The
Kalika-Purana (composed c
10th century in
Kamarupa (modern
Assam) is one of the 18
Upapuranas. It is an important work which has been quoted as an authority by
smriti digest writers from all over
India. The Upapurana contains 98 chapters with about 9000 stenzas and is the only work of the series dedicated to recommend the worship of
Kalika, the bride of
Shiva, in one or other of her manifold forms such as
Giri-ja,
Devi,
Bhadra-Kali,
Kali, and
Mahamaya etc. It glorifies mother
goddess Kamakhya, and details the ritual procedures in worshiping the goddess. The work belongs, therefore, to the
Sakta modification of
Hindu belief or worship of the female powers of the
deities. The Upapurana contains gratuitous material which refers to events and conditions from the remote past, some of which are indeed of historical interest. It is also one of the rare Hindu texts that actually mention the word
Hindu.
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