The Puranic World

A collection of essays written at different points of time, and published in various reputed journals and books. What blends them together is the use of the primary source material in the form of a vast compendium of Puranic literature (backed by epigraphic, archaeological and anthropological data), which has been utilized to arrive at conclusions pertaining to changes in Indian society and religion during the later half of first millennium ad, when the major Puranas were being compiled.

The period represents a watershed in Indian history, for it marked a transition from a commercially viable economic order to a closed feudal economy. The social and religious dimensions of the Brahmanical system were particularly impacted by such a transition resulting in some innovative forms of restructuring.

It has been the purpose behind most of the present articles to re-assess and utilize the available Puranic evidence for getting fresh insights into the rationale and precise nature of these changes. The key areas of thrust in these articles are changes in material culture, awareness, and mode of dealing with environmental issues, gender based differentiation, recent ritual formations, such as Mahadana and Tirthas, as well as the utilization of myth as a mode of expressing historical reality.