Purāṇa
पुराण
Encyclopaedic compendia of cosmology, genealogy, pilgrimage and myth. Subdivided by the tradition's own sectarian triad — the Padma Purāṇa classifies the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas by guṇa — which is both authentically traditional and the only structure that makes eighteen items browsable.
Six of the eighteen, centred on Viṣṇu and his avatāras.
Creation, cosmology and prophetic genealogy.
Śaiva theology, iconography and the lore of Skanda.
The eighteen secondary Purāṇas, and beyond.
Temple and site histories — intensely regional, often vernacular.