Puranas

India, 4th century onwards

A collective name for a category of Indian sacred scriptures that were available not only to the priestly caste of the Brahmin, as were the Vedas, but to other people as well.

There are eighteen principal Puranas, written down only from the fourth century onwards, that contain ancient legends and traditions that reveal the beliefs and practices of early, popular Hinduism.

The texts were generally subdivided into three classes, depending upon which particular deity of the Trimurti they exalt most:

The Bhavishya Purana, for example, emphasizes Brahma, while the Vishnu Purana and the Bhagavata Purana exalt Vishnu; and the Shiva Purana of course is about Shiva.

Apart from these texts that exalt three male gods, there are also Puranas associated with Shakta and Tantra, and dedicated to some of the major goddesses of India; for example the sixth-century Devi Purana and the tenth-century Kalika Purana.

Also of special interest are the Markandeya Purana, a fifth or sixth century text that includes the Devi Mahatmya, and the eleventh century Brahmanda Purana which includes the Lalita Sahasranama.