Skanda Purana
Also known as: Skandapurāṇa, Skandapurana, Skanda Mahapurana, Karttikeya Purana


The Skanda Purana, traditionally the largest Mahāpurāṇa, centers on the god Skanda (Kārttikeya) and expansive tirtha-māhātmyas, especially of Kāśī (Vārāṇasī). It preserves Śaiva theology, sacred geography, pilgrimage rites, and legends connected to rivers, temples, and regional sanctuaries.
Description
This vast Purāṇic compilation weaves Skanda’s mythology with detailed sanctity-lore for India’s holy places. Prominent are the Kāśī, Avanti, Reva, and Prabhāsa sections, which map a ritual cosmos through city plans, temple lists, vows, and expiations. Narratives include Skanda’s birth, demon-slayings, marriages, and boons to devotees, alongside foundational Śaiva motifs—Śiva as Viśveśvara of Kāśī, Bhairava as gatekeeper, and Annapūrṇā’s feeding of Śiva. The text functions as a pilgrim’s handbook and a theological archive, aligning sacred geography with merit, purity, and liberation. Its layered redactions reflect the growth of regional cults and the institutionalization of pilgrimage across centuries.
Historiography
The Skanda Purana survives in numerous, often divergent manuscripts with substantial regional recensions (e.g., Nepalese, North Indian, Western Indian). Modern critical work (Skandapurāṇa Project) distinguishes an early core from later māhātmyas, especially Kāśī- and tirtha-focused expansions. Printed editions vary in order and extent; traditional verse counts (~81,000) are schematic. Scholarly editions continue to reconstruct earlier textual strata and trace sectarian developments.
Date Notes
Composite Purāṇic compilation with early Śaiva layers; major redactions and regional recensions continued into the second millennium.
Themes
Symbols
Major Characters
- Kartikeya
- Shiva
- Parvati
- Ganesha
- Indra
- Narada
Myths
- Birth of Skanda
- The Slaying of Taraka
- Pilgrimage Mahatmyas
- Skanda as Commander of the Gods
Facts
- Traditionally regarded as the largest Mahāpurāṇa, often cited as ~81,000 verses.
- Combines Skanda’s mythology with extensive tirtha-māhātmyas, especially the Kāśī–Khaṇḍa.
- Preserves early Śaiva theology and institutionalized pilgrimage practices.
- Manuscript evidence shows significant regional recensions and reordering of sections.
- Modern critical scholarship distinguishes an earlier Skandapurāṇa core from later accretions.
- Major khāṇḍas include Kāśī, Avanti, Reva (Narmadā), Prabhāsa, Brahma, and Nagara.
- Narratives include Skanda’s birth, demon-slayings, and marriages to Devasenā and Vallī.
- The text functions as a ritual guide: vows, fasts, expiations, and festival observances.
- Kālabhairava is framed as protector and gatekeeper of Kāśī.
- Reva–Khaṇḍa articulates the sanctity and mythic origin of the river Narmadā.
- Prabhāsa–Khaṇḍa links Śiva’s Somnātha shrine with a wide tīrtha network.
- Ongoing critical editions (Skandapurāṇa Project) continue to refine the early textual core.