itihasa

Indian epic poetry is the epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent. Written in Sanskrit, Kannada, Tamil and Hindi, it includes some of the oldest epic poetry ever created and some works form the basis of Hindu scripture.
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Itihasa (Sanskrit) [from iti thus, so + ha indeed + asa it was] Thus indeed it was; legend, tradition, history. From the custom of narrators to conclude their utterance with this phrase, it acquired the meaning of tradition. It is also "the narrative of the lives of some august personages, conveying at the same time meanings of the highest moral and occult importance" (BCW 6:42).