetans to
> Padmasambhava.


He then provides a footnote that cites Vogel and Francke. However, neither
Vogel nor Francke (the latter being merely a quote of the former) mention
that the māhātmya is in Sanskrit, but Huber does. This detail along with
diction like "in fact" and "very similar" give the impression (to me at
least) that Huber has first hand knowledge of this mysterious māhātmya. But
does he really? He does not provide a title. Otherwise, perhaps he is
inferring from Vogel's mention of brahmins that such a māhātmya would most
likely be in Sanskrit.

If Huber is on this list, perhaps he can shine some light on this mystery.

As for the theory about Lomaśa's name, it certainly makes one wonder.
However, as I understand it, Lomaśa ṛṣi is well attested in epic and
puranic literature beyond Rewalsar, so it seems unlikely that the etymology
of his name would be so closely associated with that site alone.

On a totally unrelated note, I remember reading somewhere that Rewalsar's
name might also be associated with another legendary ascetic: Rawalnath.

*Sincerely,*

*Westin Harris*
Ph.D. Candidate
Study of Religion
University of California, Davis
https://religions.ucdavis.edu/people/westin-harris

2021 Dissertation Fellow,
The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies

Sarva Mangalam.


On Sun, Dec 17, 2023 at 2:32 AM Matthew Kapstein <mattkapstein at proton.me>
wrote:

> PS. Given the frequent occurrence of r/l and w/m variations in the region,
> I would not be surprised if the imaginary rishi's name originated with an
> attempt to transcribe someone's pronunciation of Rewalsar.
>
> Matthew T. Kapstein
> Professor emeritus
> Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, Paris
>
> Associate
> The University of Chicago Divinity School
>
> https://ephe.academia.edu/MatthewKapstein
>
> Sent with Proton Mail <https://proton.me/> secure email.
>
> On Sunday, December 17th, 2023 at 10:47 AM, Matthew Kapstein via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Dear Westin,
>
> I don't see any evidence for this being "often" mentioned. The source
> appears to be a 1902 article on the Triloknath temple in HP: J. Ph. Vpgel,
> Triloknath.” *JASB* 71,1: 35-41.
>
> A brief Google search shows a number of articles on Triloknath in the 120
> years since Vogel wrote on it - I would suggest looking there. I don't have
> the Vogel article, but the relevant passage is quoted in Francke's
> Antiquities of Indian Tibet and it is clear that Vogel himself never saw
> the MahAtmya in question - he states that he was told of it by Brahmans
> visiting Rewalsar. This makes me a bit suspicious - a standard response to
> an inquisitive stranger who wants to know more about a pilgrimage site is
> "you'll have to look in the MahAtmya".....
>
> Matthew T. Kapstein
> Professor emeritus
> Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, PSL Research University, Paris
>
> Associate
> The University of Chicago Divinity School
>
> https://ephe.academia.edu/MatthewKapstein
>
> Sent with Proton Mail <https://proton.me/> secure email.
>
> On Sunday, December 17th, 2023 at 3:39 AM, Westin Harris via INDOLOGY <
> indology at list.indology.info> wrote:
>
> Greetings Indologists,
>
> A friend off list asked me to post this question.
>
> Studies of Tibetan Buddhist pilgrimage practices in the Western Himalayas
> (from Vogel to Huber, etc.) often mention a local Sanskrit mahatmya
> (perhaps associated with Rewalsar?) containing stories of Lomasa Rsi said
> to resemble popular narratives of Guru Padmasambhava. However, I have not
> been able to identify the name of this mahatmya.
>
> Does anyone know the name of this mahatmya?
>
> Thank you.
>
> (Sorry for lack of diacritics; I’m on a cell phone.)
>
> *Sincerely,*
>
> *Westin Harris*
> Ph.D. Candidate
> Study of Religion
> University of California, Davis
> https://religions.ucdavis.edu/people/westin-harris
>
> 2021 Dissertation Fellow,
> The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies
>
> Sarva Mangalam.
>
>
>
>
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