Indian

Literature
Abors: Arunachal
Pradesh
Indian literature refers to the
produced on the Indian
subcontinent until 1947 and in
the republic of India thereafter.
The republic of India has 22
officially recognized languages.
• Indian literature were orally
transmitted.
• Sanskrit literature begins with the oral
literature of the Rig Veda.
• Sanskrit epics of Ramayana and
Mahabharata appeared towards the
end of the first millennium BCE.
• Classical Sanskrit literature developed
rapidly during the first few centuries of
the first millennium.
 1st Century of 1st Millennium BCE
 Tamil Sangam
 Pali Canon
Medieval Period
 Kannada
 Telugu
 Marathi
 Odia
 Bengali
 Persian and Urdu
Famous Indian Writer
• Vyasa
• Valmiki
• Kalidasa
• Vatsyayana
• Jayadeva
HINDU PURANAS
KAMA SUTRA
THE STORY OF
RAMAYANA
Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, is the eldest son of King Dasharatha
and his wife Kaushalya. Although Rama is his father's choice to
succeed him, the king's second wife, Kaikei, wants her own son on
the throne. She schemes to send Rama and his wife Sita into exile,
where they remain for 14 years.
While living in the forest, Sita is kidnapped by the demon king
Ravana, the 10-headed ruler of Lanka. Rama pursues her, aided by
his brother Lakshmana and the mighty monkey general Hanuman
. They attack Ravana’s army and succeed in killing the demon king,
freeing Sita after a fierce battle and reuniting her with Rama.
Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya and are warmly welcomed back
by the citizens of the kingdom, where they rule for many years and
have two sons. Eventually, Sita is accused of being unfaithful, and
she must undergo a trial by fire to prove her chastity.
She appeals to Mother Earth and is saved, but she vanishes into
immortality.
THE STORY OF
MAHABHARATA
The Mahabharata is divided into 18 parvas or books. The primary
narrative follows the five sons of the deceased King Pandu (the
Pandavas) and the 100 sons of blind King Dhritarashtra (the Kauravas),
who opposed each other in war for possession of the ancestral Bharata
kingdom on the Ganga river in north-central India. The principal figure
in the epic is the god Krishna.
Although Krishna is related to both Pandu and Dhritarashtra, he is
eager to see war occur between the two clans and considers Pandu's
sons to be his human instruments for fulfilling that end.
Leaders of both clans engage in a dice game, but the game is rigged in
the Dhritarashtras' favor and the Pandu clan lose, agreeing to spend 13
years in exile.
When the period of exile ends and the Pandu clan return, they find
that their rivals are unwilling to share power. As a result, war breaks
out.
After years of violent conflict, in which both sides commit
numerous atrocities and many clan elders are killed,
the Pandavas finally emerge the winners. 
In the years that follow the war, the Pandavas live a life of
asceticism in a forest retreat. Krishna is slaughtered in a
drunken brawl and his soul dissolves back into the Supreme
God Vishnu. When they learn of this, the Pandavas believe it
time for them to leave this world, too. They embark upon a
great journey, walking north toward heaven, where the dead
of both clans will live in harmony.
Multiple subplots weave throughout the epic text, following
the numerous characters as they pursue their own agendas,
wrestle with ethical dilemmas and come into conflict with
one another.