A Dhara i for each day of the week: The saptavara tradition of the Newar Buddhists

The paper discusses a group of dhara is associated with the seven days (saptavara) of the week, with each dhara i being recited on a specific day. The visual forms of the dhara is were represented in miniature paintings in manuscripts of the saptavara texts and in woodcarvings on the struts of two Newar Buddhist monasteries in Kathmandu. The paper shows that even though two members of the saptavara group were originally male, eventually all members came to be conceived of as feminine in Nepal. It further provides evidence that the group is likely to have become known in Nepal by at least the late sixteenth century.