- For other meanings, see Purana (disambiguation).
The word
Puranas (, , ;) literally means "ancient, old", and it is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly myths, legends and other traditional lore. Composed primarily in Sanskrit, but also in regional languages, several of these texts are named after major
Hindu deities such as Vishnu, Shiva and Devi. The Puranas genre of literature is found in both
Hinduism and
Jainism.