Puranas - Mahapuranas (महापुराण) and Upapuranas (उपपुराण), Sthala Puranas, Kula Puranas, Other Puranas

In Indian tradition, a set of sacred compositions dating from the Gupta period (AD c.4th-c onwards), dealing with the mythology of Hinduism. They are very important in popular Hinduism.

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Purana (Sanskrit पुराण, purāṇa, meaning "ancient" or "old") is the name of a genre (or a group of related genres) of Indian written literature (as distinct from oral literature).

Included among the texts of distinctly lesser importance that also bear the name Puranas are

Sthala Purāṇas - Scriptures usually extolling the virtues of a certain Hindu temple.

Mahapuranas (महापुराण) and Upapuranas (उपपुराण)

Structure and content

Mahā- (Sanskrit 'great', 'mighty') and Upa- (Sanskrit 'lower', 'additional') Puranas are written in Sanskrit. A Purana usually gives prominence to a certain deity -- (Shiva, Vishnu or Krishna, Durga) -- and depicts the other gods as subservient.

According to the Padma Purana, these are the Mahapuranas and their corresponding qualities:

Goodness (Sattva): Vishnu Purana, Bhagavata Purana, Naradeya Purana, Garuda Purana, Padma Purana, Varaha Purana Passion (Rajas): Brahmanda Purana, Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Markandeya Purana, Bhavishya Purana, Vamana Purana, Brahma Purana Ignorance (Tamas): Matsya Purana, Kurma purana, Linga Purana, Shiva Purana, Skanda Purana, Agni Purana

Some Upapuranas are: Sanat-kumara, Narasimha, Brihan-naradiya, Siva-rahasya, Durvasa, Kapila, Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, Kalika, Samba, Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, Ganesa, and Hamsa.

Special purana :Adhata purana

Apart from the system of classification above mentioned, the Puranas are enumerated and classified in multiple ways. The canonical lists of Puranas vary from place to place and from time to time.

Author and Disemmination

Traditionally, the Puranas are said to have been composed by the sage Vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata epic.

The Puranas, being in Sanskrit, are usually not directly accessible to the common man as read texts. They are, however, available in vernacular translations and are disseminated by Brahmin scholars, who read from them and tell their stories, usually in Katha sessions (in which a travelling brahmin settles for a few weeks in a temple and narrates parts of a Purana, usually with a Bhakti perspective). However, the ancient Itihasa-Purana was probably not exactly the same as the text of the Puranas that we know today. Scholars argue that some contents of the Puranas may date to an earlier period.

Pargiter has argued that in the Puranas, the Puranic Krta Yuga "ended with the destruction of the Haihayas [by Rama Jamadagnya];

Vedic and Puranic genealogies

The Puranas also lay emphasis on keeping a record of genealogies, thus Vayu Purana says: "As seen by good people in the ancient times the suta's duty was to preserve the genealogies of gods, rsis and glorious kings and the traditions of great men."

Notable Puranas

The Bhagavata Purana - It is concerned with Vishnu Bhakti, telling of the exploits and deeds of Vishnu's Avataras. It has become (along with the Devi Mahatmya of the Mārkandeya Purana) a basic text for Devi worshipers. Many untraced quotes from a Purana are conveniently attributed to this Purana.

Sthala Puranas

This corpus of texts narrates the virtues and stories connected with a certain temple or shrine (the word 'Sthala' means 'Place' in Sanskrit). There are numerous Sthala Puranas, most written in vernaculars, some with Sanskrit versions as well.

Kula Puranas

These are mostly caste focused Puranas (the word 'Kula' means 'Family' or 'Tribe' in Sanskrit). The caste purana is an important source for caste identity and is usually contested by other, rival, castes.

Other Puranas

There are many other narratives that go by the name of Purana. These texts, such as the Padma Purana of Bengal and Assam (narrating the story of the goddess Manasā), are vast in number and scattered all over the Indian subcontinent.

Non Hindu Puranas

There are many Jain Puranas, dealing with Jain myths, history and legends.