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{{about|Hindu texts|other uses|Purana (disambiguation)}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{multiple image
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| footer = Purana Manuscripts from 15th- to 18th-century
| image1 = Page of Text, Folio from a Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of the Lord) LACMA M.82.62.1 (1 of 2).jpg
| image2 = Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of the Lord) Manuscript LACMA M.88.134.4 (2 of 2).jpg
| image3 = Vishnu Discoursing (recto), Prince Worshipping and Discoursing (verso); Folio from a Vaishnava manuscript LACMA M.72.53.27a-b (2 of 2).jpg
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The word '''Puranas''' ({{lang-sa|{{lang|sa|पुराण}}}}, ''{{IAST|purāṇa}}'', {{IPAc-en|p|ʊ|ˈ|r|ɑː|n|ə|z}};<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/purana "Purana"]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.</ref>) literally means "ancient, old",<ref name=merriam>Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, ISBN 0-877790426, page 915</ref> and it is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly myths, legends and other traditional lore.<ref name=oliverleaman437>Greg Bailey (2001), Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy (Editor: Oliver Leaman), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415172813, pages 437-439</ref> Composed primarily in Sanskrit, but also in regional languages,<ref name=johncort185/><ref name=gregorybailey>Gregory Bailey (2003), The Study of Hinduism (Editor: Arvind Sharma), The University of South Carolina Press, ISBN 978-1570034497, page 139</ref> several of these texts are named after major [[Hindu]] deities such as Vishnu, Shiva and Devi.<ref name=ludorocher>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 1-5, 12-21</ref><ref name="Nair 2008 266">{{cite book|last=Nair|first=Shantha N.|title=Echoes of Ancient Indian Wisdom: The Universal Hindu Vision and Its Edifice|year=2008|publisher=Hindology Books|isbn=978-81-223-1020-7|page=266|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ekehXVP3W8wC&pg=PA266}}</ref> The Puranas genre of literature is found in both [[Hinduism]] and [[Jainism]].<ref name=johncort185>John Cort (1993), Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts (Editor: Wendy Doniger), State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791413821, pages 185-204</ref>
The Puranic literature is encyclopedic,<ref name=merriam/> and it includes diverse topics such as [[cosmogony]], [[cosmology]], genealogies of gods, goddesses, kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, folk tales, pilgrimages, temples, medicine, astronomy, grammar, mineralogy, humor, love stories, as well as theology and philosophy.<ref name=oliverleaman437/><ref name=gregorybailey/><ref name=ludorocher/> The content is highly inconsistent across the Puranas, and each Purana has survived in numerous manuscripts which are themselves inconsistent.<ref name=johncort185/> The Hindu Puranas are anonymous texts and likely the work of many authors over the centuries; in contrast, most Jaina Puranas can be dated and their authors assigned.<ref name=johncort185/>
There are 18 ''Maha Puranas'' (Great Puranas) and 18 ''Upa Puranas'' (Minor Puranas),<ref name=corneliadimmitt4/> with over 400,000 verses.<ref name=oliverleaman437/> The first versions of the various Puranas were likely composed between the 3rd- and 10th-century CE.<ref name=collins36/> The Puranas do not enjoy the authority of a scripture in Hinduism,<ref name=corneliadimmitt4>Cornelia Dimmitt (2015), Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas, Temple University Press, ISBN 978-8120839724, page xii, 4</ref> but are considered a [[Smriti]].<ref>Greg Bailey (2001), Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy (Editor: Oliver Leaman), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415172813, page 503</ref>
They have been influential in the [[Hindu culture]], inspiring major national and regional annual festivals of Hinduism.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 12-13, 134-156, 203-210</ref> Their role and value as sectarian religious texts and historical texts has been controversial because all Puranas praise many gods and goddesses and "their sectarianism is far less clear cut" than assumed, states [[Ludo Rocher]].<ref name=ludorochersect>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 21-24, 104-113, 115-126</ref> The religious practices included in them are considered ''Vaidika'' (congruent with Vedic literature), because they do not preach initiation into Tantra.<ref>Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520207783, page xxxix</ref> The [[Bhagavata Purana]] has been among the most celebrated and popular text in the Puranic genre, and is of [[nondualism|non-dualistic]] tenor.<ref name=richardthompson/><ref>Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520207783, page xli</ref> The Puranic literature wove with the [[Bhakti movement]] in India, and both [[Dvaita]] and [[Advaita]] scholars have commented on the underlying Vedantic themes in the ''Maha Puranas''.<ref>BN Krishnamurti Sharma (2008), A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120815759, pages 128-131</ref>
==Etymology==
Douglas Harper states that the etymological origins of ''Puranas'' is from Sanskrit ''Puranah'', literally "ancient, former," from ''pura'' "formerly, before," cognate with Greek ''paros'' "before," ''pro'' "before," Avestan ''paro'' "before," Old English fore, from proto-Indo-European ''*pre-'', from root ''*per-''."<ref>Douglas Harper (2015), [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Purana Purana], Etymology Dictionary</ref>
==Origins==
{{Hinduism}}
[[Vyasa]], the narrator of the [[Mahabharata]], is hagiographically credited as the compiler of the Puranas.<ref>[http://www.dlshq.org/religions/puranas.htm The Puranas by Swami Sivananda]</ref>
The date of the production of the written texts does not define the date of origin of the Puranas.<ref name = Johnson247>{{Harvnb|Johnson|2009|p = 247}}</ref> They existed in an oral form before being written down, and were incrementally modified well into the 16th century.<ref name = Johnson247/><ref>{{Harvnb|Singh|1997|p=2324}}</ref>
An early occurrence of the term 'purana' is found in the [[Chandogya Upanishad]] (7.1.2), translated by [[Patrick Olivelle]] as "the corpus of histories and ancient tales" (The Early Upanisads, 1998, p. 259). The [[Brhadaranyaka Upanishad]] refers to purana as the "fifth Veda",<ref>[[Brhadaranyaka Upanisad]] 2.4.10, 4.1.2, 4.5.11. Satapatha Brahmana (SBE, Vol. 44, pp. 98, 369). {{Harvnb|Moghe|1997|pp=160,249}}</ref> ''{{IAST|itihāsapurāṇaṃ pañcamaṃ vedānāṃ}}'', reflecting the early religious importance of these facts, which over time have been forgotten and presumably then in purely oral form. Importantly, the most famous form of itihāsapurāṇaṃ is the Mahabharata. The term also appears in the [[Atharvaveda]] 11.7.24.{{Sfn|Pargiter|1962|pp=30–54}}<ref name="moghe">{{Harvnb|Moghe|1997|p=249}} and the [[Satapatha Brahmana]] 11.5.6.8. and 13.4.3.13. [[Sacred Books of the East|SBE]] Vol. 44, pp. 98, 369</ref> It is important to bear in mind that perhaps a thousand years separates the occurrence of this term in these Upanisads from 'The Puranas' understood as a unified set of texts (see below), and it is therefore by no means certain that the term as it occurs in the Upanisads has any direct relation to what today is identified as 'The Puranas'. The extant Puranas, states Coburn, are not identical to the original Puranas.<ref>Thomas Colburn (2002), Devī-māhātmya: The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120805576, page 27</ref> Rajendra Hazra notes that Puranas that survive presently do not follow, partially or totally, the characteristic definition of the scope and contents of Puranas as described in ancient non-Puranic Indian texts.<ref>RC Hazra (1987), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120804227, pages 5-7</ref>
In the 19th century, [[F. E. Pargiter]] believed the "original Purana" may date to the time of the final redaction of the Vedas.{{Sfn|Pargiter|1962|pp=30–54}} Gavin Flood connects the rise of the written Purana historically with the rise of devotional cults centring upon a particular deity in the Gupta era: the Puranic corpus is a complex body of materials that advance the views of various competing cults.<ref name="flood" /> [[Wendy Doniger]], based on her study of indologists, assigns approximate dates to the various Puranas. She dates [[Markandeya Purana]] to c. 250 CE (with one portion dated to c. 550 CE), [[Matsya Purana]] to c. 250–500 CE, [[Vayu Purana]] to c. 350 CE, [[Harivamsa]] and [[Vishnu Purana]] to c. 450 CE, [[Brahmanda Purana]] to c. 350–950 CE, [[Vamana Purana]] to c. 450–900 CE, [[Kurma Purana]] to c. 550–850 CE, and [[Linga Purana]] to c. 600–1000 CE.<ref name=collins36>{{cite book|last=Collins|first=Charles Dillard|title=The Iconography and Ritual of Śiva at Elephanta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQNi6kAGJQ4C&pg=PA36|year=1988|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-88706-773-0|page=36}}</ref>
==Texts==
===Mahapuranas===
Of the many texts designated 'Puranas' the most important are the ''{{IAST|Mahāpurāṇa}}s'' or the major Puranas.<ref name=corneliadimmitt4/> These are said to be eighteen in number, divided into three groups of six, though they are not always counted in the same way.
{| class="wikitable sortable"|-
!S.No. !! Purana name !! Verses number !! Comments
|-
| 1 || [[Agni Purana|Agni]] || 15,400 verses || Contains encyclopedic information. Includes geography of Mithila ([[Bihar]] and neighboring states), cultural history, politics, education system, iconography, taxation theories, organization of army, theories on proper causes for war, diplomacy, local laws, building public projects, water distribution methods, trees and plants, medicine, Vastu Shastra (architecture), gemology, grammar, metrics, poetry, food, rituals and numerous other topics.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 134-137</ref>
|-
| 2 || [[Bhagavata Purana|Bhagavata]] || 18,000 verses || The most studied and popular of the Puranas,<ref name=richardthompson>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Richard L.|title=The Cosmology of the Bhagavata Purana 'Mysteries of the Sacred Universe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TZmDSr-1msC&pg=PA10|year=2007|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers|isbn=978-81-208-1919-1|page=10}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Monier-Williams|1899|p=752}}, column 3, under the entry ''Bhagavata.''</ref> telling of Vishnu's [[Avatar]]s, and of Vaishnavism. It contains a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.<ref name=ludorocher115/> Numerous inconsistent versions of this text and historical manuscripts exist, in many Indian languages.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 139-149</ref> Influential and elaborated during [[Bhakti movement]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Hardy|2001}}</ref>
|-
| 3 || [[Brahma Purana|Brahma]] || 10,000 verses || Sometimes also called Adi Purana, because many Mahapuranas lists put it first of 18.<ref name=ludorocher154/> The text has 245 chapters, shares many passages with Vishnu, Vayu, Markendeya Puranas, and with the [[Mahabharata]]. Includes mythology, theory of war, art work in temples, and other cultural topics. Describes holy places in [[Odisha]], and weaves themes of Vishnu and Shiva, but hardly any mention of deity Brahma despite the title.<ref name=ludorocher154>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 154-156</ref>
|-
| 4 || [[Brahmanda Purana|Brahmanda]] || 12,000 verses || One of the earliest composed Puranas, it contains a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.<ref name=ludorocher115/> Includes [[Lalita Sahasranamam]], law codes, system of governance, administration, diplomacy, trade, ethics. Old manuscripts of Brahmanda Purana have been found in the Hindu literature collections of [[Bali]], Indonesia.<ref>H Hinzler (1993), [http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/22134379-90003116%3Fcrawler%3Dtrue Balinese palm-leaf manuscripts], In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Landen Volkenkunde, Manuscripts of Indonesia 149 (1993), No 3, Leiden: BRILL, page 442</ref><ref name=ludorocher78encyl>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, page 78-79</ref>
|-
| 5 || [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana|Brahmavaivarta]] || 17,000 verses || Discusses Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Devis, Vishnu, Krishna and Radha. Primarily mythology, love and seduction stories of gods and goddesses.<ref>Giorgio Bonazzoli (1977), Seduction Stories in the Brahmavaivarta Purana, Purana, Vol. XIX, No. 2, pages 321-341</ref> Mentions geography and rivers such as [[Ganga]] to [[Kaveri]].
|-
| 6 || [[Garuda Purana|Garuda]] || 19,000 verses || An encyclopedia of diverse topics.<ref name=ludorocher78encyl/> Primarily about Vishnu, but praises all gods. Describes how Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma collaborate. Many chapters are a dialogue between Vishnu and the bird-vehicle [[Garuda]]. Cosmology, Describes cosmology, relationship between gods. Discusses ethics, what are crimes, good verses evil, various schools of Hindu philosophies, the theory of Yoga, the theory of "heaven and hell" with "karma and rebirth", includes Upanishadic discussion of self-knowledge as a means of [[moksha]].<ref name=mnduttgaruda/> Includes chapters on rivers, geography of Bharat (India) and other nations on earth, types of minerals and stones, testing methods for stones for their quality, various diseases and their symptoms, various medicines, aphrodisiacs, prophylactics, Hindu calendar and its basis, astronomy, moon, planets, astrology, architecture, building home, essential features of a temple, rites of passage, virtues such as compassion, charity and gift making, economy, thrift, duties of a king, politics, state officials and their roles and how to appointment them, genre of literature, rules of grammar, and other topics.<ref name=mnduttgaruda/> The final chapters discuss how to practice [[Yoga]] (Samkhya and Advaita types), personal development and the benefits of self-knowledge.<ref name=mnduttgaruda>MN Dutt, [https://archive.org/stream/garudapuranam00duttgoog#page/n4/mode/2up The Garuda Purana] Calcutta (1908)</ref>
|-
| 7 || [[Kurma Purana|Kurma]] || 17,000 verses || Is the second of ten major avatars of Lord Vishnu.
|-
| 8 || [[Linga Purana|Linga]] || 11,000 verses || Discusses [[Lingam]], symbol of Shiva, and origin of the universe. It also contains many stories of Lingam, one of which entails how Agni Lingam solved a dispute between Vishnu and Brahma.
|-
| 9 || [[Markandeya Purana|Markandeya]] || 9,000 verses || Describes [[Vindhya Range]] and western India. Probably composed in the valleys of [[Narmada]] and [[Tapti]] rivers, in [[Maharashtra]] and [[Gujarat]].<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 70-71</ref> Named after sage Markandeya, a student of Brahma. Contains chapters on [[dharma]] and on Hindu epic Mahabharata.<ref>RC Hazra (1987), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120804227, pages 8-11</ref> The Purana includes [[Devi Mahatmya]]m of [[Shaktism]].
