Purana (Sanskrit पुराण, purāṇa, meaning "ancient" or "old") is the name of a genre (or a group of related genres) of Indian written literature (as opposed to oral literature). Its general themes are history, tradition and religion. It is usually written in the form of stories related by one person to another. There are many texts that are designated as 'Purana', the most important of which are:

1. • Mahāpurāṇas and Upapurāṇas - Written in Sanskrit, by Brahmins. They usually adhere to the 'Pancalaksana' typology (see below). They narrate the creation of the universe, the Human race, the genealogies of kings and saints and contain a miscellany of assorted stories, legends and religious lore.
   • Sthalapurāṇas - Scriptures usually extolling the virtues of a certain hindu temple. They contain the temple's creation myth and many legends about it.
   • Kulapurāṇas - Scriptures that deal with the origin and legends of a particular caste.

The designation 'Purana' implicitly confers on a text a kind of factual aura, somewhat similiar to the designation 'History' in Western discourse.

Mahapuranas and Upapuranas

Structure and content