purana

‖n. [ Skr. purā&unr_;, properly. old, ancient, fr. purā formerly. ] 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. [ 1913 Webster ]