|-
| 10 || [[Matsya Purana|Matsya]] || 14,000 verses || An encyclopedia of diverse topics.<ref name=ludorocher78encyl/> Narrates the story of [[Matsya]], the first of ten major [[Avatar]]s of Vishnu. Likely composed in west India, by people aware of geographical details of the [[Narmada]] river. Includes legends about Brahma and Saraswati.<ref>Catherine Ludvik (2007), Sarasvatī, Riverine Goddess of Knowledge, BRILL, ISBN 978-9004158146, pages 139-141</ref> It also contains a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.<ref name=ludorocher115/>
|-
| 11 || [[Narada Purana|Narada]] || 25,000 verses || Also called Naradiya Purana. Discusses the four [[Veda]]s and the six [[Vedanga]]s. Dedicates one chapter each, from Chapters 92 to 109, to summarize the other 17 Maha Puranas and itself. Lists major rivers of India and places of pilgrimage, and a short tour guide for each. Includes discussion of various philosophies, soteriology, planets, astronomy, myths and characteristics of major deities including Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Krishna, Rama, Lakshmi and others.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 202-203</ref>
|-
| 12 || [[Padma Purana|Padma]] || 55,000 verses || A large compilation of diverse topics. The north Indian manuscripts of Padma Purana are very different than south Indian versions, and the various recensions in both groups in different languages (Devanagari and Bengali, for example) show major inconsistencies.<ref name="ludorocher2021"/> Describes cosmology, the world and nature of life from the perspective of Vishnu. Discusses festivals, numerous legends, geography of rivers and regions from northwest India to [[Bengal]] to the kingdom of [[Tripura]], major sages of India, various Avatars of Vishnu and his cooperation with Shiva, the story of Rama-Sita that is different than the Hindu epic [[Ramayana]].<ref name=ludorocherpadma>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 209-215</ref> Like Skanda Purana, it is a detailed treatise on travel and pilgrimage centers in India.<ref name=ludorocherpadma/><ref>Klaus Klostermaier (2007), A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791470824, pages 281-283 with footnotes on page 553</ref>
|-
| 13 || [[Shiva Purana|Shiva]] || 24,000 verses || Discusses Shiva, and stories about him.
|-
| 14 || [[Skanda Purana|Skanda]] || 81,100 verses || Describes the birth of Skanda (or Karthikeya), son of Shiva. The longest Purana, it is an extraordinarily meticulous pilgrimage guide, containing geographical locations of pilgrimage centers in India, with related legends, parables, hymns and stories. Many untraced quotes are attributed to this text.<ref name="wendy1">{{Harvnb|Doniger|1993|pp=59–83}}</ref>
|-
| 15 || [[Vamana Purana|Vamana]] || 10,000 verses || Describes [[North India]], particularly Himalayan foothills region.
|-
| 16 || [[Varaha Purana|Varaha]] || 24,000 verses || Primarily Vishnu-related worship manual, with large ''Mahatmya'' sections or travel guide to Mathura and Nepal.<ref name=rchazra96>RC Hazra (1940), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass (1987 Reprint), ISBN 978-8120804227, pages 96-97</ref> Presentation focuses on Varaha as incarnation of Narayana, but rarely uses the terms Krishna or Vasudeva.<ref name=rchazra96/> Many illustrations also involve Shiva and [[Durga]].<ref>{{citation|last=Wilson|first=Horace H.|title=The Vishṅu Purāṅa: a system of Hindu mythology and tradition Volume 1 of 4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Xo-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PR71|year=1864|publisher=Trübner|page=LXXI}}</ref>
|-
| 17 || [[Vayu Purana|Vayu]] || 24,000 verses || Possibly the oldest of all Maha Puranas. Some medieval Indian texts call it Vayaviya Purana. Mentioned and studied by [[Al Biruni]], the 11th century Persian visitor to India. Praises Shiva. Discusses rituals, family life, and life stages of a human being. The content in Vayu Purana is also found in Markandeya Purana. Describes south India, particularly modern [[Telangana]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]] regions. It contains a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.<ref name=ludorocher115/>
|-
| 18 || [[Vishnu Purana|Vishnu]] || 23,000 verses || One of the most studied and circulated Puranas, it also contains a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.<ref name=ludorocher115/> Better preserved after the 17th century, but exists in inconsistent versions, more ancient pre-15th century versions are very different from modern versions, with some versions discussing Buddhism and Jainism. Some chapters likely composed in Kashmir and Punjab region of South Asia. A Vaishnavism text, focussed on Vishnu.<ref>{{citation|last=Lochtefeld|first=James G.|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g6FsB3psOTIC&pg=PA760|year=2002|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8239-3180-4|page=760}}</ref>
|}
The Mahapuranas have also been classified based on a specific deity, although the texts are mixed and revere all gods and goddesses:
{| class="wikitable"|-
| [[Brahma|Brāhma]]:<ref name=ludorocher2021>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 59-61</ref> || [[Brahma Purana]], [[Padma Purana]]
|-
| [[Surya]]:<ref name=ludorocher2021/> || [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana]]{{refn|group=note|This text underwent a near complete rewrite in or after 15th/16th century CE, and almost all extant manuscripts are Vaishnava (Krishna) bhakti oriented.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 161-164</ref>}}
|-
| [[Agni]]:<ref name=ludorocher2021/> || [[Agni Purana]]{{refn|group=note|Like all Puranas, this text underwent extensive revisions and rewrite in its history; the extant manuscripts are predominantly an encyclopedia, and so secular in its discussions of gods and goddesses that scholars have classified as [[Smarta Tradition|Smartism]], [[Shaktism]], [[Vaishnavism]] and [[Shaivism]] Purana.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 20-22, 134-137</ref>}}
|-
| [[Shaiva|Śaiva]]:<ref name=ludorocher2021/> || [[Shiva Purana]], [[Linga Purana]], [[Skanda Purana]], [[Varaha Purana]],{{refn|group=note|name=v1}}{{refn|group=note|name=v2}} [[Vamana Purana|Vāmana Purana]],{{refn|group=note|name=v1|This text is named after a Vishnu avatar, but extant manuscripts praise all gods and goddesses equally with some versions focusing more on Shiva.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 35, 185, 199, 239-242</ref>}} [[Kurma Purana|Kūrma Purana]],{{refn|group=note|name=v1}} [[Matsya Purana]],{{refn|group=note|name=v1}} [[Mārkandeya Purana]],{{refn|group=note|This text includes the famous Devi-Mahatmya, one of the most important Goddess-related text of the [[Shaktism]] tradition in Hinduism.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 191-192</ref>}} [[Bhavishya Purana]], [[Brahmānda Purana]]
|-
| [[Vaishnava|Vaiṣṇava]]:<ref name=ludorocher2021/> || [[Vishnu Purana]], [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Nāradeya Purana]], [[Garuda Purana]], [[Vayu Purana]], [[Varaha Purana]]{{refn|group=note|name=v2|Hazra includes this in Vaishnava category.<ref name=rchazra96/>}}
|}
The [[Padma Purana]], Uttara Khanda (236.18-21),<ref>{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=H. H.|authorlink=Horace Hayman Wilson|title=The Vishnu Purana: A system of Hindu mythology and tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DgMxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PR12|year=1840|publisher=Oriental Translation Fund|page=12}}</ref> itself a Vaishnava Purana, classifies the Puranas in accordance with ''[[Guna|the three gunas]] or qualities''; [[Sattva|truth]], [[Rajas|passion]], and [[Tamas (philosophy)|ignorance]].
{| class="wikitable"|-
| [[Sattva]]<br>("truth"){{refn|group=note|name=srt|Scholars consider the ''Sattva-Rajas-Tamas'' classification as "entirely fanciful" and there is nothing in each text that actually justifies this classification.<ref name=ludorocher2021/>}} || [[Vishnu Purana]], [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Naradeya Purana]], [[Garuda Purana]], [[Padma Purana]], [[Varaha Purana]]
|-
| [[Rajas]]<br>("passion"){{refn|group=note|name=srt}} || [[Brahmanda Purana]], [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana]], [[Markandeya Purana]], [[Bhavishya Purana]], [[Vamana Purana]], [[Brahma Purana]]
|-
| [[Tamas (philosophy)|Tamas]]<br>("ignorance"){{refn|group=note|name=srt}} || [[Matsya Purana]], [[Kurma Purana|Kurma purana]], [[Linga Purana]], [[Shiva Purana]], [[Skanda Purana]], [[Agni Purana]]
|}
All major Puranas contain sections on [[Devi]] (goddesses) and [[Tantra]], but of these the six most significant ones are: [[Markandeya Purana]], [[Shiva Purana]], [[Linga Purana]], [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana]], [[Agni Purana]] and [[Padma Purana]].<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 113-114, 153-154, 161, 167-169, 171-174, 182-187, 190-194, 210, 225-227, 242</ref>
===Upapuranas===
[[File:Ashta-Matrika.jpg|thumb|300px|The Goddess [[Durga]] Leading the Eight [[Matrikas]] in Battle Against the Demon [[Raktabija]], Folio from [[Devi Mahatmya]]m, Markandeya Purana.]]
{{main|Upapurana}}
The difference between Upapuranas and Mahapuranas has been explained by Rajendra Hazra as, "a Mahapurana is well known, and that what is less well known becomes an Upapurana".<ref name="Ludo Rocher 1986 page 63">Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, page 63</ref> Rocher states that the distinction between Mahapurana and Upapurana is ahistorical, there is little corroborating evidence that either were more or less known, and that "the term Mahapurana occurs rarely in Purana literature, and is probably of late origin."<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, page 68</ref>
The ''Upapuranas'' are eighteen in number, with disagreement as to which canonical titles belong in that list of eighteen. They include among many: Sanat-kumara, [[Narasimha Purana|Narasimha]], Brihan-naradiya, Siva-rahasya, Durvasa, [[Kapila Purana|Kapila]], Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, [[Kalika Purana|Kalika]], [[Samba Purana|Samba]], Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, [[Ganesha Purana|Ganesha]], [[Mudgala Purana|Mudgala]], and Hamsa, with only a few having been critically edited.<ref>R. C. Hazra, ''Studies in the Upapuranas, vol. I'', Calcutta, Sanskrit College, 1958. ''Studies in the Upapuranas, vol. II'', Calcutta, Sanskrit College, 1979. ''Studies in Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs'', Delhi, Banarsidass, 1975. Ludo Rocher, ''The Puranas - A History of Indian Literature Vol. II'', fasc. 3, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1986.</ref><ref>''`Verbal Narratives: Performance and Gender of the Padma Purana'', by T.N. Sankaranarayana in {{Harvnb|Kaushal|2001|pp=225–234}}</ref>
The Ganesha and Mudgala Puranas are devoted to [[Ganesha]].<ref name=Thapan>{{Harvnb|Thapan|1997|p=304}}</ref><ref>[http://gurjari.net/ico/Mystica/html/purana.htm Purana at Gurjari]</ref> The [[Devi-Bhagavata Purana]], which extols the goddess [[Durga]], has become (along with the Devi Mahatmya of the Markandeya Purana) a basic text for [[Devi]] worshipers.<ref>{{Harvnb|Mackenzie|1990}}</ref>
===Sthala Puranas===
This corpus of texts tells of the origins and traditions of particular Tamil Shiva temples or shrines. There are numerous Sthala Puranas, most written in [[vernacular]]s, some with Sanskrit versions as well. The 275 Shiva Sthalams of the continent have puranas for each, famously glorified in the [[Tamil literature]] ''[[Tevaram]].'' Some appear in Sanskrit versions in the Mahapuranas or Upapuranas. Some Tamil Sthala Puranas have been researched by [[David Dean Shulman]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Shulman|1980}}</ref>
===Skanda Purana===
The Skanda Purana is the largest Purana with 81,000 verses,<ref name=stephenknapp44>Stephen Knapp (2005), The Heart of Hinduism, ISBN 978-0595350759, pages 44-45</ref> named after deity [[Kartikeya|Skanda]], the son of Shiva and Uma, and brother of deity Ganesha.<ref>Yves Bonnefoy and Wendy Doniger (1993), Asian Mythologies, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0226064567, pages 92-95</ref> The mythological part of the text weaves the stories of Shiva and Vishnu, along with Parvati, Rama, Krishna and other major gods in Hindu pantheon.<ref name=stephenknapp44/> In Chapter 1.8, it declares,
{{Quote|
Vishnu is nobody but Shiva, and he who is called Shiva is but identical with Vishnu.
|Skanda Purana|1.8.20-21<ref>Gregor Maehle (2009), Ashtanga Yoga, New World, ISBN 978-1577316695, page 17</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/stream/SriSkandaPuranam-SankaraSamhitaPart1#page/n31/mode/2up Skanda Purana] Shankara Samhita Part 1, Verses 1.8.20-21 (Sanskrit)</ref>}}
The Skanda Purana has received renewed scholarship interest ever since the late 20th-century discovery of a [[Nepal]]ese Skanda Purana manuscript dated to be from early 9th-century. This discovery established that Skanda Purana existed by the 9th century. However, a comparison shows that the 9th-century document is entirely different than versions of Skanda Purana that have been circulating in South Asia since the colonial era.<ref name="R Andriaensen 1994 pages 325-331">R Andriaensen et al (1994), Towards a critical edition of the Skandapurana, Indo-Iranian Journal, Vol. 37, pages 325-331</ref>
==Content==
[[File:A Thailand representation of Hindu mythology on cosmos creation.jpg|thumb|300px|The Puranas include cosmos creation myths such as the ''Samudra Manthan'' (churning of the ocean). These ideas spread to southeast Asia. It is represented in the [[Angkor Wat]] temple complex of [[Cambodia]], and at Bangkok airport, [[Thailand]] (above).]]
Several Puranas, such as the Matysa Purana,<ref>''Matsya Purana'' 53.65</ref> list "five characteristics" or "five signs" of a Purana.<ref name=oliverleaman437/> These are called the ''Pancha Lakshana'' ( {{IAST|pañcalakṣaṇa}}), and are topics covered by a Purana:<ref name=oliverleaman437/><ref name=Rao>{{Harvnb|Rao|1993|pp=85–100}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Johnson|2009|p = 248 }}</ref>
#''Sarga'': [[cosmogony]]
#''Pratisarga'': cosmogony and [[cosmology]]<ref>Jonathan Edelmann (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 48-62</ref>
#''Vamśa'': [[genealogy]] of the gods, sages and kings<ref>Vayu Purana 1. 31-2.</ref>
#''Manvañtara'': cosmic cycles,<ref>RC Hazra (1987), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120804227, page 4</ref> history of the world during the time of one patriarch
#''Vamśānucaritam'': legends during the times of various kings.
