Literature and Poetry of Ancient India

The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana.

Valmiki is traditionally regarded as the author of the Ramayana, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India.

The Rigveda is the oldest of the four Vedas, the sacred texts of Hinduism.

The Upanishads are a collection of philosophical and religious texts that are part of the Vedas, the sacred texts of Hinduism.

Kalidasa is considered the greatest Sanskrit dramatist and one of the greatest poets in Sanskrit literature.

Abhijnanashakuntalam is a play by Kalidasa that tells the love story of King Dushyanta and Shakuntala.

Raghuvamsha is a play by Kalidasa that tells the story of King Raghu.

Meghaduta is a poem by Kalidasa that tells the story of a cloud messenger.

Ritusamhara is a poem by Kalidasa that tells the story of the seasons.

Kumarasambhava is a poem by Kalidasa that tells the story of the birth of the war god Skanda.

The Panchatantra is a collection of fables and animal stories that originated in ancient India.

The Hitopadesha is a collection of moral stories and fables that originated in ancient India.

The Jatakas are a collection of stories about the previous lives of the Buddha.

Gita Govinda is a collection of love poems by Jayadeva, a 12th-century Sanskrit poet.