Itihasa is the historical tradition taught by Ved Vyasa. Earlier, Itihasa meant only to the great epic the Mahabharata. In Sanskrit, the Itihasa means simply history. For Hindus, Itihasa is a religious story that tells about what happened in the past, which are usually epic poems.

The three most important itihasas to Hindus are the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad Gita. The original Rmeaning of Itihasa had a more precise implication than the word History. The etymology by Panini indicates that `itihasa` means `thus indeed, in this tradition`. The ancient literature of Chanakyas`s Arthashastra gives one of the earliest references of Itihasa.

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