A few Puranas, such as the most popular Bhagavata Purana, add five more characteristics to expand this list to ten:<ref name=gregbailey440/>
#<li value="6">''Utaya'': [[karma|karmic]] links between the deities, sages, kings and the various living beings</li>
#''Ishanukatha'': tales about a god
#''Nirodha'': finale, cessation
#''Mukti'': [[moksha]], spiritual liberation
#''Ashraya'': refuge
These five or ten sections weave in biographies, myths, geography, medicine, astronomy, Hindu temples, pilgrimage to distant real places, rites of passage, charity, ethics,<ref>Gopal Gupta (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 63-75</ref> duties, rights, dharma, divine intervention in cosmic and human affairs, love stories,<ref>Graham Schweig (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 117-132</ref> festivals, theosophy and philosophy.<ref name=oliverleaman437/><ref name=gregorybailey/><ref name=ludorocher/> The Puranas link gods to men, both generally and in religious [[bhakti]] context.<ref name=gregbailey440/> Here the Puranic literature follows a general pattern. It starts with introduction, a future devotee is described as ignorant about the god yet curious, the devotee learns about the god and this begins the spiritual realization, the text then describes instances of god's grace which begins to persuade and convert the devotee, the devotee then shows devotion which is rewarded by the god, the reward is appreciated by the devotee and in return performs actions to express further devotion.<ref name=gregbailey440>Greg Bailey (2001), Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy (Editor: Oliver Leaman), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415172813, pages 440-443</ref>
Over time, states Om Prakash, chapters and verses from one Purana were transferred or interpolated into another Purana. Similarly, texts from Vedic literature, Smritis and Sutras were incorporated into the Puranas, older verses were replaced with new ones, thereby creating manuscripts with the same name but inconsistent content.<ref name=rajhazra6>RC Hazra (1987), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120804227, pages 6-9 with footnotes</ref> The content about kings, history of various people, sages and kingdoms are in part based on real events, in part [[hagiography]], and in part expansive imagination or fabrication.<ref name=rajhazra6/> The high degree of inconsistency and manuscript corruption occurred particularly from the 12th century onwards, evidenced by cross referencing across the texts; Matsya Purana, for example, stated that Kurma Purana has 18,000 verses, while Agni Purana asserts the same text has 8,000 verses, and Naradiya attests that Kurma manuscript has 17,000 verses.<ref name=rajhazra6/>
Along with inconsistencies, common ideas are found throughout the corpus but it is not possible to trace the lines of influence of one Purana upon another so the corpus is best viewed as a synchronous whole.<ref name="flood">{{Harvnb|Flood|1996|p = 359 }}</ref> An example of similar myths woven across the Puranas, but in different versions, include the ''lingabhava'' – the "apparition of the [[linga]]". The story features Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the three major deities of Hinduism, who get together, debate, and after various versions of the story, in the end the glory of Shiva is established by the apparition of linga. This myth, state Bonnefoy and Doniger, appears in Vayu Purana 1.55, Brahmanda Purana 1.26, Shiva Purana's Rudra Samhita Sristi Khanda 15, Skanda Purana's chapters 1.3, 1.16 and 3.1, and other Puranas.<ref name=yveswendy38>Yves Bonnefoy and Wendy Doniger (1993), Asian Mythologies, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0226064567, pages 38-39</ref>
The texts are in Sanskrit as well as regional languages,<ref name=johncort185/><ref name=gregorybailey/> and almost entirely in narrative metric couplets.<ref name=merriam/>
===Symbolism and layers of meaning===
The texts use ideas, concepts and even names that are symbolic.<ref name=yveswendy38/> The words can interpreted literally, and at an [[axiology|axiological]] level.<ref>Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 130-132</ref> The [[Vishnu Purana]], for example, recites a myth where the names of the characters are loaded with symbolism and axiological significance. The myth is as follows,
{{Quote|
The progeny of [[Dharma]] by the daughters of Daksha were as follows: by Sraddhá (devotion) he had [[Kama]] (desire); by Lakshmí (wealth, prosperity), was born Darpa (pride); by Dhriti (courage), the progeny was [[Niyama]] (precept); by Tusht́i (inner comfort), [[Santosha]] (contentment); by Pusht́i (opulence), the progeny was Lobha (cupidity, greed); by Medhá (wisdom, experience), Sruta (sacred tradition); by Kriyá (hard work, labour), the progeny were Dańd́a, Naya, and Vinaya (justice, politics, and education); by Buddhi (intellect), Bodha (understanding); by Lajjá (shame, humility), Vinaya (good behaviour); by Vapu (body, strength), Vyavasaya (perseverance). Shanti (peace) gave birth to [[Forgiveness#Hinduism|Kshama]] (forgiveness); Siddhi (excellence) to Sukha (enjoyment); and Kírtti (glorious speech) gave birth to Yasha (reputation). These were the sons of Dharma; one of whom, Kama (love, emotional fulfillment) had baby Hersha (joy) by his wife Nandi (delight).
The wife of Adharma (vice, wrong, evil) was Hinsá (violence), on whom he begot a son Anrita (falsehood), and a daughter Nikriti (immorality): they intermarried, and had two sons, Bhaya (fear) and Naraka (hell); and twins to them, two daughters, Máyá (deceit) and Vedaná (torture), who became their wives. The son of Bhaya (fear) and Máyá (deceit) was the destroyer of living creatures, or Mrityu (death); and Dukha (pain) was the offspring of Naraka (hell) and Vedaná (torture). The children of Mrityu were Vyádhi (disease), Jará (decay), Soka (sorrow), Trishńa (greediness), and Krodha (wrath). These are all called the inflictors of misery, and are characterised as the progeny of Vice (Adharma). They are all without wives, without posterity, without the faculty to procreate; they perpetually operate as causes of the destruction of this world. On the contrary, Daksha and the other Rishis, the elders of mankind, tend perpetually to influence its renovation: whilst the Manus and their sons, the heroes endowed with mighty power, and treading in the path of truth, as constantly contribute to its preservation.
|Vishnu Purana|Chapter 7, Translated by [[Horace Hayman Wilson]]<ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp041.htm Vishnu Purana] Chapter 7</ref>}}
===Puranas as a complement to the Vedas===
[[File:Krishna and the Gopis (herdsmaids).jpg|thumb|The mythology in the Puranas has inspired many [[relief]]s and sculptures found in [[Hindu temple]]s.<ref>Sara Schastok (1997), The Śāmalājī Sculptures and 6th Century Art in Western India, BRILL, ISBN 978-9004069411, pages 77-79, 88</ref> The legend behind the Krishna and Gopis relief above is described in the Bhagavata Purana.<ref>Edwin Bryant (2007), Krishna : A Sourcebook: A Sourcebook, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195148923, pages 111-119</ref>]]
The Puranic literature, stated [[Max Muller]], is independent, has changed often over its history, and has little relation to the Vedic age or the Vedic literature.<ref name=ludorocher13>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 13-16</ref> Some scholars suggest that the Puranas claim a link to the Vedas but in name only, not in substance.<ref name=ludorocher13/> Yet a third group of scholars state that the link is there, at least in spiritual themes and theology. The Puranas aim to complement the Vedic literature, interpret its theories, and help spread the ideas therein.<ref name=ludorocher13/><ref>Barbara Holdrege (1995), Veda and Torah: Transcending the Textuality of Scripture, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791416402, pages 95-97</ref>
===Puranas as encyclopedias===
The Puranas, states Kees Bolle, are best seen as "vast, often encyclopedic" works from ancient and medieval India.<ref>Kee Bolle (1963), [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1062068 Reflections on a Puranic Passage], History of Religions, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Winter, 1963), pages 286-291</ref> Some of them, such as the Agni Purana and Matsya Purana, cover all sorts of subjects, dealing with – states Rocher – "anything and everything", from fiction to facts, from practical recipes to abstract philosophy, from geographic ''Mahatmyas'' (travel guides){{Sfn|Ariel Glucklich|2008|p=146, '''Quote:''' The earliest promotional works aimed at tourists from that era were called ''mahatmyas''}} to cosmetics, from festivals to astronomy.<ref name=gregorybailey/><ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 1-5, 12-21, 79-80, 96-98; Quote: '''These are the true encyclopedic Puranas. in which detached chapters or sections, dealing with any imaginable subject, follow one another, without connection or transition. Three Puranas especially belong to this category: Matsya, Garuda and above all Agni.'''</ref> Like encyclopedias, they were updated to remain current with their times, by a process called ''Upabrimhana''.<ref>Ronald Inden (2000), Querying the Medieval : Texts and the History of Practices in South Asia, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195124309, pages 94-95</ref> However, some of the 36 major and minor Puranas are more focussed handbooks, such as the Skanda Purana, Padma Purana and Bhavishya Purana which deal primarily with ''Tirtha Mahatmyas'' (pilgrimage travel guides),{{Sfn|Ariel Glucklich|2008|p=146, '''Quote:''' The earliest promotional works aimed at tourists from that era were called ''mahatmyas''}} while Vayu Purana and Brahmanda Purana focus more on history, mythology and legends.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 78-79</ref>
===Puranas as religious texts===
The colonial era scholars of Puranas studied them primarily as religious texts, with Vans Kennedy declaring in 1837, that any other use of these documents would be disappointing.<ref name=ludorocher104/> [[John Zephaniah Holwell]], who from 1732 onwards spent 30 years in India and was elected Fellow of the [[Royal Society]] in 1767, described the Puranas as "18 books of divine words".<ref name=ursapp/> British officials and researchers such as Holwell, states Urs App, were [[orientalism|orientalist]] scholars who introduced a distorted picture of Indian literature and Puranas as "sacred scriptures of India" in 1767. Holwell, states Urs App, "presented it as the opinion of knowledgeable Indians; But it is abundantly clear that no knowledgeable Indian would ever have said anything remotely similar".<ref name=ursapp>Urs App (2010), The Birth of Orientalism, University of Pennsylvania Press, ISBN 978-0812242614, pages 331, 323-334</ref>
Modern scholarship doubts this 19th-century premise.<ref>Jan Gonda (1975), Selected Studies: Indo-European linguistics, BRILL, ISBN 978-9004042285, pages 51-86</ref> Ludo Rocher, for example, states,
{{Quote|
I want to stress the fact that it would be irresponsible and highly misleading to speak of or pretend to describe the religion of the Puranas.
|[[Ludo Rocher]]|The Puranas<ref name=ludorocher104>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 104-106 with footnotes</ref>}}
The study of Puranas as a religious text remains a controversial subject.<ref>Ronald Inden (2000), Querying the Medieval : Texts and the History of Practices in South Asia, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195124309, pages 87-98</ref> Some Indologists, in colonial tradition of scholarship, treat the Puranic texts as scriptures or useful source of religious contents.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 19-20</ref> Other scholars, such as Ronald Inden, consider this approach "essentialist and antihistorical" because the Purana texts changed often over time and over distance, and the underlying presumption of they being religious texts is that those changes are "Hinduism expressed by a religious leader or philosopher", or "expressiveness of Hindu mind", or "society at large", when the texts and passages are literary works and "individual geniuses of their authors".<ref>Ronald Inden (2000), Querying the Medieval : Texts and the History of Practices in South Asia, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195124309, pages 95-96</ref>
====Jainism====
The Jaina Puranas are like Hindu Puranas encyclopedic epics in style, and are considered as ''anuyogas'' (expositions), but they are not considered [[Jain Agamas]] and do not have scripture or quasi-canonical status in Jainism tradition.<ref name=johncort185/> They are best described, states John Cort, as post-scripture literary corpus based upon themes found in Jain scriptures.<ref name=johncort185/>
====Sectarian, pluralistic or monotheistic theme====
Scholars have debated whether the Puranas should be categorized as sectarian, or non-partisan, or monotheistic religious texts.<ref name=ludorochersect/><ref name=bryant11/> Different Puranas describe a number of stories where Brahma, VIshnu and Shiva compete for supremacy.<ref name=bryant11/> In some Puranas, such as [[Devi Bhagavata]], the Goddess Devi joins the competition and ascends for the position of being Supreme. Further, most Puranas emphasize legends around one who is either Shiva, or Vishnu, or Devi.<ref name=ludorochersect/> The texts thus appear to be sectarian. However, states Edwin Bryant, while these legends sometimes appear to be partisan, they are merely acknowledging the obvious question of whether one or the other is more important, more powerful. In the final analysis, all Puranas weave their legends to celebrate pluralism, and accept the other two and all gods in Hindu pantheon as personalized form but equivalent essence of the Ultimate Reality called [[Brahman]].<ref>EO James (1997), The Tree of Life, BRILL Academic, ISBN 978-9004016125, pages 150-153</ref><ref>Barbara Holdrege (2015), Bhakti and Embodiment, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415670708, pages 113-114</ref> The Puranas are not spiritually partisan, states Bryant, but "accept and indeed extol the transcendent and absolute nature of the other, and of the Goddess Devi too".<ref name=bryant11>Edwin Bryant (2003), Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God: Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Penguin, ISBN 978-0141913377, pages 10-12</ref>
{{Quote|
[The Puranic text] merely affirm that the other deity is to be considered a derivative manifestation of their respective deity, or in the case of Devi, the ''Shakti'', or power of the male divinity. The term monotheism, if applied to the Puranic tradition, needs to be understood in the context of a supreme being, whether understood as Vishnu, Shiva or Devi, who can manifest himself or herself as other supreme beings.
|Edwin Bryant|Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God: Srimad Bhagavata Purana<ref name=bryant11/>}}
Ludo Rocher, in his review of Puranas as sectarian texts, states, "even though the Puranas contain sectarian materials, their sectarianism should not be interpreted as exclusivism in favor of one god to the detriment of all others".<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, page 23 with footnote 35</ref>
===Puranas as historical texts===
Despite the diversity and wealth of manuscripts from ancient and medieval India that have survived into the modern times, there is a paucity of historical data in them.<ref name=ludorocher115>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 115-121 with footnotes</ref> Neither the author name nor the year of their composition were recorded or preserved, over the centuries, as the documents were copied from one generation to another. This paucity tempted 19th-century scholars to use the Puranas as a source of chronological and historical information about India or Hinduism.<ref name=ludorocher115/> This effort was, after some effort, either summarily rejected by some scholars, or become controversial, because the Puranas include fables and fiction, and the information within and across the Puranas was found to be inconsistent.<ref name=ludorocher115/>
In early 20th-century, some regional records were found to be more consistent, such as for the Hindu dynasties in [[Telangana]], Andhra Pradesh. Basham, as well as Kosambi have questioned whether lack of inconsistency is sufficient proof of reliability and [[historicity]].<ref name=ludorocher115/> More recent scholarship has attempted to, with limited success, states Ludo Rocher, use the Puranas for historical information in combination with independent corroborating evidence, such as "epigraphy, archaeology, Buddhist literature, Jaina literature, non-Puranic literature, Islamic records, and records preserved outside India by travelers to or from India in medieval times such as in China, Myanmar and Indonesia".<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 121-127 with footnotes</ref><ref>L Srinivasan (2000), [http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1567807 Historicity of the Indian mythology : Some observations], Man in India, Vol. 80, No. 1-2, pages 89-106</ref>
==Manuscripts==
[[File:Devimahatmya Sanskrit MS Nepal 11c.jpg|thumb|300px|An 11th-century Nepalese palm-leaf manuscript in Sanskrit of Devimahatmya (Markandeya Purana).]]
