Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s3.t12.23

v2.c10.s3.t12.23

**13. Skanda Purana** is alleged to have about 81,000 verses, but the original text is lost and existing copies are quite chaotic. Generally, it is considered to include six books and 50 sections, but this is not conclusive. One edition is divided into six parts: (1)*Mahesvara* narrates how Shiva wreaks havoc at the sacrifice held by Daksha Prajapati and defeating all devas, including Vishnu, Brahma and Indra, then tells the tales of Rama, Ravana and the churning of the Ocean of Milk, and at last, Shiva worship is discussed. (2) *Vishnu* begins with Vishnu turning into a boar, then describes the effect of pilgrimage and bath in the sacred river. It then goes to discuss the study of the *Puranas* and different effects of worshipping Vishnu in different months. It also mentions Ramanuja, a Vishnu philosopher in the Medieval Ages who died in 12ᵗʰ century CE. So, this part might be compiled quite late and was forcefully included by the Vishnu sect. (3) *Brahma* mainly introduces some holy places and describes how to be liberated by experiencing Vishnu. This is connected with the Hindu piety movement in the Middle Ages, so, it might be compiled late as well. (4) *Kasi*, also known as Benares (present-day Varanasi), may be an original part of this *Purana*. It lists holy Hindu places and benefits of pilgrimage to these holy places, and then focusses on introducing Kasi and Shiva sites in Kasi. (5) *Avantya*, mainly introduces sacred sites in Avantya, an ancient city and centre of culture (present-day north of the Narmada River and Ujjain in central India), and uses some stories to demonstrate the benefits of pilgrimage to these places. (6) *Rewa*, is the name of a sacred river, which is also known as Narmada River and located in the south of Vindhyas, flows from east to west into the Arabian Sea. It mainly