Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic

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Catalogue identifier: kali-0086
Alternate titles and import identifiers: KALI-0086; wilkins_hindu_mythology_1900
Author or attribution: W. J. Wilkins
Record type: Book
Language: English
Date / edition: 1900
Source / repository: Thacker, Spink & Co., Calcutta; W. Thacker & Co., London
Access: Open access
Subjects: Kali Library Research Catalogue; Historical Accounts and Colonial Records; Art, Iconography, and Epigraphic Studies; Philosophy, Theology, and Comparative Religion

Description and curator notes

Wilkins surveys Vedic and Puranic deities, narratives, images and worship in a richly organized historical handbook. The chapter on Uma treats forms of Shiva's consort, including Kali, and gives descriptions of her appearance and stories connected with the goddess. Because Kali is placed beside other goddess forms, the work can support a historical reception shelf and a comparison of name use in English publications. Its presentation draws together textual narratives and observed practice through the categories of a nineteenth-century Christian missionary author. That viewpoint, its evaluative language and its often broad identifications require explicit context; readers should not treat it as the final authority on Hindu doctrine or religious history. The available 1900 edition is complete, with the Vedic and Puranic divisions, chapters on lesser beings, an index and errata. Use the entire book as the bibliographic record and direct readers to the Uma chapter for the most relevant material.

KALI-0086 — Kali Library Research Catalogue.
Access and reliability assessments below are supplied by the curator's 4–5 November 2026 research release, not a new independent verification.

Author / attribution: W. J. Wilkins
Publication: Thacker, Spink & Co., Calcutta; W. Thacker & Co., London · 1900
1900 edition.
Format / language: Historical book / primary devotional or interpretive source · English
Composition / textual history: Original English work; see publication date and edition notes
Identifier: wilkins_hindu_mythology_1900
Kali relevance: Substantial Kali discussion within the chapter on Uma and related goddess forms.
Context: Colonial missionary handbook; catalogue its bias and historical reception value.
Subjects: Historical Accounts and Colonial Records; Art, Iconography, and Epigraphic Studies; Philosophy, Theology, and Comparative Religion
Evidence / reliability: Freely accessible complete historical text; interpretive and historical claims should be compared with modern scholarship.
Access / rights: Complete text checked 2026-11-04. Historical text and translation are public domain in the United States; observe host transcription terms and local law for reuse.

Source and alternate access links:
Read complete text: https://sacred-texts.com/book/hindu-mythology-vedic-and-puranic
Alternate / related form: https://sacred-texts.com/hin/hm/index.htm

Source access

Read or locate the original source at Thacker, Spink & Co., Calcutta; W. Thacker & Co., London

Rights and reading conditions

Complete text checked 2026-11-04. Historical text and translation are public domain in the United States; observe host transcription terms and local law for reuse. This library links to the source and does not reproduce its full text.

Citation

W. J. Wilkins. Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic. Thacker, Spink & Co., Calcutta; W. Thacker & Co., London · 1900.

This page supplies catalogue metadata and links. It does not reproduce the underlying source text. Historical, religious, healing and interpretive claims belong to the cited sources, not to an independent verification by this catalogue.