The study of Puranas manuscripts has been challenging because they are highly inconsistent.<ref name=ludorocher59m>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 59-67</ref><ref>Gregory Bailey (2003), The Study of Hinduism (Editor: Arvind Sharma), The University of South Carolina Press, ISBN 978-1570034497, pages 141-142</ref> This is true for all Mahapuranas and Upapuranas.<ref name=ludorocher59m/> Most editions of Puranas, in use particularly by Western scholars, are "based on one manuscript or on a few manuscripts selected at random", even though divergent manuscripts with the same title exist. Scholars have long acknowledged the existence of Purana manuscripts that "seem to differ much from printed edition", and it is unclear which one is accurate, and whether conclusions drawn from the randomly or cherrypicked printed version were universal over geography or time.<ref name=ludorocher59m/> This problem is most severe with Purana manuscripts of the same title, but in regional languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and others which have largely been ignored.<ref name=ludorocher59m/>
{{Quote|
Modern scholarship noticed all these facts. It recognized that the extent of the genuine Agni Purana was not the same at all times and in all places, and that it varied with the difference in time and locality. (...) This shows that the text of the Devi Purana was not the same everywhere but differed considerably in different provinces. Yet, one failed to draw the logical conclusion: besides the version or versions of puranas that appear in our [surviving] manuscripts, and fewer still in our [printed] editions, there have been numerous other versions, under the same titles, but which either have remained unnoticed or have been irreparably lost.
|Ludo Rocher|The Puranas<ref name="Ludo Rocher 1986 page 63">Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, page 63</ref><ref>Rajendra Hazra (1956), Discovery of the genuine Agneya-purana, Journal of the Oriental Institute Baroda, Vol. 4-5, pages 411-416</ref>}}
===Chronology===
Newly discovered Puranas manuscripts from the medieval centuries has attracted scholarly attention and the conclusion that the Puranic literature has gone through slow redaction and text corruption over time, as well as sudden deletion of numerous chapters and its replacement with new content to an extent that the currently circulating Puranas are entirely different than those that existed before 11th century, or 16th century.<ref name=dominicifixvii/>
For example, a newly discovered palm-leaf manuscript of Skanda Purana in [[Nepal]] has been dated to be from 810 CE, but is entirely different than versions of Skanda Purana that have been circulating in South Asia since the colonial era.<ref name="R Andriaensen 1994 pages 325-331"/><ref name=dominicifixvii>Dominic Goodall (2009), Parākhyatantram, Vol 98, Publications de l'Institut Français d'Indologie, ISBN 978-2855396422, pages xvi-xvii</ref> Further discoveries of four more manuscripts, each different, suggest that document has gone through major redactions twice, first likely before the 12th century, and the second very large change sometime in the 15th-16th century for unknown reasons.<ref name=kengoharimoto/> The different versions of manuscripts of Skanda Purana suggest that "minor" redactions, interpolations and corruption of the ideas in the text over time.<ref name=kengoharimoto>Kengo Harimoto (2004), in Origin and Growth of the Purāṇic Text Corpus (Editor: Hans Bakker), Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120820494, pages 41-64</ref>
Rocher states that the compositions date of each Purana remains a contested issue.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=249}}{{Sfn|Gregory Bailey|2003|pp=139-141, 154-156}} Dimmitt and van Buitenen state that each of the Puranas manuscripts is encyclopedic in style, and it is difficult to ascertain when, where, why and by whom these were written:{{Sfn|Dimmitt|van Buitenen|2012|p=5}}
{{Quote|
As they exist today, the Puranas are a stratified literature. Each titled work consists of material that has grown by numerous accretions in successive historical eras. Thus no Purana has a single date of composition. (...) It is as if they were libraries to which new volumes have been continuously added, not necessarily at the end of the shelf, but randomly.
|Cornelia Dimmitt and [[J. A. B. van Buitenen|J.A.B. van Buitenen]]|''Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas''{{Sfn|Dimmitt|van Buitenen|2012|p=5}}}}
===Forgeries===
Many of the extant manuscripts were written on [[palm leaf manuscript|palm leaf]] or copied during the British India colonial era, some in the 19th-century.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|pp=49-53}}<ref name="Powell2010p128"/> The scholarship on various Puranas, has suffered from frequent forgeries, states [[Ludo Rocher]], where liberties in the transmission of Puranas were normal and those who copied older manuscripts replaced words or added new content to fit the theory that the colonial scholars were keen on publishing.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|pp=49-53}}<ref name="Powell2010p128">{{cite book|author=Avril Ann Powell|title=Scottish Orientalists and India: The Muir Brothers, Religion, Education and Empire|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KOnS1X8a528C|year=2010|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=978-1-84383-579-0|pages=130, 128–134, 87–90}}</ref>
===Translations===
[[Horace Hayman Wilson]] published one of the earliest English translations of one version of the Vishnu Purana in 1840.<ref>HH Wilson (1840), [https://archive.org/stream/worksbylatehorace06wils#page/n5/mode/2up Vishnu Purana] Trubner and Co., Reprinted in 1864</ref> The same manuscript, and Wilson's translation, was reinterpreted by Manmatha Nath Dutt, and published in 1896.<ref>MN Dutt (1896), [https://archive.org/stream/Vishnupurana-English-MnDutt#page/n1/mode/2up Vishnupurana] Eylsium Press, Calcutta</ref> The All India Kashiraj Trust has published editions of the Puranas.<ref>{{Harvnb|Mittal|2004|p=657}}</ref>
Maridas Poullé (Mariyadas Pillai) published a French translation from a Tamil version of the Bhagavata Purana in 1788, and this was widely distributed in Europe becoming an introduction to the 18th-century Hindu culture and Hinduism to many Europeans during the colonial era. Poullé republished a different translation of the same text as ''Le Bhagavata'' in 1795, from [[Pondicherry]].<ref>[[Jean Filliozat]] (1968), Tamil Studies in French Indology, in Tamil Studies Abroad, Xavier S Thani Nayagam, pages 1-14</ref> A copy of Poullé translation is preserved in [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]], Paris.
==Influence==
[[File:Bharathanatyam By Ranjitha.jpg|thumb|The Puranas have had a large cultural impact on [[Hindu]]s, from festivals to diverse arts. [[Bharata natyam]] (above) is inspired in part by Bhagavata Purana.<ref name=katherinezubko>Katherine Zubko (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 181-201</ref>]]
The most significant influence of the Puranas genre of Indian literature have been, state scholars and particularly Indian scholars,<ref name=gregbailey442/> in "culture synthesis", in weaving and integrating the diverse beliefs from ritualistic rites of passage to Vedantic philosophy, from fictional legends to factual history, from individual introspective yoga to social celebratory festivals, from temples to pilgrimage, from one god to another, from goddesses to tantra, from the old to the new.<ref>Gregory Bailey (2003), The Study of Hinduism (Editor: Arvind Sharma), The University of South Carolina Press, ISBN 978-1570034497, pages 162-167</ref> These have been dynamic open texts, composed socially, over time. This, states Greg Bailey, may have allowed the Hindu culture to "preserve the old while constantly coming to terms with the new", and "if they are anything, they are records of cultural adaptation and transformation" over the last 2,000 years.<ref name=gregbailey442>Greg Bailey (2001), Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy (Editor: Oliver Leaman), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415172813, pages 442-443</ref>
The Puranic literature, suggests Khanna, influenced "acculturation and accommodation" of a diversity of people, with different languages and from different economic classes, across different kingdoms and traditions, catalyzing the syncretic "cultural mosaic of Hinduism".<ref name=champa48>R Champakalakshmi (2012), Cultural History of Medieval India (Editor: M Khanna), Berghahn, ISBN 978-8187358305, pages 48-50</ref> They helped influence cultural pluralism in India, and are a literary record thereof.<ref name=champa48/>
Om Prakash states the Puranas served as efficient medium for cultural exchange and popular education in ancient and medieval India.<ref name=omprakash33/> These texts adopted, explained and integrated regional deities such as Pashupata in Vayu Purana, Sattva in Vishnu Purana, Dattatreya in Markendeya Purana, Bhojakas in Bhavishya Purana.<ref name=omprakash33/> Further, states Prakash, they dedicated chapters to "secular subjects such as poetics, dramaturgy, grammar, lexicography, astronomy, war, politics, architecture, geography and medicine as in Agni Purana, perfumery and lapidary arts in Garuda Purana, painting, sculpture and other arts in Vishnudharmottara Purana".<ref name=omprakash33>Om Prakash (2004), Cultural History of India, New Age, ISBN 978-8122415872, pages 33-34</ref>
;Indian Arts
The cultural influence of the Puranas extended to Indian classical arts, such as songs, dance culture such as [[Bharata Natyam]] in south India<ref name=katherinezubko/> and [[Rasa Lila]] in northeast India,<ref>Guy Beck (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 181-201</ref> plays and recitations.<ref>Ilona Wilczewska (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 202-220</ref>
;Festivals
The myths, lunar calendar schedule, rituals and celebrations of major Hindu cultural festivities such as [[Holi]], [[Diwali]] and [[Durga Puja]] are in the Puranic literature.<ref>A Whitney Sanford (2006), Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity (Editor: Guy Beck), State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791464168, pages 91-94</ref><ref>Tracy Pintchman (2005), Guests at God's Wedding: Celebrating Kartik among the Women of Benares, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791465950, pages 60-63, with notes on 210-211</ref>
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}
== References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
===Cited sources===
* {{cite book|author=Gregory Bailey|editor=Arvind Sharma|title=The Study of Hinduism (Chapter: The Puranas) |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=npCKSUUQYEIC|year=2003|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=978-1-57003-449-7|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Dimmitt | first = Cornelia | first2 = J. A. B. |last2 = van Buitenen | title = Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=re7CR2jKn3QC| publisher = Temple University Press (1st Edition: 1977) | year = 2012 | isbn =978-1-4399-0464-0 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Doniger |first=Wendy (editor) |authorlink=Wendy Doniger |coauthors= |title={{IAST|Purāṇa}} Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts |year=1993 |publisher=State University of New York |location=Albany, New York |isbn= 0-7914-1382-9 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Hardy | first = Friedhelm | title = Viraha-Bhakti - The Early History of Krsna Devotion in South India | ISBN = 0-19-564916-8 | year = 2001 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Flood | first = Gavin | title = An Introduction to Hinduism | year = 1996 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 0-521-43304-5 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Johnson |first = W.J. |title = A Dictionary of Hinduism | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2009 | ISBN = 978-0-19-861025-0 |ref=harv}}
*{{cite book | last = Kaushal | first = Molly (editor) | title = Chanted Narratives - The Katha Vachana Tradition | ISBN = 81-246-0182-8 | year = 2001 |ref=harv}}
*{{cite book|author=Ariel Glucklich|title=The Strides of Vishnu : Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KtLScrjrWiAC| year=2008| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-971825-2 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Mackenzie | first = C Brown | title = The Triumph of the Goddess - The Canonical Models and Theological Visions of the DevI-BhAgavata PuraNa | ISBN = 0-7914-0363-7 |year = 1990 | publisher = State University of New York Press |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | first = Sushil | last = Mittal | title = The Hindu World | publisher = [[Routledge]] | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-415-21527-5 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Moghe | first = S. G. (editor) | title = Professor Kane's contribution to Dharmasastra literature | year = 1997 | location = New Delhi | publisher = D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd. | ISBN = 81-246-0075-9 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Monier-Williams |first=Monier|authorlink=Monier Monier-Williams |coauthors= |title=A Sanskrit-English Dictionary |year= 1899|publisher=Oxford University Press |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Pargiter | first = F. E. | title = Ancient Indian historical tradition | others = Original publisher Oxford University Press, London | publisher = Motilal Banarasidass | origyear = 1922 | year = 1962 | location = Delhi | oclc = 1068416 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Rao | first = Velcheru Narayana | title = Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts | chapter = Purana as Brahminic Ideology | isbn = 0-7914-1381-0 | editor = Doniger Wendy | year = 1993 | publisher = State University of New York Press | location = Albany |ref=harv}}
*{{Cite book|first=Ludo |last=Rocher| year= 1986| authorlink= Ludo Rocher| title= The Puranas| publisher= Otto Harrassowitz Verlag| isbn= 978-3447025225|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | authorlink = David Dean Shulman | last = Shulman | first = David Dean | title = Tamil Temple Myths: Sacrifice and Divine Marriage in the South Indian Saiva Tradition | ISBN = 0-691-06415-6 | year = 1980 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | first = Nagendra Kumar | last = Singh | title = Encyclopaedia of Hinduism | year = 1997 |ISBN = 81-7488-168-9 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Thapan |first=Anita Raina |title=Understanding {{IAST|Gaṇapati}}: Insights into the Dynamics of a Cult |year=1997 |publisher=Manohar Publishers |location=New Delhi |isbn=81-7304-195-4 |ref=harv}}
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*[http://www.sub.uni-goettingen.de/ebene_1/fiindolo/gretil.htm#Pur GRETIL] (uni-goettingen.de)
===Translations===
*[http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b4023049 Agni Purana (in English)], Volume 2, MN Dutt (Translator), Hathi Trust Archives
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/index.htm Vishnu Purana] H.H. Wilson
* [https://archive.org/stream/Vishnupurana-English-MnDutt#page/n15/mode/2up Vishnu Purana], MN Dutt
* [https://archive.org/stream/BrahmandaPurana/BrahmandaPuI#page/n1/mode/2up Brahmanda Purana], GV Tagare
{{Puranas}}
{{Hindudharma}}
{{Indian Philosophy}}
[[Category:Hindu texts]]
[[Category:Puranas|*]]
[[Category:Asian chronicles]]
{{EngvarB|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{multiple image
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| width = 260
| footer = Purana Manuscripts from 15th- to 18th-century
| image1 = Page of Text, Folio from a Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of the Lord) LACMA M.82.62.1 (1 of 2).jpg
| image2 = Bhagavata Purana (Ancient Stories of the Lord) Manuscript LACMA M.88.134.4 (2 of 2).jpg
| image3 = Vishnu Discoursing (recto), Prince Worshipping and Discoursing (verso); Folio from a Vaishnava manuscript LACMA M.72.53.27a-b (2 of 2).jpg
}}
