Hindu religious traditions
Skanda Puranaस्कन्द पुराण
Mahapurana
Skanda Purana is one of the eighteen traditionally enumerated Mahapuranas. Its narrative, ritual and theological materials must be read in the context of the chosen recension.
STORY & TRADITION
The world of Skanda Purana.
Skanda Purana is one of the eighteen traditionally enumerated Mahapuranas. Its narrative, ritual and theological materials must be read in the context of the chosen recension.
The Sacred Library
Details & context.
- Tradition dependence
- High — compare the identified textual or regional account.
- Library category
- Puranas
- Form / textual family
- Mahapurana
- Traditional attribution
- An inherited textual tradition; no single historical author is established here.
- Subject & teachings
- Skanda Purana is one of the eighteen traditionally enumerated Mahapuranas. Its narrative, ritual and theological materials must be read in the context of the chosen recension.
- Structure
- Consult the identified edition for chapters, recension and numbering.
- Textual relationships
- Puranas
- Historical context
- Composition, transmission and redaction must be distinguished; no unsupported exact date is assigned.
- Reading notes
- Read the Sanskrit with an identified translation. Commentary is presented by its own school, not as the only interpretation.
- Tradition notes
- Names and accounts can vary by recension, region and commentary. This entry distinguishes attested details from identifications still requiring a passage-level source.
FOLLOW THE THREADS
Connected worlds.
8 connected profiles. Every path leads to an original record.
The Sacred Library1
Characters & Cosmic Entities4
Earthly Sacred Locations2
Realms & Cosmic Worlds1
Kedara-khanda 34 describes Shiva’s Kailasa court and the dice-game story.
Skanda Purana — Shiva and Parvati’s dice gameImage credit.
Bhagavata Purana manuscript, West Bengal, 16th century (?), LACMA M.88.134.4. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. H. Robert Slusser. Image courtesy LACMA, public domain.
Original source · Public domain, released with LACMA's Public Domain High Resolution Image Available designationResized and converted to WebP.
READ THE SOURCES
Texts & references.
Sanskrit Documents — Text editions
Sanskrit electronic texts; check the individual file’s edition and contributors.
Multiple traditions · A text directory is a finding aid. Precise passage-level claims are identified separately when available.Reference overview. Consult the identified text and passage; unestablished fields are explicitly marked.