Krista Purana (, lit. 'The Christian Puranas') is an epic poem on the life of Jesus Christ written in a mix of Marathi and Konkani by Thomas Stephens (1549–1619). Adopting the literary form of the Hindu puranas, it retells the entire story of mankind from the creation days to the time of Jesus, in lyrical verse form. The Christian Puranas – 11,000 stanzas of 4 verses – were very popular in the churches of the area where they were sung on special occasions up to the 1930s. Although no copy of the original edition has yet been discovered, it is believed to have been first published at the College of Rachol in 1616, then re-published posthumously in 1649 and 1654.

Editions

Manuscripts

In India

At least five manuscripts of the Krista Purana have been located to date in Goa, India: Apart from CL, the manuscripts are not dated. The chronology will therefore have to be established from internal evidence, taking into account the terminology (Romanized or Sanskritized), the number of cantos and strophes, the interpolations, the Praise of Marathi (missing in the Marsden manuscript), the chapter on the Miracle at Cana (missing in the Marsden manuscript), etc. This will also help us move closer to establishing whether or not the Sanskritized M was the 'original' text of the Krista Purana. At least two manuscripts of the Krista Purana have been located to date in Mangalore, India:

In the United Kingdom

Primary sources