The Puranas have succeeded in preserving and propagating Hindu religion and culture, especially through the critical periods of Indian history, explains Swami Harshananda, the scholarly author of this booklet who had also written many books on Hinduism. This booklet comprises a brief survey of the contents of the 18 Mahapuranas and short notes on many of its aspects such as antiquity, general characteristics, evolution and growth. The recurrent topics of the Puranas—such as creation, the earth, time and genealogies—are also dealt with briefly. Readers can get an overall picture of the Puranas in Hinduism.