Tantric Yoginīs

The yoginīs (“female yokers,” “female joiners”) are a ravening horde of medieval tantric goddesses that granted supernatural powers to the male tantric virtuosi called siddhas (perfected beings), vīras (virile heroes), or Kāpālikas (“Skull Bearers”), who, in their quest for supernatural powers (siddhis), transacted with them in esoteric rituals on cremation grounds (śmaśānas, also called pīṭhas: mounds or power places). Th…