मल्लपुराण (ज्येष्ठिमल्ल - प्राचीन भारतीय मल्लविद्या, अखाड़ा व्यायाम व कुश्ती महाग्रन्थ)

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Padma, Vaiṣṇava, Śaiva, or Vāyavīya, Bhāgavata, Nāradīya, Mārkaṇḍeya,
Āgneya, Bhaviṣyat or Bhaviṣya, Bhramavaivarta, Laiṅga, Vārāha, Skanda,
Vāmana, Kaurma, Matsya, Garuda, Brahmāṇḍa.¹
Besides these Mahā Purāṇas, there are Upapurāṇas, mentioned in the
Purāṇas themselves. Some of the Upapurāṇas deal with the Tīrtha Māhātmyas,
Stotras, Kalpas and Ākhyānas or Upākhyānas. These Upapurāṇas do not
essentially differ from the Purāṇas but they are more exclusively adapted to
suit the purpose of local cult and the religious needs of separate sects.²
In this characteristic literature a large class of Purāṇas have intruded.
They give the ancient stories about the origin of certain castes. These Purāṇas
occasionally claim to be the part of some Mahā Purāṇas; but often stand in
their own right as Purāṇas. The Nāgarkhaṇḍa is of the former variety, where-
as Mallapurāṇa belongs to the later variety. Besides such Purāṇas, there are
others like Dharmāraṇya, Śrīmāla Purāṇa, Anāvil Purāṇa, Vāyu Purāṇa,
Kālikā Purāṇa, which are the books narrating the history of castes.³ They
could be considered as caste Purāṇas and may be considered to be the extension
of Vaṁśānucarita, in the sense that they devote themselves to the history of
some Vaṁśa, in a broad sense, and in this variety would be included the whole
literature of the bards, and histories of different castes.
Inspite of the fact that these Caste-Purāṇas claim to give the story of the
castes, there are much religious data which have nothing to do with pure history.
Some historical material is occasionally seen through this mesh of semi religious
and semi-fictitious account of the origin of the castes. The present Purāṇa
would be classed in these Caste Purāṇas.
The term Malla is used to denote a wrestler or a boxer. In this sense the
term is known from very ancient times. But it is used in the present context
to mean not only a wrestler, but a sub-section of brāhmins from Moḍherā general-
ly known as Moḍha Brāhmins, who were professional wrestlers. Here the word
Malla is therefore used in rather a restricted sense.
The above discussion, clearly brings out the characteristics of the Malla
Purāṇa, which is the "Old story of the caste of Mallas from Moḍhera". It is
¹ Winternitz, op. cit., p. 531.
² Winternitz, op. cit., p. 579.
³ Numerous castes in Gujarat have their own Purāṇas. The following
is a small list of it. Dharmāraṇya for Moḍh Brāhmins and Baniās, Śrīmāla-
purāṇa for Śrīmālī Brāhmins and Baniās, Nāgarkhaṇḍa for Nāgars, Anāvil
Purāṇa for Anāvil Brāhmins, Vāyu Purāṇa for Vāyaḍā Brāhmins and Baniās,
Kālikā Purāṇa for coppersmiths. There is also a Nāpitapurāṇa for the caste
of barbers,