The Kūrma Purāṇa is one of the eighteen Mahāpurāṇas, the major class of Hindu sacred texts composed in Sanskrit and attributed to the sage Vyāsa. It is named after Kūrma, the tortoise incarnation (avatāra) of Lord Viṣṇu, who assumed this form to support Mount Mandara during the churning of the ocean (samudra-manthana). The Purāṇa takes its form as a dialogue between Viṣṇu (as Kūrma) and various sages, making it a unique blend of Vaiṣṇava and Śaiva elements.
The Kūrma Purāṇa is divided into two broad sections:
Pūrvabhāga (Chapters 1–53): Contains cosmology, geography (Bhuvanakośa), genealogies, time cycles (kalpas, manvantaras), planetary motions, and dharmic instruction.
Uttarabhāga (Chapters 54 onwards): Contains more theological material, including the Īśvaragītā, a spiritual discourse by Śiva akin to the Bhagavad Gītā.
