Woodroffe, John

Introduction

Sir John G. Woodroffe (1865–1936) was a famous Orientalist, an eminent scholar of Tantra and an ardent advocate of Hindu tradition and Indian culture, and a lawyer and later a judge by profession. He dedicated his entire life to the dissemination of the classical Indian philosophy of Tantra and Tantric rituals through the medium of his writings, translations, compilations, and commentaries on classical Tantric texts, initially publishing them under the pseudonym Arthur Avalon. This pseudo name was inspired by a famous painting by Burne-Jones named Arthur’s Sleep in Avalon, which was based on the Tennyson’s depiction of the legendary tale of king Arthur in his poem The Passing of Arthur [1]. During the early twentieth century, Woodroffe played a significant role in reviving Indian tradition and culture both in India and the West. His scholarly works and writings can be credited with introducing Hindu philosophy, particularly the largely esoteric tradition of Tantra to...