Hindu Puranas are a genre of ancient texts originally written in Sanskrit that contain a wide range of legends, cosmological narratives, genealogies, religious teachings, and historical accounts. The Puranas are classified as a type of Smriti literature, which means they are considered human-authored texts and are distinct from the more authoritative Sruti texts like the Vedas. The Puranas were composed in the post-Mahabharata period.
Name of 18 Mahapuranas
Brahma Purana (ब्रह्म पुराण) | Markandeya Purana (मार्कण्डेय पुराण) | Skanda Purana (स्कन्द पुराण) |
Padma Puran (पद्म पुराण) | Agni Puranas (अग्नि पुराण) | Vamana Purana (वामन पुराण) |
Vishnu Purana (विष्णु पुराण) | Bhavishya Purana (भविष्य पुराण) | Kurma Purana (कूर्म पुराण) |
Shiva Purana (शिव पुराण) | Brahma Vaivarta Purana (ब्रह्म वैवर्त पुराण) | Matsya Purana (मत्स्य पुराण) |
Bhagavata Purana (भागवत पुराण) | Linga Purana (लिङ्ग पुराण) | Garuda Purana (गरुड़ पुराण) |
Narada Purana (नारद पुराण) | Varaha Purana (वाराह पुराण) | Brahmanda Purana (ब्रह्माण्ड पुराण) |
Mahapurana is well known, and that what is less well known becomes an Upapurana that is Upapurana is ahistorical, means there is little corroborating evidence. There are also many regional and minor Puranas that focus on specific deities, legends, and traditions associated with different parts of India.
In Devi Bhagavata the Vayu Purana is mentioned instead of the Shiva Purana. The Mahapuranas have also been classified based on a specific deity, although the texts are mixed and revere all gods and goddesses:
All major Puranas contain sections on Devi (goddesses) and Tantra; the six most significant of these are: Markandeya Purana, Shiva Purana, Linga Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Agni Purana and Padma Purana.
- Brahma Puranas: Primarily focus on the mythology and legends associated with the creator deity Brahma. The Brahma Puranas include the Brahma Purana, the Brahmānda Purana, the Brahma Vaivarta Purana, the Markandeya Purana, and the Bhavishya Purana.
- Vishnu Puranas: These Puranas center around the deity Vishnu and his various avatars (incarnations). The Vishnu Puranas include the Vishnu Purana, the Narada Purana, the Garuda Purana, the Padma Purana, and the Varaha Purana.
- Shiva Puranas: These Puranas are dedicated to the deity Shiva and encompass various, legends, and teachings associated with him. The Shiva Puranas include the Shiva Purana, the Linga Purana, the Skanda Purana, the Agni Purana, and the Matsya Purana.
- Skanda Puranas: The Skanda Purana is the largest Purana with 81,000 verses, named after deity Skanda, the son of Shiva and Uma, and brother of deity Ganesha. The text weaves the stories of Shiva and Vishnu, along with Parvati, Rama, Krishna and other major gods.
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