The Devi Mahatmya, also called the Durga Saptashati, is an anonymous Sanskrit text forming chapters 81 through 93 of the Markandeya Purana, generally dated by scholars to around 400 to 600 CE, with the Dadhimati Mata inscription of 608 CE quoting it and so fixing a firm outer limit on its composition date. As the text itself, in this primary form, it is the correct source for what the Devi Mahatmya actually presents about the Goddess in her form as Durga, rather than a later devotional summary. Its limit is that, like any Purana, it has no single fixed author or original publication date, the year is deliberately left unset here rather than assigned a false precision the textual scholarship does not support, so a claim about its exact composition date should note that range rather than a single year.
Facts
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An anonymous Sanskrit primary text, part of the Markandeya Purana, read here as the primary source itself rather than through a scholarly intermediary. NotesPublicationYear left NULL because a Purana chapter has no publication date. Composition is generally placed c. 400-600 CE, forming chapters 81-93 of the Markandeya Purana; the Dadhimati Mata inscription of 608 quotes it, which fixes a terminus ante quem.
Citation
AuthorAnonymous
Source Typeprimary-text
Cross-Tradition Connections
Associated With
Durga, Deities This source names Durga directly: "The Devi Mahatmya, also called the Durga Saptashati, is an anonymous Sanskrit text forming chapters 81 through 93 of the Markandeya Purana, generally dated by scholars to around 400 to 600 CE, with..."
Claims Backed By This Source (51 claims)
This source backs 51 claims across the atlas. As facts: 31 well-attested. As cited relationships: 7 holds, 1 connected. Plus 12 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Figures, 17 claims: 11 well-attested, 4 holds, 2 general references.
- Articles, 9 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 connected, 1 general references.
- Scriptures & Texts, 6 claims: 4 well-attested, 2 general references.
- Sources, 6 claims: 5 well-attested, 1 holds.
- Deities, 3 claims: 1 well-attested, 2 general references.
- Holidays & Festivals, 3 claims: 2 holds, 1 general references.
- Religious Events, 3 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Doctrines, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Denominations, 1 claims: 1 general references.
- Subcategories, 1 claims: 1 general references.
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The atlas records no dated fact of its own for this entry, so there is no other year to choose.