Harivamsa is a Sanskrit book describing the history of Hari or
Vishnu. It is derived from ‘Purana-panchalaksana’ and the stories of Lord
Krishna with the herders. It also includes the love affairs of Krishna with the ‘
Gopis’. The book was adapted as an appendix to the
Mahabharata. Harivamsa later took in a large amount of insertion from the passages that constitute the avatar concept. This extension of the text appears to have continued until the 11th century. It was also partially influenced by Sanskrit court poetry.
