Hagiography
Topic: Studying Indian History: Sources, Dating and Historiography · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 4 "Thinkers, Beliefs and Buildings"; Class 12, Ch 2 "Bhakti-Sufi Traditions"
Meaning
A hagiography is a life story of a saint or religious leader, written by followers to praise them. It often includes miracles and may not be true word for word. Historians still value it, because it shows what followers believed and how the saint was remembered. It also often keeps details about the places and customs of its time.
Example
Stories of the Buddha's life, such as the miracles told about his birth, were written down long after he died. They tell us less about the exact facts of his life and more about how Buddhists came to honour him. Lives of bhakti and Sufi saints in medieval India are read in the same way.
Don't confuse with
- Biography: aims to be a factual account of a life. A hagiography mainly aims to praise and inspire.
- Prashasti: a poem praising a king, carved as an inscription. It is not the life story of a saint.
Related concepts
- Sources of history
- Archaeology
- Numismatics
- Archaeo-botany
- Underwater archaeology
- Literary sources
- Oral tradition
- Kalhana
- Rajatarangini
- Indica of Arrian