Indian literature

• India


  World's 2nd most populous country in Asia
• Bharat


  India's old name
• Indus Valley


  Where earliest Indian civilization grew up
• Hinduism and Caste System


  Foundation of Indian Society
• Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya, Sudra


  4 levels of Caste System
• Hindi


  Official language of India
• Karma and Hindu Mythology 


  Influences of Indian Literature
• Vyasa


  Author of Mahabharata
• Valmiki


  Author of Ramayana
• 4 Vedas (Book of knowledge)

  Rig Veda, Sama Veda, Atharva Veda, Yajur Veda
• Rig Veda


  An anthology of 1028 hymns to various gods
• Sama Veda


  (Books of Chants) liturgies, mostly repetitions of hymns in the Rig Veda
• Yajur Veda


  (Book of spells) incantations, notions about demonology and witchcraft
• Brahmanas


  Solemn sacrificial composed by Hindu priest
• Aranyakas


  Wilderness text, interpretations of the dangerous rituals composed by people who meditated in the woods
• Upanishads 


  108 discourses on the Brahman Religion
• Sutras


  Writings concerning rituals
• Tripitaka


  (The 3 baskets) major religious text of buddhism written in the Pali language
• Jatakas


  "Stories of the births of the buddha" contain popular stories of former lives of Buddha
• The Toy Clay Cart


  Attributed to king Sundra has 3 acts
• Sakantula( The fatal ring)


  Attributed to kalidasa (The hindu Shakespeare)
• Jatakas 


  Imaginative legends concerning the 550 births of Buddha and his early life
• Panchanatantra(five books)


  Probably intended as a manual of instruction for king's sons
• Hitopdesa 


  Book of Good Counsels 43 tales
• Sukasaptati


  70 stories of a parrot; fairy tales
• Mahabharata 


  Longest poem in the world
• Ramayana 


  By Valmiki
• Rama


  God Vishnu reincarnation
• Kalidasa


  India's preeminent classical poet
• Bhakti


  Devotional Literature
• Rabindranath Tagore Innovative poet of Bengali language
• Gitanjali


  Tagore's most famous writings
• Meghaduta 


  Lyric poem about separated lovers
• Shakuntala


  Poetic drama, tells the story of a love affair between a king and a woodland maiden
• Sanskrit drama


  A rich pageant of mime, dance, music, and lyrical texts set in the court of kings and aristocrats
• The little clay cart

  By Shudraka
• Malati- Madhava


  A romance by Bhavabhuti
• Pachatantra


  5 strategies by Vishnusharman

  A collection of stories in prose and verse, which feature animals as the characters, teach lessons about human conduct
• Puranas (mythological narratives)


  5 stories

  1. Creation of the Universe
  2. Destruction and Re-creation of the universe
  3. The Genealody of Gods and Holy Sages

  4. Reign of Manus

  5. Histories of kings