Question

Note to moderator: enunciate the very last word of this tossup very carefully. A self-proclaimed (*) "great" book in this genre, sung in the Thousand Pillared Hall after being written to draw the king away from his favorite erotic epic, forms the twelfth and final volume of a "Holy Order" of hymns. A similarly-named genre of stories of pilgrimage sites mirror the "travel guide" sections of "glorification" inserted in these texts. Allegedly, this genre is distinguished by accounts of the solar and lunar dynasties that follow descriptions of creation, re-creation, sacred genealogies, and cosmic cycles as this genre’s "five signs.” Scholars often bemoan the unliterary style of texts in this genre despite their name proclaiming their ■END■

ANSWER: Puranas [accept sthala puranas; accept Periya puranam or Tiruttontarpuranam; prompt on hagiography by asking "What genre is in the name of that text?"] (The first sentence refers to the Periya puranam, which closes the Tirumurai; the second sentence refers to sthala puranas and mahatmyas.)
<Mythology - Mythology>
= Average correct buzz position

Back to tossups

Buzzes

PlayerTeamOpponentBuzz PositionValue
Eric MukherjeeCLEVELAND, THIS IS FOR YOU!I wish it were possible to freeze time so I would never have to watch you retire13210
Arjun VijaykumarAw we're so sorry to hear that maman died today, she gets five big boomsthrow away your cards, rally in the streets132-5
Matthew WangUBCThompson et al.13710
Natan Holtzmanthrow away your cards, rally in the streetsAw we're so sorry to hear that maman died today, she gets five big booms1550

Summary

2024 ARGOS @ Brandeis03/22/2025Y2100%0%0%141.00
2024 ARGOS Online03/22/2025Y367%0%33%134.50