The Purana Index v1.c3.s8.1

v1.c3.s8.1

To the historian of ancient India, the Purāṇas are an unfailing source of information. They help us to reconstruct the history of Indian culture and civilization. By culture and civilization we mean the history of Indian polity, of Indian society, the history of religion and philosophy, legal history, the history of arts and crafts, architecture and iconography besides royal dynasties and the period of their rule. With regard to the Indian political institutions in the past, there are some valuable chapters in several Purāṇas and particularly in the Matsya Purāṇa. The elective and hereditary character of monarchy, the king's rights and duties, the qualifications of councillors and ministers, systems of taxation, and administration of justice are all found described with a wealth of detail. Some Purāṇas like the Agni Purāṇa furnish material for the construction of fortifications, rules of warfare methods and weapons of war, diplomacy, etc. (See also V. R. R. Dikshitar, on the *Polity of the Purāṇas* in the "Indian Review", 1935, No. 6, Madras).