The word '''Puranas''' ({{lang-sa|{{lang|sa|पुराण}}}}, ''{{IAST|purāṇa}}'', {{IPAc-en|p|ʊ|ˈ|r|ɑː|n|ə|z}};<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/purana "Purana"]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.</ref>) literally means "ancient, old",<ref name=merriam>Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, ISBN 0-877790426, page 915</ref> and it is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly myths, legends and other traditional lore.<ref name=oliverleaman437>Greg Bailey (2001), Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy (Editor: Oliver Leaman), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415172813, pages 437-439</ref> Composed primarily in Sanskrit, but also in regional languages,<ref name=johncort185/><ref name=gregorybailey>Gregory Bailey (2003), The Study of Hinduism (Editor: Arvind Sharma), The University of South Carolina Press, ISBN 978-1570034497, page 139</ref> several of these texts are named after major [[Hindu]] deities such as Vishnu, Shiva and Devi.<ref name=ludorocher>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 1-5, 12-21</ref><ref name="Nair 2008 266">{{cite book|last=Nair|first=Shantha N.|title=Echoes of Ancient Indian Wisdom: The Universal Hindu Vision and Its Edifice|year=2008|publisher=Hindology Books|isbn=978-81-223-1020-7|page=266|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ekehXVP3W8wC&pg=PA266}}</ref> The Puranas genre of literature is found in both [[Hinduism]] and [[Jainism]].<ref name=johncort185>John Cort (1993), Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts (Editor: Wendy Doniger), State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791413821, pages 185-204</ref>
The Puranic literature is encyclopedic,<ref name=merriam/> and it includes diverse topics such as [[cosmogony]], [[cosmology]], genealogies of gods, goddesses, kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, folk tales, pilgrimages, temples, medicine, astronomy, grammar, mineralogy, humor, love stories, as well as theology and philosophy.<ref name=oliverleaman437/><ref name=gregorybailey/><ref name=ludorocher/> The content is highly inconsistent across the Puranas, and each Purana has survived in numerous manuscripts which are themselves inconsistent.<ref name=johncort185/> The Hindu Puranas are anonymous texts and likely the work of many authors over the centuries; in contrast, most Jaina Puranas can be dated and their authors assigned.<ref name=johncort185/>
There are 18 ''Maha Puranas'' (Great Puranas) and 18 ''Upa Puranas'' (Minor Puranas),<ref name=corneliadimmitt4/> with over 400,000 verses.<ref name=oliverleaman437/> The first versions of the various Puranas were likely composed between the 3rd- and 10th-century CE.<ref name=collins36/> The Puranas do not enjoy the authority of a scripture in Hinduism,<ref name=corneliadimmitt4>Cornelia Dimmitt (2015), Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas, Temple University Press, ISBN 978-8120839724, page xii, 4</ref> but are considered a [[Smriti]].<ref>Greg Bailey (2001), Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy (Editor: Oliver Leaman), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415172813, page 503</ref>
They have been influential in the [[Hindu culture]], inspiring major national and regional annual festivals of Hinduism.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 12-13, 134-156, 203-210</ref> Their role and value as sectarian religious texts and historical texts has been controversial because all Puranas praise many gods and goddesses and "their sectarianism is far less clear cut" than assumed, states [[Ludo Rocher]].<ref name=ludorochersect>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 21-24, 104-113, 115-126</ref> The religious practices included in them are considered ''Vaidika'' (congruent with Vedic literature), because they do not preach initiation into Tantra.<ref>Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520207783, page xxxix</ref> The [[Bhagavata Purana]] has been among the most celebrated and popular text in the Puranic genre, and is of [[nondualism|non-dualistic]] tenor.<ref name=richardthompson/><ref>Dominic Goodall (1996), Hindu Scriptures, University of California Press, ISBN 978-0520207783, page xli</ref> The Puranic literature wove with the [[Bhakti movement]] in India, and both [[Dvaita]] and [[Advaita]] scholars have commented on the underlying Vedantic themes in the ''Maha Puranas''.<ref>BN Krishnamurti Sharma (2008), A History of the Dvaita School of Vedānta and Its Literature, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120815759, pages 128-131</ref>
==Etymology==
Douglas Harper states that the etymological origins of ''Puranas'' is from Sanskrit ''Puranah'', literally "ancient, former," from ''pura'' "formerly, before," cognate with Greek ''paros'' "before," ''pro'' "before," Avestan ''paro'' "before," Old English fore, from proto-Indo-European ''*pre-'', from root ''*per-''."<ref>Douglas Harper (2015), [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Purana Purana], Etymology Dictionary</ref>
==Origins==
{{Hinduism}}
[[Vyasa]], the narrator of the [[Mahabharata]], is hagiographically credited as the compiler of the Puranas.<ref>[http://www.dlshq.org/religions/puranas.htm The Puranas by Swami Sivananda]</ref>
The date of the production of the written texts does not define the date of origin of the Puranas.<ref name = Johnson247>{{Harvnb|Johnson|2009|p = 247}}</ref> They existed in an oral form before being written down, and were incrementally modified well into the 16th century.<ref name = Johnson247/><ref>{{Harvnb|Singh|1997|p=2324}}</ref>
An early occurrence of the term 'purana' is found in the [[Chandogya Upanishad]] (7.1.2), translated by [[Patrick Olivelle]] as "the corpus of histories and ancient tales" (The Early Upanisads, 1998, p. 259). The [[Brhadaranyaka Upanishad]] refers to purana as the "fifth Veda",<ref>[[Brhadaranyaka Upanisad]] 2.4.10, 4.1.2, 4.5.11. Satapatha Brahmana (SBE, Vol. 44, pp. 98, 369). {{Harvnb|Moghe|1997|pp=160,249}}</ref> ''{{IAST|itihāsapurāṇaṃ pañcamaṃ vedānāṃ}}'', reflecting the early religious importance of these facts, which over time have been forgotten and presumably then in purely oral form. Importantly, the most famous form of itihāsapurāṇaṃ is the Mahabharata. The term also appears in the [[Atharvaveda]] 11.7.24.{{Sfn|Pargiter|1962|pp=30–54}}<ref name="moghe">{{Harvnb|Moghe|1997|p=249}} and the [[Satapatha Brahmana]] 11.5.6.8. and 13.4.3.13. [[Sacred Books of the East|SBE]] Vol. 44, pp. 98, 369</ref> It is important to bear in mind that perhaps a thousand years separates the occurrence of this term in these Upanisads from 'The Puranas' understood as a unified set of texts (see below), and it is therefore by no means certain that the term as it occurs in the Upanisads has any direct relation to what today is identified as 'The Puranas'. The extant Puranas, states Coburn, are not identical to the original Puranas.<ref>Thomas Colburn (2002), Devī-māhātmya: The Crystallization of the Goddess Tradition, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120805576, page 27</ref> Rajendra Hazra notes that Puranas that survive presently do not follow, partially or totally, the characteristic definition of the scope and contents of Puranas as described in ancient non-Puranic Indian texts.<ref>RC Hazra (1987), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120804227, pages 5-7</ref>
In the 19th century, [[F. E. Pargiter]] believed the "original Purana" may date to the time of the final redaction of the Vedas.{{Sfn|Pargiter|1962|pp=30–54}} Gavin Flood connects the rise of the written Purana historically with the rise of devotional cults centring upon a particular deity in the Gupta era: the Puranic corpus is a complex body of materials that advance the views of various competing cults.<ref name="flood" /> [[Wendy Doniger]], based on her study of indologists, assigns approximate dates to the various Puranas. She dates [[Markandeya Purana]] to c. 250 CE (with one portion dated to c. 550 CE), [[Matsya Purana]] to c. 250–500 CE, [[Vayu Purana]] to c. 350 CE, [[Harivamsa]] and [[Vishnu Purana]] to c. 450 CE, [[Brahmanda Purana]] to c. 350–950 CE, [[Vamana Purana]] to c. 450–900 CE, [[Kurma Purana]] to c. 550–850 CE, and [[Linga Purana]] to c. 600–1000 CE.<ref name=collins36>{{cite book|last=Collins|first=Charles Dillard|title=The Iconography and Ritual of Śiva at Elephanta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQNi6kAGJQ4C&pg=PA36|year=1988|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-88706-773-0|page=36}}</ref>
==Texts==
===Mahapuranas===
Of the many texts designated 'Puranas' the most important are the ''{{IAST|Mahāpurāṇa}}s'' or the major Puranas.<ref name=corneliadimmitt4/> These are said to be eighteen in number, divided into three groups of six, though they are not always counted in the same way.
{| class="wikitable sortable"|-
!S.No. !! Purana name !! Verses number !! Comments
|-
| 1 || [[Agni Purana|Agni]] || 15,400 verses || Contains encyclopedic information. Includes geography of Mithila ([[Bihar]] and neighboring states), cultural history, politics, education system, iconography, taxation theories, organization of army, theories on proper causes for war, diplomacy, local laws, building public projects, water distribution methods, trees and plants, medicine, Vastu Shastra (architecture), gemology, grammar, metrics, poetry, food, rituals and numerous other topics.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 134-137</ref>
|-
| 2 || [[Bhagavata Purana|Bhagavata]] || 18,000 verses || The most studied and popular of the Puranas,<ref name=richardthompson>{{cite book|last=Thompson|first=Richard L.|title=The Cosmology of the Bhagavata Purana 'Mysteries of the Sacred Universe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3TZmDSr-1msC&pg=PA10|year=2007|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publishers|isbn=978-81-208-1919-1|page=10}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Monier-Williams|1899|p=752}}, column 3, under the entry ''Bhagavata.''</ref> telling of Vishnu's [[Avatar]]s, and of Vaishnavism. It contains a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.<ref name=ludorocher115/> Numerous inconsistent versions of this text and historical manuscripts exist, in many Indian languages.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 139-149</ref> Influential and elaborated during [[Bhakti movement]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Hardy|2001}}</ref>
|-
| 3 || [[Brahma Purana|Brahma]] || 10,000 verses || Sometimes also called Adi Purana, because many Mahapuranas lists put it first of 18.<ref name=ludorocher154/> The text has 245 chapters, shares many passages with Vishnu, Vayu, Markendeya Puranas, and with the [[Mahabharata]]. Includes mythology, theory of war, art work in temples, and other cultural topics. Describes holy places in [[Odisha]], and weaves themes of Vishnu and Shiva, but hardly any mention of deity Brahma despite the title.<ref name=ludorocher154>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 154-156</ref>
|-
| 4 || [[Brahmanda Purana|Brahmanda]] || 12,000 verses || One of the earliest composed Puranas, it contains a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.<ref name=ludorocher115/> Includes [[Lalita Sahasranamam]], law codes, system of governance, administration, diplomacy, trade, ethics. Old manuscripts of Brahmanda Purana have been found in the Hindu literature collections of [[Bali]], Indonesia.<ref>H Hinzler (1993), [http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/22134379-90003116%3Fcrawler%3Dtrue Balinese palm-leaf manuscripts], In: Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Landen Volkenkunde, Manuscripts of Indonesia 149 (1993), No 3, Leiden: BRILL, page 442</ref><ref name=ludorocher78encyl>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, page 78-79</ref>
|-
| 5 || [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana|Brahmavaivarta]] || 17,000 verses || Discusses Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Devis, Vishnu, Krishna and Radha. Primarily mythology, love and seduction stories of gods and goddesses.<ref>Giorgio Bonazzoli (1977), Seduction Stories in the Brahmavaivarta Purana, Purana, Vol. XIX, No. 2, pages 321-341</ref> Mentions geography and rivers such as [[Ganga]] to [[Kaveri]].
|-
| 6 || [[Garuda Purana|Garuda]] || 19,000 verses || An encyclopedia of diverse topics.<ref name=ludorocher78encyl/> Primarily about Vishnu, but praises all gods. Describes how Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma collaborate. Many chapters are a dialogue between Vishnu and the bird-vehicle [[Garuda]]. Cosmology, Describes cosmology, relationship between gods. Discusses ethics, what are crimes, good verses evil, various schools of Hindu philosophies, the theory of Yoga, the theory of "heaven and hell" with "karma and rebirth", includes Upanishadic discussion of self-knowledge as a means of [[moksha]].<ref name=mnduttgaruda/> Includes chapters on rivers, geography of Bharat (India) and other nations on earth, types of minerals and stones, testing methods for stones for their quality, various diseases and their symptoms, various medicines, aphrodisiacs, prophylactics, Hindu calendar and its basis, astronomy, moon, planets, astrology, architecture, building home, essential features of a temple, rites of passage, virtues such as compassion, charity and gift making, economy, thrift, duties of a king, politics, state officials and their roles and how to appointment them, genre of literature, rules of grammar, and other topics.<ref name=mnduttgaruda/> The final chapters discuss how to practice [[Yoga]] (Samkhya and Advaita types), personal development and the benefits of self-knowledge.<ref name=mnduttgaruda>MN Dutt, [https://archive.org/stream/garudapuranam00duttgoog#page/n4/mode/2up The Garuda Purana] Calcutta (1908)</ref>
|-
| 7 || [[Kurma Purana|Kurma]] || 17,000 verses || Is the second of ten major avatars of Lord Vishnu.
|-
| 8 || [[Linga Purana|Linga]] || 11,000 verses || Discusses [[Lingam]], symbol of Shiva, and origin of the universe. It also contains many stories of Lingam, one of which entails how Agni Lingam solved a dispute between Vishnu and Brahma.
|-
| 9 || [[Markandeya Purana|Markandeya]] || 9,000 verses || Describes [[Vindhya Range]] and western India. Probably composed in the valleys of [[Narmada]] and [[Tapti]] rivers, in [[Maharashtra]] and [[Gujarat]].<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 70-71</ref> Named after sage Markandeya, a student of Brahma. Contains chapters on [[dharma]] and on Hindu epic Mahabharata.<ref>RC Hazra (1987), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120804227, pages 8-11</ref> The Purana includes [[Devi Mahatmya]]m of [[Shaktism]].
|-
| 10 || [[Matsya Purana|Matsya]] || 14,000 verses || An encyclopedia of diverse topics.<ref name=ludorocher78encyl/> Narrates the story of [[Matsya]], the first of ten major [[Avatar]]s of Vishnu. Likely composed in west India, by people aware of geographical details of the [[Narmada]] river. Includes legends about Brahma and Saraswati.<ref>Catherine Ludvik (2007), Sarasvatī, Riverine Goddess of Knowledge, BRILL, ISBN 978-9004158146, pages 139-141</ref> It also contains a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.<ref name=ludorocher115/>
|-
| 11 || [[Narada Purana|Narada]] || 25,000 verses || Also called Naradiya Purana. Discusses the four [[Veda]]s and the six [[Vedanga]]s. Dedicates one chapter each, from Chapters 92 to 109, to summarize the other 17 Maha Puranas and itself. Lists major rivers of India and places of pilgrimage, and a short tour guide for each. Includes discussion of various philosophies, soteriology, planets, astronomy, myths and characteristics of major deities including Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Krishna, Rama, Lakshmi and others.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 202-203</ref>
|-
| 12 || [[Padma Purana|Padma]] || 55,000 verses || A large compilation of diverse topics. The north Indian manuscripts of Padma Purana are very different than south Indian versions, and the various recensions in both groups in different languages (Devanagari and Bengali, for example) show major inconsistencies.<ref name="ludorocher2021"/> Describes cosmology, the world and nature of life from the perspective of Vishnu. Discusses festivals, numerous legends, geography of rivers and regions from northwest India to [[Bengal]] to the kingdom of [[Tripura]], major sages of India, various Avatars of Vishnu and his cooperation with Shiva, the story of Rama-Sita that is different than the Hindu epic [[Ramayana]].<ref name=ludorocherpadma>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 209-215</ref> Like Skanda Purana, it is a detailed treatise on travel and pilgrimage centers in India.<ref name=ludorocherpadma/><ref>Klaus Klostermaier (2007), A Survey of Hinduism: Third Edition, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791470824, pages 281-283 with footnotes on page 553</ref>
|-
| 13 || [[Shiva Purana|Shiva]] || 24,000 verses || Discusses Shiva, and stories about him.
