Indra – The Rise and Fall of a Hero

The Rig Veda has close to 250 hymns dedicated to Indra and about 300 hymns refer to him in association with other gods. Indra is also mentioned in other texts, like the Atharva Veda, the Satapatha Brahmana and, of course, the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. His constant presence in the post-Vedic period, though in stark contrast to his Vedic glory, necessitates an important study of Indra. Scholars, both Indian and international, have studied the intriguing phenomenon called Indra.