Consider the following statements about Tantric practices during Medieval India:

1. Tantric practices were open to women and men, and practitioners often ignored differences of caste and class within the ritual context.

2. Those engaged in Tantric practices frequently ignored the authority of the Vedas.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

• Often associated with the goddess were forms of worship that were classified as Tantric. Tantric practices were widespread in several parts of the sub-continent – they were open to women and men, and practitioners often ignored differences of caste and class within the ritual context.

• Many of these ideas influenced Shaivism, as well as Buddhism, especially in the eastern, northern and southern parts of the sub-continent.

• Those engaged in Tantric practices frequently ignored the authority of the Vedas. Also, devotees often tended to project their chosen deity, either Vishnu or Shiva, as supreme. Relations with other traditions, such as Buddhism or Jainism, were also often fraught with tension, if not open conflict.