|-
| 14 || [[Skanda Purana|Skanda]] || 81,100 verses || Describes the birth of Skanda (or Karthikeya), son of Shiva. The longest Purana, it is an extraordinarily meticulous pilgrimage guide, containing geographical locations of pilgrimage centers in India, with related legends, parables, hymns and stories. Many untraced quotes are attributed to this text.<ref name="wendy1">{{Harvnb|Doniger|1993|pp=59–83}}</ref>
|-
| 15 || [[Vamana Purana|Vamana]] || 10,000 verses || Describes [[North India]], particularly Himalayan foothills region.
|-
| 16 || [[Varaha Purana|Varaha]] || 24,000 verses || Primarily Vishnu-related worship manual, with large ''Mahatmya'' sections or travel guide to Mathura and Nepal.<ref name=rchazra96>RC Hazra (1940), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass (1987 Reprint), ISBN 978-8120804227, pages 96-97</ref> Presentation focuses on Varaha as incarnation of Narayana, but rarely uses the terms Krishna or Vasudeva.<ref name=rchazra96/> Many illustrations also involve Shiva and [[Durga]].<ref>{{citation|last=Wilson|first=Horace H.|title=The Vishṅu Purāṅa: a system of Hindu mythology and tradition Volume 1 of 4|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Xo-AAAAcAAJ&pg=PR71|year=1864|publisher=Trübner|page=LXXI}}</ref>
|-
| 17 || [[Vayu Purana|Vayu]] || 24,000 verses || Possibly the oldest of all Maha Puranas. Some medieval Indian texts call it Vayaviya Purana. Mentioned and studied by [[Al Biruni]], the 11th century Persian visitor to India. Praises Shiva. Discusses rituals, family life, and life stages of a human being. The content in Vayu Purana is also found in Markandeya Purana. Describes south India, particularly modern [[Telangana]] and [[Andhra Pradesh]] regions. It contains a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.<ref name=ludorocher115/>
|-
| 18 || [[Vishnu Purana|Vishnu]] || 23,000 verses || One of the most studied and circulated Puranas, it also contains a controversial genealogical details of various dynasties.<ref name=ludorocher115/> Better preserved after the 17th century, but exists in inconsistent versions, more ancient pre-15th century versions are very different from modern versions, with some versions discussing Buddhism and Jainism. Some chapters likely composed in Kashmir and Punjab region of South Asia. A Vaishnavism text, focussed on Vishnu.<ref>{{citation|last=Lochtefeld|first=James G.|title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: N-Z|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g6FsB3psOTIC&pg=PA760|year=2002|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-8239-3180-4|page=760}}</ref>
|}
The Mahapuranas have also been classified based on a specific deity, although the texts are mixed and revere all gods and goddesses:
{| class="wikitable"|-
| [[Brahma|Brāhma]]:<ref name=ludorocher2021>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 59-61</ref> || [[Brahma Purana]], [[Padma Purana]]
|-
| [[Surya]]:<ref name=ludorocher2021/> || [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana]]{{refn|group=note|This text underwent a near complete rewrite in or after 15th/16th century CE, and almost all extant manuscripts are Vaishnava (Krishna) bhakti oriented.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 161-164</ref>}}
|-
| [[Agni]]:<ref name=ludorocher2021/> || [[Agni Purana]]{{refn|group=note|Like all Puranas, this text underwent extensive revisions and rewrite in its history; the extant manuscripts are predominantly an encyclopedia, and so secular in its discussions of gods and goddesses that scholars have classified as [[Smarta Tradition|Smartism]], [[Shaktism]], [[Vaishnavism]] and [[Shaivism]] Purana.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 20-22, 134-137</ref>}}
|-
| [[Shaiva|Śaiva]]:<ref name=ludorocher2021/> || [[Shiva Purana]], [[Linga Purana]], [[Skanda Purana]], [[Varaha Purana]],{{refn|group=note|name=v1}}{{refn|group=note|name=v2}} [[Vamana Purana|Vāmana Purana]],{{refn|group=note|name=v1|This text is named after a Vishnu avatar, but extant manuscripts praise all gods and goddesses equally with some versions focusing more on Shiva.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 35, 185, 199, 239-242</ref>}} [[Kurma Purana|Kūrma Purana]],{{refn|group=note|name=v1}} [[Matsya Purana]],{{refn|group=note|name=v1}} [[Mārkandeya Purana]],{{refn|group=note|This text includes the famous Devi-Mahatmya, one of the most important Goddess-related text of the [[Shaktism]] tradition in Hinduism.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 191-192</ref>}} [[Bhavishya Purana]], [[Brahmānda Purana]]
|-
| [[Vaishnava|Vaiṣṇava]]:<ref name=ludorocher2021/> || [[Vishnu Purana]], [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Nāradeya Purana]], [[Garuda Purana]], [[Vayu Purana]], [[Varaha Purana]]{{refn|group=note|name=v2|Hazra includes this in Vaishnava category.<ref name=rchazra96/>}}
|}
The [[Padma Purana]], Uttara Khanda (236.18-21),<ref>{{cite book|last=Wilson|first=H. H.|authorlink=Horace Hayman Wilson|title=The Vishnu Purana: A system of Hindu mythology and tradition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DgMxAQAAMAAJ&pg=PR12|year=1840|publisher=Oriental Translation Fund|page=12}}</ref> itself a Vaishnava Purana, classifies the Puranas in accordance with ''[[Guna|the three gunas]] or qualities''; [[Sattva|truth]], [[Rajas|passion]], and [[Tamas (philosophy)|ignorance]].
{| class="wikitable"|-
| [[Sattva]]<br>("truth"){{refn|group=note|name=srt|Scholars consider the ''Sattva-Rajas-Tamas'' classification as "entirely fanciful" and there is nothing in each text that actually justifies this classification.<ref name=ludorocher2021/>}} || [[Vishnu Purana]], [[Bhagavata Purana]], [[Naradeya Purana]], [[Garuda Purana]], [[Padma Purana]], [[Varaha Purana]]
|-
| [[Rajas]]<br>("passion"){{refn|group=note|name=srt}} || [[Brahmanda Purana]], [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana]], [[Markandeya Purana]], [[Bhavishya Purana]], [[Vamana Purana]], [[Brahma Purana]]
|-
| [[Tamas (philosophy)|Tamas]]<br>("ignorance"){{refn|group=note|name=srt}} || [[Matsya Purana]], [[Kurma Purana|Kurma purana]], [[Linga Purana]], [[Shiva Purana]], [[Skanda Purana]], [[Agni Purana]]
|}
All major Puranas contain sections on [[Devi]] (goddesses) and [[Tantra]], but of these the six most significant ones are: [[Markandeya Purana]], [[Shiva Purana]], [[Linga Purana]], [[Brahma Vaivarta Purana]], [[Agni Purana]] and [[Padma Purana]].<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 113-114, 153-154, 161, 167-169, 171-174, 182-187, 190-194, 210, 225-227, 242</ref>
===Upapuranas===
[[File:Ashta-Matrika.jpg|thumb|300px|The Goddess [[Durga]] Leading the Eight [[Matrikas]] in Battle Against the Demon [[Raktabija]], Folio from [[Devi Mahatmya]]m, Markandeya Purana.]]
{{main|Upapurana}}
The difference between Upapuranas and Mahapuranas has been explained by Rajendra Hazra as, "a Mahapurana is well known, and that what is less well known becomes an Upapurana".<ref name="Ludo Rocher 1986 page 63">Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, page 63</ref> Rocher states that the distinction between Mahapurana and Upapurana is ahistorical, there is little corroborating evidence that either were more or less known, and that "the term Mahapurana occurs rarely in Purana literature, and is probably of late origin."<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, page 68</ref>
The ''Upapuranas'' are eighteen in number, with disagreement as to which canonical titles belong in that list of eighteen. They include among many: Sanat-kumara, [[Narasimha Purana|Narasimha]], Brihan-naradiya, Siva-rahasya, Durvasa, [[Kapila Purana|Kapila]], Vamana, Bhargava, Varuna, [[Kalika Purana|Kalika]], [[Samba Purana|Samba]], Nandi, Surya, Parasara, Vasishtha, Devi-Bhagavata, [[Ganesha Purana|Ganesha]], [[Mudgala Purana|Mudgala]], and Hamsa, with only a few having been critically edited.<ref>R. C. Hazra, ''Studies in the Upapuranas, vol. I'', Calcutta, Sanskrit College, 1958. ''Studies in the Upapuranas, vol. II'', Calcutta, Sanskrit College, 1979. ''Studies in Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs'', Delhi, Banarsidass, 1975. Ludo Rocher, ''The Puranas - A History of Indian Literature Vol. II'', fasc. 3, Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1986.</ref><ref>''`Verbal Narratives: Performance and Gender of the Padma Purana'', by T.N. Sankaranarayana in {{Harvnb|Kaushal|2001|pp=225–234}}</ref>
The Ganesha and Mudgala Puranas are devoted to [[Ganesha]].<ref name=Thapan>{{Harvnb|Thapan|1997|p=304}}</ref><ref>[http://gurjari.net/ico/Mystica/html/purana.htm Purana at Gurjari]</ref> The [[Devi-Bhagavata Purana]], which extols the goddess [[Durga]], has become (along with the Devi Mahatmya of the Markandeya Purana) a basic text for [[Devi]] worshipers.<ref>{{Harvnb|Mackenzie|1990}}</ref>
===Sthala Puranas===
This corpus of texts tells of the origins and traditions of particular Tamil Shiva temples or shrines. There are numerous Sthala Puranas, most written in [[vernacular]]s, some with Sanskrit versions as well. The 275 Shiva Sthalams of the continent have puranas for each, famously glorified in the [[Tamil literature]] ''[[Tevaram]].'' Some appear in Sanskrit versions in the Mahapuranas or Upapuranas. Some Tamil Sthala Puranas have been researched by [[David Dean Shulman]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Shulman|1980}}</ref>
===Skanda Purana===
The Skanda Purana is the largest Purana with 81,000 verses,<ref name=stephenknapp44>Stephen Knapp (2005), The Heart of Hinduism, ISBN 978-0595350759, pages 44-45</ref> named after deity [[Kartikeya|Skanda]], the son of Shiva and Uma, and brother of deity Ganesha.<ref>Yves Bonnefoy and Wendy Doniger (1993), Asian Mythologies, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0226064567, pages 92-95</ref> The mythological part of the text weaves the stories of Shiva and Vishnu, along with Parvati, Rama, Krishna and other major gods in Hindu pantheon.<ref name=stephenknapp44/> In Chapter 1.8, it declares,
{{Quote|
Vishnu is nobody but Shiva, and he who is called Shiva is but identical with Vishnu.
|Skanda Purana|1.8.20-21<ref>Gregor Maehle (2009), Ashtanga Yoga, New World, ISBN 978-1577316695, page 17</ref><ref>[https://archive.org/stream/SriSkandaPuranam-SankaraSamhitaPart1#page/n31/mode/2up Skanda Purana] Shankara Samhita Part 1, Verses 1.8.20-21 (Sanskrit)</ref>}}
The Skanda Purana has received renewed scholarship interest ever since the late 20th-century discovery of a [[Nepal]]ese Skanda Purana manuscript dated to be from early 9th-century. This discovery established that Skanda Purana existed by the 9th century. However, a comparison shows that the 9th-century document is entirely different than versions of Skanda Purana that have been circulating in South Asia since the colonial era.<ref name="R Andriaensen 1994 pages 325-331">R Andriaensen et al (1994), Towards a critical edition of the Skandapurana, Indo-Iranian Journal, Vol. 37, pages 325-331</ref>
==Content==
[[File:A Thailand representation of Hindu mythology on cosmos creation.jpg|thumb|300px|The Puranas include cosmos creation myths such as the ''Samudra Manthan'' (churning of the ocean). These ideas spread to southeast Asia. It is represented in the [[Angkor Wat]] temple complex of [[Cambodia]], and at Bangkok airport, [[Thailand]] (above).]]
Several Puranas, such as the Matysa Purana,<ref>''Matsya Purana'' 53.65</ref> list "five characteristics" or "five signs" of a Purana.<ref name=oliverleaman437/> These are called the ''Pancha Lakshana'' ( {{IAST|pañcalakṣaṇa}}), and are topics covered by a Purana:<ref name=oliverleaman437/><ref name=Rao>{{Harvnb|Rao|1993|pp=85–100}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Johnson|2009|p = 248 }}</ref>
#''Sarga'': [[cosmogony]]
#''Pratisarga'': cosmogony and [[cosmology]]<ref>Jonathan Edelmann (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 48-62</ref>
#''Vamśa'': [[genealogy]] of the gods, sages and kings<ref>Vayu Purana 1. 31-2.</ref>
#''Manvañtara'': cosmic cycles,<ref>RC Hazra (1987), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120804227, page 4</ref> history of the world during the time of one patriarch
#''Vamśānucaritam'': legends during the times of various kings.
A few Puranas, such as the most popular Bhagavata Purana, add five more characteristics to expand this list to ten:<ref name=gregbailey440/>
#<li value="6">''Utaya'': [[karma|karmic]] links between the deities, sages, kings and the various living beings</li>
#''Ishanukatha'': tales about a god
#''Nirodha'': finale, cessation
#''Mukti'': [[moksha]], spiritual liberation
#''Ashraya'': refuge
These five or ten sections weave in biographies, myths, geography, medicine, astronomy, Hindu temples, pilgrimage to distant real places, rites of passage, charity, ethics,<ref>Gopal Gupta (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 63-75</ref> duties, rights, dharma, divine intervention in cosmic and human affairs, love stories,<ref>Graham Schweig (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 117-132</ref> festivals, theosophy and philosophy.<ref name=oliverleaman437/><ref name=gregorybailey/><ref name=ludorocher/> The Puranas link gods to men, both generally and in religious [[bhakti]] context.<ref name=gregbailey440/> Here the Puranic literature follows a general pattern. It starts with introduction, a future devotee is described as ignorant about the god yet curious, the devotee learns about the god and this begins the spiritual realization, the text then describes instances of god's grace which begins to persuade and convert the devotee, the devotee then shows devotion which is rewarded by the god, the reward is appreciated by the devotee and in return performs actions to express further devotion.<ref name=gregbailey440>Greg Bailey (2001), Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy (Editor: Oliver Leaman), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415172813, pages 440-443</ref>
Over time, states Om Prakash, chapters and verses from one Purana were transferred or interpolated into another Purana. Similarly, texts from Vedic literature, Smritis and Sutras were incorporated into the Puranas, older verses were replaced with new ones, thereby creating manuscripts with the same name but inconsistent content.<ref name=rajhazra6>RC Hazra (1987), Studies in the Puranic Records on Hindu Rites and Customs, Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120804227, pages 6-9 with footnotes</ref> The content about kings, history of various people, sages and kingdoms are in part based on real events, in part [[hagiography]], and in part expansive imagination or fabrication.<ref name=rajhazra6/> The high degree of inconsistency and manuscript corruption occurred particularly from the 12th century onwards, evidenced by cross referencing across the texts; Matsya Purana, for example, stated that Kurma Purana has 18,000 verses, while Agni Purana asserts the same text has 8,000 verses, and Naradiya attests that Kurma manuscript has 17,000 verses.<ref name=rajhazra6/>
Along with inconsistencies, common ideas are found throughout the corpus but it is not possible to trace the lines of influence of one Purana upon another so the corpus is best viewed as a synchronous whole.<ref name="flood">{{Harvnb|Flood|1996|p = 359 }}</ref> An example of similar myths woven across the Puranas, but in different versions, include the ''lingabhava'' – the "apparition of the [[linga]]". The story features Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the three major deities of Hinduism, who get together, debate, and after various versions of the story, in the end the glory of Shiva is established by the apparition of linga. This myth, state Bonnefoy and Doniger, appears in Vayu Purana 1.55, Brahmanda Purana 1.26, Shiva Purana's Rudra Samhita Sristi Khanda 15, Skanda Purana's chapters 1.3, 1.16 and 3.1, and other Puranas.<ref name=yveswendy38>Yves Bonnefoy and Wendy Doniger (1993), Asian Mythologies, University of Chicago Press, ISBN 978-0226064567, pages 38-39</ref>
The texts are in Sanskrit as well as regional languages,<ref name=johncort185/><ref name=gregorybailey/> and almost entirely in narrative metric couplets.<ref name=merriam/>
===Symbolism and layers of meaning===
The texts use ideas, concepts and even names that are symbolic.<ref name=yveswendy38/> The words can interpreted literally, and at an [[axiology|axiological]] level.<ref>Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition, Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 130-132</ref> The [[Vishnu Purana]], for example, recites a myth where the names of the characters are loaded with symbolism and axiological significance. The myth is as follows,
{{Quote|
The progeny of [[Dharma]] by the daughters of Daksha were as follows: by Sraddhá (devotion) he had [[Kama]] (desire); by Lakshmí (wealth, prosperity), was born Darpa (pride); by Dhriti (courage), the progeny was [[Niyama]] (precept); by Tusht́i (inner comfort), [[Santosha]] (contentment); by Pusht́i (opulence), the progeny was Lobha (cupidity, greed); by Medhá (wisdom, experience), Sruta (sacred tradition); by Kriyá (hard work, labour), the progeny were Dańd́a, Naya, and Vinaya (justice, politics, and education); by Buddhi (intellect), Bodha (understanding); by Lajjá (shame, humility), Vinaya (good behaviour); by Vapu (body, strength), Vyavasaya (perseverance). Shanti (peace) gave birth to [[Forgiveness#Hinduism|Kshama]] (forgiveness); Siddhi (excellence) to Sukha (enjoyment); and Kírtti (glorious speech) gave birth to Yasha (reputation). These were the sons of Dharma; one of whom, Kama (love, emotional fulfillment) had baby Hersha (joy) by his wife Nandi (delight).
The wife of Adharma (vice, wrong, evil) was Hinsá (violence), on whom he begot a son Anrita (falsehood), and a daughter Nikriti (immorality): they intermarried, and had two sons, Bhaya (fear) and Naraka (hell); and twins to them, two daughters, Máyá (deceit) and Vedaná (torture), who became their wives. The son of Bhaya (fear) and Máyá (deceit) was the destroyer of living creatures, or Mrityu (death); and Dukha (pain) was the offspring of Naraka (hell) and Vedaná (torture). The children of Mrityu were Vyádhi (disease), Jará (decay), Soka (sorrow), Trishńa (greediness), and Krodha (wrath). These are all called the inflictors of misery, and are characterised as the progeny of Vice (Adharma). They are all without wives, without posterity, without the faculty to procreate; they perpetually operate as causes of the destruction of this world. On the contrary, Daksha and the other Rishis, the elders of mankind, tend perpetually to influence its renovation: whilst the Manus and their sons, the heroes endowed with mighty power, and treading in the path of truth, as constantly contribute to its preservation.
|Vishnu Purana|Chapter 7, Translated by [[Horace Hayman Wilson]]<ref>[http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/vp041.htm Vishnu Purana] Chapter 7</ref>}}
===Puranas as a complement to the Vedas===
[[File:Krishna and the Gopis (herdsmaids).jpg|thumb|The mythology in the Puranas has inspired many [[relief]]s and sculptures found in [[Hindu temple]]s.<ref>Sara Schastok (1997), The Śāmalājī Sculptures and 6th Century Art in Western India, BRILL, ISBN 978-9004069411, pages 77-79, 88</ref> The legend behind the Krishna and Gopis relief above is described in the Bhagavata Purana.<ref>Edwin Bryant (2007), Krishna : A Sourcebook: A Sourcebook, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195148923, pages 111-119</ref>]]
The Puranic literature, stated [[Max Muller]], is independent, has changed often over its history, and has little relation to the Vedic age or the Vedic literature.<ref name=ludorocher13>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 13-16</ref> Some scholars suggest that the Puranas claim a link to the Vedas but in name only, not in substance.<ref name=ludorocher13/> Yet a third group of scholars state that the link is there, at least in spiritual themes and theology. The Puranas aim to complement the Vedic literature, interpret its theories, and help spread the ideas therein.<ref name=ludorocher13/><ref>Barbara Holdrege (1995), Veda and Torah: Transcending the Textuality of Scripture, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791416402, pages 95-97</ref>
===Puranas as encyclopedias===
The Puranas, states Kees Bolle, are best seen as "vast, often encyclopedic" works from ancient and medieval India.<ref>Kee Bolle (1963), [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1062068 Reflections on a Puranic Passage], History of Religions, Vol. 2, No. 2 (Winter, 1963), pages 286-291</ref> Some of them, such as the Agni Purana and Matsya Purana, cover all sorts of subjects, dealing with – states Rocher – "anything and everything", from fiction to facts, from practical recipes to abstract philosophy, from geographic ''Mahatmyas'' (travel guides){{Sfn|Ariel Glucklich|2008|p=146, '''Quote:''' The earliest promotional works aimed at tourists from that era were called ''mahatmyas''}} to cosmetics, from festivals to astronomy.<ref name=gregorybailey/><ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 1-5, 12-21, 79-80, 96-98; Quote: '''These are the true encyclopedic Puranas. in which detached chapters or sections, dealing with any imaginable subject, follow one another, without connection or transition. Three Puranas especially belong to this category: Matsya, Garuda and above all Agni.'''</ref> Like encyclopedias, they were updated to remain current with their times, by a process called ''Upabrimhana''.<ref>Ronald Inden (2000), Querying the Medieval : Texts and the History of Practices in South Asia, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195124309, pages 94-95</ref> However, some of the 36 major and minor Puranas are more focussed handbooks, such as the Skanda Purana, Padma Purana and Bhavishya Purana which deal primarily with ''Tirtha Mahatmyas'' (pilgrimage travel guides),{{Sfn|Ariel Glucklich|2008|p=146, '''Quote:''' The earliest promotional works aimed at tourists from that era were called ''mahatmyas''}} while Vayu Purana and Brahmanda Purana focus more on history, mythology and legends.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 78-79</ref>
===Puranas as religious texts===
The colonial era scholars of Puranas studied them primarily as religious texts, with Vans Kennedy declaring in 1837, that any other use of these documents would be disappointing.<ref name=ludorocher104/> [[John Zephaniah Holwell]], who from 1732 onwards spent 30 years in India and was elected Fellow of the [[Royal Society]] in 1767, described the Puranas as "18 books of divine words".<ref name=ursapp/> British officials and researchers such as Holwell, states Urs App, were [[orientalism|orientalist]] scholars who introduced a distorted picture of Indian literature and Puranas as "sacred scriptures of India" in 1767. Holwell, states Urs App, "presented it as the opinion of knowledgeable Indians; But it is abundantly clear that no knowledgeable Indian would ever have said anything remotely similar".<ref name=ursapp>Urs App (2010), The Birth of Orientalism, University of Pennsylvania Press, ISBN 978-0812242614, pages 331, 323-334</ref>
Modern scholarship doubts this 19th-century premise.<ref>Jan Gonda (1975), Selected Studies: Indo-European linguistics, BRILL, ISBN 978-9004042285, pages 51-86</ref> Ludo Rocher, for example, states,
{{Quote|
I want to stress the fact that it would be irresponsible and highly misleading to speak of or pretend to describe the religion of the Puranas.
|[[Ludo Rocher]]|The Puranas<ref name=ludorocher104>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 104-106 with footnotes</ref>}}
The study of Puranas as a religious text remains a controversial subject.<ref>Ronald Inden (2000), Querying the Medieval : Texts and the History of Practices in South Asia, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195124309, pages 87-98</ref> Some Indologists, in colonial tradition of scholarship, treat the Puranic texts as scriptures or useful source of religious contents.<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 19-20</ref> Other scholars, such as Ronald Inden, consider this approach "essentialist and antihistorical" because the Purana texts changed often over time and over distance, and the underlying presumption of they being religious texts is that those changes are "Hinduism expressed by a religious leader or philosopher", or "expressiveness of Hindu mind", or "society at large", when the texts and passages are literary works and "individual geniuses of their authors".<ref>Ronald Inden (2000), Querying the Medieval : Texts and the History of Practices in South Asia, Oxford University Press, ISBN 978-0195124309, pages 95-96</ref>
====Jainism====
The Jaina Puranas are like Hindu Puranas encyclopedic epics in style, and are considered as ''anuyogas'' (expositions), but they are not considered [[Jain Agamas]] and do not have scripture or quasi-canonical status in Jainism tradition.<ref name=johncort185/> They are best described, states John Cort, as post-scripture literary corpus based upon themes found in Jain scriptures.<ref name=johncort185/>
====Sectarian, pluralistic or monotheistic theme====
Scholars have debated whether the Puranas should be categorized as sectarian, or non-partisan, or monotheistic religious texts.<ref name=ludorochersect/><ref name=bryant11/> Different Puranas describe a number of stories where Brahma, VIshnu and Shiva compete for supremacy.<ref name=bryant11/> In some Puranas, such as [[Devi Bhagavata]], the Goddess Devi joins the competition and ascends for the position of being Supreme. Further, most Puranas emphasize legends around one who is either Shiva, or Vishnu, or Devi.<ref name=ludorochersect/> The texts thus appear to be sectarian. However, states Edwin Bryant, while these legends sometimes appear to be partisan, they are merely acknowledging the obvious question of whether one or the other is more important, more powerful. In the final analysis, all Puranas weave their legends to celebrate pluralism, and accept the other two and all gods in Hindu pantheon as personalized form but equivalent essence of the Ultimate Reality called [[Brahman]].<ref>EO James (1997), The Tree of Life, BRILL Academic, ISBN 978-9004016125, pages 150-153</ref><ref>Barbara Holdrege (2015), Bhakti and Embodiment, Routledge, ISBN 978-0415670708, pages 113-114</ref> The Puranas are not spiritually partisan, states Bryant, but "accept and indeed extol the transcendent and absolute nature of the other, and of the Goddess Devi too".<ref name=bryant11>Edwin Bryant (2003), Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God: Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Penguin, ISBN 978-0141913377, pages 10-12</ref>
{{Quote|
[The Puranic text] merely affirm that the other deity is to be considered a derivative manifestation of their respective deity, or in the case of Devi, the ''Shakti'', or power of the male divinity. The term monotheism, if applied to the Puranic tradition, needs to be understood in the context of a supreme being, whether understood as Vishnu, Shiva or Devi, who can manifest himself or herself as other supreme beings.
|Edwin Bryant|Krishna: The Beautiful Legend of God: Srimad Bhagavata Purana<ref name=bryant11/>}}
Ludo Rocher, in his review of Puranas as sectarian texts, states, "even though the Puranas contain sectarian materials, their sectarianism should not be interpreted as exclusivism in favor of one god to the detriment of all others".<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, page 23 with footnote 35</ref>
===Puranas as historical texts===
Despite the diversity and wealth of manuscripts from ancient and medieval India that have survived into the modern times, there is a paucity of historical data in them.<ref name=ludorocher115>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 115-121 with footnotes</ref> Neither the author name nor the year of their composition were recorded or preserved, over the centuries, as the documents were copied from one generation to another. This paucity tempted 19th-century scholars to use the Puranas as a source of chronological and historical information about India or Hinduism.<ref name=ludorocher115/> This effort was, after some effort, either summarily rejected by some scholars, or become controversial, because the Puranas include fables and fiction, and the information within and across the Puranas was found to be inconsistent.<ref name=ludorocher115/>
In early 20th-century, some regional records were found to be more consistent, such as for the Hindu dynasties in [[Telangana]], Andhra Pradesh. Basham, as well as Kosambi have questioned whether lack of inconsistency is sufficient proof of reliability and [[historicity]].<ref name=ludorocher115/> More recent scholarship has attempted to, with limited success, states Ludo Rocher, use the Puranas for historical information in combination with independent corroborating evidence, such as "epigraphy, archaeology, Buddhist literature, Jaina literature, non-Puranic literature, Islamic records, and records preserved outside India by travelers to or from India in medieval times such as in China, Myanmar and Indonesia".<ref>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 121-127 with footnotes</ref><ref>L Srinivasan (2000), [http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=1567807 Historicity of the Indian mythology : Some observations], Man in India, Vol. 80, No. 1-2, pages 89-106</ref>
==Manuscripts==
[[File:Devimahatmya Sanskrit MS Nepal 11c.jpg|thumb|300px|An 11th-century Nepalese palm-leaf manuscript in Sanskrit of Devimahatmya (Markandeya Purana).]]
