Historical and Cultural Studies in the Puranas

The present monograph seeks to analyse the Puranic data intensively for its contacts with dynastic history and its epigraphic sources. The author has its epigraphic sources. The author has engaged in an earnest and thorough chronological and comparative analysis of Puranic passages, which sheds much light on passages, which sheds much light on their evolution. His disquisition on the language of the Puranic texts is a new departure and could be taken up as an almost independent line of inquiry. Attempt has been made in the work to explain the technique which the Purana-authors adopted for the assimilation of the varied trends in the changing order of the society, without sacrificing the original spirit. Author’s criteria of analyzing the early and late nature of the Purana-passags are revealing. Observations on religious and geographical passages of these texts are equally interesting. It has been projected that the so-called inconsistency or incongruity of Purana-texts is more of appearance than reality. Fully up-to-date date and written in lucid style the work will long remain indispensable to Puranaic researches.