PURANA

Purana

(noun) a body of 18 works written between the first and 11th centuries and incorporating legends and speculative histories of the universe and myths and customary observances

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Proper noun

Purana (plural Puranas)

(Hinduism) A text that is part of an ancient Indian genre of Hindu or Jain written literature, concerning various topics, including cosmogony and mythology.

Source: Wiktionary

Pu*ra"na, n. Etym: [Skr. pura, properly. old, ancient, fr. pura formerly.]

Definition: One of a class of sacred Hindoo poetical works in the Sanskrit language which treat of the creation, destruction, and renovation of worlds, the genealogy and achievements of gods and heroes, the reigns of the Manus, and the transactions of their descendants. The principal Puranas are eighteen in number, and there are the same number of supplementary books called Upa Puranas.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition