Pancharatra Agamas is a collection of sacred texts belonging to the
Vaishnavas. These texts consider
Lord Vishnu to be the supreme god in
Hinduism. It is believed that the lord himself narrated the contents to
Sage Narada. Hence these texts are also termed as Narada Pancharatra.
The texts mostly deal with a variety of topics related to idol worship. There is a detailed description related to the construction of temples. Each aspect involved in the temple construction, beginning from the procession of the temple site to the final installation of the deity’s idol, is covered in these texts. The texts also contain a comprehensive description of the rituals and festivals to be conducted in the temple. There are even chapters dedicated to the atonements to be carried out in case the rituals have been omitted.
Pancharatra Agamas comprises of 215 texts. Out of these, Svara, Ahirbudhnya, Paushkara, Parama, Sattvata, Brihad-Brahma and Jnanamritasara Samhitas are the most important ones.
