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The Encyclopaedia is a reliable basis for the knowledge of various customs and beliefs as they are found from the principal (eighteen) Puranas. Unlike other works that collected information regarding various personalities and dynasties, the present on the social perspective, information regarding persons is jotted only where there is a belief attached to such personalities. Here we have information on more than 500 subjects. The method of references followed is as under: (i) In all cases the exact references is given on the main page itself in the brackets which mentions the Purana, Part, chapter and the Verse; (ii) In some important cases actual words of the text, in the Devanagari script are quoted in the notes, in a majority of cases, small citations are given from the concerned Purana, in the Roman script, in the body on the main page. This would help the reader to have an easy access, if he so desires, to the main text by himself; (iii) Comparative information of the earlier, Vedic and Epic sources, is given wherever it was thought necessary in the most scientific way. This is the first effort to present India as reflected in the Puranas as a whole with the utmost critical methodology. In the Index, a large number of common motifs are collected for an easy understanding of the development of the various ideas, beliefs and practices.