Puránas, a body of religious works which rank second to the Vedas, and form the basis of the popular belief of the Hindus. There are 18 principal Puránas and 18 secondary Puránas, of various dates, but believed to be of remote antiquity, though modern critical research proves that in their present form they are not of very ancient origin.
Definition taken from The Nuttall Encyclopædia, edited by the Reverend James Wood (1907)
Punjab * Purbeck, Isle of