Sahyadrikhanda
Sahyādrikhaṇḍa or Sahyadri Khand, written in Sanskrit, is claimed as a part of Skandapurāṇa.[1] From the old records it can be seen that Sahyādrikhaṇḍa is a later inclusion in the original Skandapurāṇa.[2] It contains the legend of the origin of the Chitpavans.[3]
Description
There is an elaborate description about the creation of Paraśurāma kṣetra. In one place the land is stated to have been created by Paraśurāma by shooting an arrow,[4] while in another place the land is created by throwing an axe. Experts in the field of Archaeology feel that the place where Parashurama's arrow landed is believed to be the present day Goa.[4] The Kannaḍa version contains a brief chapter called as Grāmapaddhati which describes Brāhmaṇa family names and villages, contradicting the original text that describes narrations and stories of different types of fallen Brāhmaṇas.[1] According to Y.C.Bhānumati the Kannaḍa version has no similarities with Sanskrit Sahyādrikhaṇḍa.[5] Many other versions are found in Marāṭhī, Hindi and English.
Chapters
Sanskrit Sahyādrikhaṇḍa contains following chapters, most of the which vary from version to version as it is not a part of original Skandapurāṇa.
In this article the original Sanskrit names of the chapters have been omitted.
The chapters are as follows:[1]
- The origin of Chitpāvana Brāhmaṇas (Sanskrit Version of Sahyādrikhaṇḍa and in copies of same Khaṇḍa found in South India,do not have any reference about Chitpāvanas)[1]
- The origin of Karhāḍa Brāhmaṇas (not a part of the Sanskrit version)[1]
- The Glory of Gomañcalakṣetra[4]
- The origin of different groups of Brāhmaṇas
- The consideration of Brāhmaṇas
- In the praise of land grants
- Demarcation of the villages
- The praise composed by Bhārgava
- Demarcation of inferior villages
- Title not given-related to thirty-two villages
- Story of fallen villages
- Three chapters related to demarcation of fallen villages
- Title not specified-related to the river Sitā
- The story of Mithunāhara Brāhmaṇas
- The story of fallen village
- The fallen village
- The glory of the Kṣetra
- The glory of Mahālingeśa
Citations
- 1 2 3 4 5 Rao, Nagendra. "The Sahyādri khaṇḍa". Brahmanas of South India. pp. 149–161.
- ↑ Shastri, P. (1995) Introduction to the Puranas, New Delhi: Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan, pp.118-20
- ↑ da Cunha, J. Gerson (1877). The Sahyâdri-khaṇḍa of the Skanda purâṃa : a mythological, historical, and geographical account of western India ; first edition of the Sanskrit texts with various readings. Bombay: Thacker, Vining, & Co.
- 1 2 3 Da Cunha, J. Gerson (1877). "Sahyādrikhaṇḍa". Skandapurāṇantargata. pp. 8, 325–326, 331.
- ↑ Y.C.Bhānumati, ed. (1984). Sahyādrikhaṇḍa (in Kannada). Mysore.