The study of Puranas manuscripts has been challenging because they are highly inconsistent.<ref name=ludorocher59m>Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, pages 59-67</ref><ref>Gregory Bailey (2003), The Study of Hinduism (Editor: Arvind Sharma), The University of South Carolina Press, ISBN 978-1570034497, pages 141-142</ref> This is true for all Mahapuranas and Upapuranas.<ref name=ludorocher59m/> Most editions of Puranas, in use particularly by Western scholars, are "based on one manuscript or on a few manuscripts selected at random", even though divergent manuscripts with the same title exist. Scholars have long acknowledged the existence of Purana manuscripts that "seem to differ much from printed edition", and it is unclear which one is accurate, and whether conclusions drawn from the randomly or cherrypicked printed version were universal over geography or time.<ref name=ludorocher59m/> This problem is most severe with Purana manuscripts of the same title, but in regional languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Bengali and others which have largely been ignored.<ref name=ludorocher59m/>
{{Quote|
Modern scholarship noticed all these facts. It recognized that the extent of the genuine Agni Purana was not the same at all times and in all places, and that it varied with the difference in time and locality. (...) This shows that the text of the Devi Purana was not the same everywhere but differed considerably in different provinces. Yet, one failed to draw the logical conclusion: besides the version or versions of puranas that appear in our [surviving] manuscripts, and fewer still in our [printed] editions, there have been numerous other versions, under the same titles, but which either have remained unnoticed or have been irreparably lost.
|Ludo Rocher|The Puranas<ref name="Ludo Rocher 1986 page 63">Ludo Rocher (1986), The Puranas, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, ISBN 978-3447025225, page 63</ref><ref>Rajendra Hazra (1956), Discovery of the genuine Agneya-purana, Journal of the Oriental Institute Baroda, Vol. 4-5, pages 411-416</ref>}}
===Chronology===
Newly discovered Puranas manuscripts from the medieval centuries has attracted scholarly attention and the conclusion that the Puranic literature has gone through slow redaction and text corruption over time, as well as sudden deletion of numerous chapters and its replacement with new content to an extent that the currently circulating Puranas are entirely different than those that existed before 11th century, or 16th century.<ref name=dominicifixvii/>
For example, a newly discovered palm-leaf manuscript of Skanda Purana in [[Nepal]] has been dated to be from 810 CE, but is entirely different than versions of Skanda Purana that have been circulating in South Asia since the colonial era.<ref name="R Andriaensen 1994 pages 325-331"/><ref name=dominicifixvii>Dominic Goodall (2009), Parākhyatantram, Vol 98, Publications de l'Institut Français d'Indologie, ISBN 978-2855396422, pages xvi-xvii</ref> Further discoveries of four more manuscripts, each different, suggest that document has gone through major redactions twice, first likely before the 12th century, and the second very large change sometime in the 15th-16th century for unknown reasons.<ref name=kengoharimoto/> The different versions of manuscripts of Skanda Purana suggest that "minor" redactions, interpolations and corruption of the ideas in the text over time.<ref name=kengoharimoto>Kengo Harimoto (2004), in Origin and Growth of the Purāṇic Text Corpus (Editor: Hans Bakker), Motilal Banarsidass, ISBN 978-8120820494, pages 41-64</ref>
Rocher states that the compositions date of each Purana remains a contested issue.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|p=249}}{{Sfn|Gregory Bailey|2003|pp=139-141, 154-156}} Dimmitt and van Buitenen state that each of the Puranas manuscripts is encyclopedic in style, and it is difficult to ascertain when, where, why and by whom these were written:{{Sfn|Dimmitt|van Buitenen|2012|p=5}}
{{Quote|
As they exist today, the Puranas are a stratified literature. Each titled work consists of material that has grown by numerous accretions in successive historical eras. Thus no Purana has a single date of composition. (...) It is as if they were libraries to which new volumes have been continuously added, not necessarily at the end of the shelf, but randomly.
|Cornelia Dimmitt and [[J. A. B. van Buitenen|J.A.B. van Buitenen]]|''Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas''{{Sfn|Dimmitt|van Buitenen|2012|p=5}}}}
===Forgeries===
Many of the extant manuscripts were written on [[palm leaf manuscript|palm leaf]] or copied during the British India colonial era, some in the 19th-century.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|pp=49-53}}<ref name="Powell2010p128"/> The scholarship on various Puranas, has suffered from frequent forgeries, states [[Ludo Rocher]], where liberties in the transmission of Puranas were normal and those who copied older manuscripts replaced words or added new content to fit the theory that the colonial scholars were keen on publishing.{{Sfn|Rocher|1986|pp=49-53}}<ref name="Powell2010p128">{{cite book|author=Avril Ann Powell|title=Scottish Orientalists and India: The Muir Brothers, Religion, Education and Empire|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KOnS1X8a528C|year=2010|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=978-1-84383-579-0|pages=130, 128–134, 87–90}}</ref>
===Translations===
[[Horace Hayman Wilson]] published one of the earliest English translations of one version of the Vishnu Purana in 1840.<ref>HH Wilson (1840), [https://archive.org/stream/worksbylatehorace06wils#page/n5/mode/2up Vishnu Purana] Trubner and Co., Reprinted in 1864</ref> The same manuscript, and Wilson's translation, was reinterpreted by Manmatha Nath Dutt, and published in 1896.<ref>MN Dutt (1896), [https://archive.org/stream/Vishnupurana-English-MnDutt#page/n1/mode/2up Vishnupurana] Eylsium Press, Calcutta</ref> The All India Kashiraj Trust has published editions of the Puranas.<ref>{{Harvnb|Mittal|2004|p=657}}</ref>
Maridas Poullé (Mariyadas Pillai) published a French translation from a Tamil version of the Bhagavata Purana in 1788, and this was widely distributed in Europe becoming an introduction to the 18th-century Hindu culture and Hinduism to many Europeans during the colonial era. Poullé republished a different translation of the same text as ''Le Bhagavata'' in 1795, from [[Pondicherry]].<ref>[[Jean Filliozat]] (1968), Tamil Studies in French Indology, in Tamil Studies Abroad, Xavier S Thani Nayagam, pages 1-14</ref> A copy of Poullé translation is preserved in [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]], Paris.
==Influence==
[[File:Bharathanatyam By Ranjitha.jpg|thumb|The Puranas have had a large cultural impact on [[Hindu]]s, from festivals to diverse arts. [[Bharata natyam]] (above) is inspired in part by Bhagavata Purana.<ref name=katherinezubko>Katherine Zubko (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 181-201</ref>]]
The most significant influence of the Puranas genre of Indian literature have been, state scholars and particularly Indian scholars,<ref name=gregbailey442/> in "culture synthesis", in weaving and integrating the diverse beliefs from ritualistic rites of passage to Vedantic philosophy, from fictional legends to factual history, from individual introspective yoga to social celebratory festivals, from temples to pilgrimage, from one god to another, from goddesses to tantra, from the old to the new.<ref>Gregory Bailey (2003), The Study of Hinduism (Editor: Arvind Sharma), The University of South Carolina Press, ISBN 978-1570034497, pages 162-167</ref> These have been dynamic open texts, composed socially, over time. This, states Greg Bailey, may have allowed the Hindu culture to "preserve the old while constantly coming to terms with the new", and "if they are anything, they are records of cultural adaptation and transformation" over the last 2,000 years.<ref name=gregbailey442>Greg Bailey (2001), Encyclopedia of Asian Philosophy (Editor: Oliver Leaman), Routledge, ISBN 978-0415172813, pages 442-443</ref>
The Puranic literature, suggests Khanna, influenced "acculturation and accommodation" of a diversity of people, with different languages and from different economic classes, across different kingdoms and traditions, catalyzing the syncretic "cultural mosaic of Hinduism".<ref name=champa48>R Champakalakshmi (2012), Cultural History of Medieval India (Editor: M Khanna), Berghahn, ISBN 978-8187358305, pages 48-50</ref> They helped influence cultural pluralism in India, and are a literary record thereof.<ref name=champa48/>
Om Prakash states the Puranas served as efficient medium for cultural exchange and popular education in ancient and medieval India.<ref name=omprakash33/> These texts adopted, explained and integrated regional deities such as Pashupata in Vayu Purana, Sattva in Vishnu Purana, Dattatreya in Markendeya Purana, Bhojakas in Bhavishya Purana.<ref name=omprakash33/> Further, states Prakash, they dedicated chapters to "secular subjects such as poetics, dramaturgy, grammar, lexicography, astronomy, war, politics, architecture, geography and medicine as in Agni Purana, perfumery and lapidary arts in Garuda Purana, painting, sculpture and other arts in Vishnudharmottara Purana".<ref name=omprakash33>Om Prakash (2004), Cultural History of India, New Age, ISBN 978-8122415872, pages 33-34</ref>
;Indian Arts
The cultural influence of the Puranas extended to Indian classical arts, such as songs, dance culture such as [[Bharata Natyam]] in south India<ref name=katherinezubko/> and [[Rasa Lila]] in northeast India,<ref>Guy Beck (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 181-201</ref> plays and recitations.<ref>Ilona Wilczewska (2013), The Bhagavata Purana: Sacred Text and Living Tradition (Editors: Ravi Gupta and Kenneth Valpey), Columbia University Press, ISBN 978-0231149983, pages 202-220</ref>
;Festivals
The myths, lunar calendar schedule, rituals and celebrations of major Hindu cultural festivities such as [[Holi]], [[Diwali]] and [[Durga Puja]] are in the Puranic literature.<ref>A Whitney Sanford (2006), Alternative Krishnas: Regional and Vernacular Variations on a Hindu Deity (Editor: Guy Beck), State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791464168, pages 91-94</ref><ref>Tracy Pintchman (2005), Guests at God's Wedding: Celebrating Kartik among the Women of Benares, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0791465950, pages 60-63, with notes on 210-211</ref>
==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}
== References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
===Cited sources===
* {{cite book|author=Gregory Bailey|editor=Arvind Sharma|title=The Study of Hinduism (Chapter: The Puranas) |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=npCKSUUQYEIC|year=2003|publisher=University of South Carolina Press|isbn=978-1-57003-449-7|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Dimmitt | first = Cornelia | first2 = J. A. B. |last2 = van Buitenen | title = Classical Hindu Mythology: A Reader in the Sanskrit Puranas | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=re7CR2jKn3QC| publisher = Temple University Press (1st Edition: 1977) | year = 2012 | isbn =978-1-4399-0464-0 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Doniger |first=Wendy (editor) |authorlink=Wendy Doniger |coauthors= |title={{IAST|Purāṇa}} Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts |year=1993 |publisher=State University of New York |location=Albany, New York |isbn= 0-7914-1382-9 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Hardy | first = Friedhelm | title = Viraha-Bhakti - The Early History of Krsna Devotion in South India | ISBN = 0-19-564916-8 | year = 2001 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Flood | first = Gavin | title = An Introduction to Hinduism | year = 1996 | publisher = Cambridge University Press | isbn = 0-521-43304-5 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Johnson |first = W.J. |title = A Dictionary of Hinduism | publisher = Oxford University Press | year = 2009 | ISBN = 978-0-19-861025-0 |ref=harv}}
*{{cite book | last = Kaushal | first = Molly (editor) | title = Chanted Narratives - The Katha Vachana Tradition | ISBN = 81-246-0182-8 | year = 2001 |ref=harv}}
*{{cite book|author=Ariel Glucklich|title=The Strides of Vishnu : Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective: Hindu Culture in Historical Perspective|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KtLScrjrWiAC| year=2008| publisher=Oxford University Press| isbn=978-0-19-971825-2 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Mackenzie | first = C Brown | title = The Triumph of the Goddess - The Canonical Models and Theological Visions of the DevI-BhAgavata PuraNa | ISBN = 0-7914-0363-7 |year = 1990 | publisher = State University of New York Press |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | first = Sushil | last = Mittal | title = The Hindu World | publisher = [[Routledge]] | year = 2004 | isbn = 978-0-415-21527-5 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Moghe | first = S. G. (editor) | title = Professor Kane's contribution to Dharmasastra literature | year = 1997 | location = New Delhi | publisher = D.K. Printworld (P) Ltd. | ISBN = 81-246-0075-9 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Monier-Williams |first=Monier|authorlink=Monier Monier-Williams |coauthors= |title=A Sanskrit-English Dictionary |year= 1899|publisher=Oxford University Press |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Pargiter | first = F. E. | title = Ancient Indian historical tradition | others = Original publisher Oxford University Press, London | publisher = Motilal Banarasidass | origyear = 1922 | year = 1962 | location = Delhi | oclc = 1068416 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | last = Rao | first = Velcheru Narayana | title = Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts | chapter = Purana as Brahminic Ideology | isbn = 0-7914-1381-0 | editor = Doniger Wendy | year = 1993 | publisher = State University of New York Press | location = Albany |ref=harv}}
*{{Cite book|first=Ludo |last=Rocher| year= 1986| authorlink= Ludo Rocher| title= The Puranas| publisher= Otto Harrassowitz Verlag| isbn= 978-3447025225|ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | authorlink = David Dean Shulman | last = Shulman | first = David Dean | title = Tamil Temple Myths: Sacrifice and Divine Marriage in the South Indian Saiva Tradition | ISBN = 0-691-06415-6 | year = 1980 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book | first = Nagendra Kumar | last = Singh | title = Encyclopaedia of Hinduism | year = 1997 |ISBN = 81-7488-168-9 |ref=harv}}
* {{cite book |last=Thapan |first=Anita Raina |title=Understanding {{IAST|Gaṇapati}}: Insights into the Dynamics of a Cult |year=1997 |publisher=Manohar Publishers |location=New Delhi |isbn=81-7304-195-4 |ref=harv}}
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*[http://www.sub.uni-goettingen.de/ebene_1/fiindolo/gretil.htm#Pur GRETIL] (uni-goettingen.de)
===Translations===
*[http://hdl.handle.net/2027/uc1.b4023049 Agni Purana (in English)], Volume 2, MN Dutt (Translator), Hathi Trust Archives
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/vp/index.htm Vishnu Purana] H.H. Wilson
* [https://archive.org/stream/Vishnupurana-English-MnDutt#page/n15/mode/2up Vishnu Purana], MN Dutt
* [https://archive.org/stream/BrahmandaPurana/BrahmandaPuI#page/n1/mode/2up Brahmanda Purana], GV Tagare
{{Puranas}}
{{Hindudharma}}
{{Indian Philosophy}}
[[Category:Hindu texts]]
[[Category:Puranas|*]]
[[Category:Asian chronicles]]