By Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik - Author, Speaker, Illustrator, Mythologist
In Hinduism, the Markandeya Purana is one of the oldest puranas, roughly 1,700-years- old. It is special because it contains the earliest reference to the Devi Bhagavata story in which Durga defeats the buffalo-demon Mahishasura. This reference though is only 1,300-years-old, so it must be a later addition.






