In Buddhism, Naraka is the Sanskrit name for the hell realm among the six realms of rebirth. Buddhist cosmology commonly presents beings as reborn in realms shaped by karma, including gods, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, jealous demigods, and hell beings.
Naraka is associated with intense suffering, but Buddhist hells are generally not eternal. When the karmic conditions supporting a rebirth are exhausted, a being can die in that realm and be reborn elsewhere. This temporary character distinguishes Buddhist Naraka from some popular images of everlasting damnation.
Descriptions differ among Buddhist traditions. Some texts distinguish hot and cold hells, while others describe many subdivisions. Naraka should not be confused with preta, the realm of hungry ghosts, or deva, a godlike heavenly rebirth. In Buddhism, even heavenly rebirth remains within samsara and is therefore not the same as liberation.