Indian Literature and Texts

The Tripitaka (called Tipitaka in Pali) is the earliest collection of Buddhist writings.

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 Early Jaina writers discarded Sanskrit as the language of Brahmans & adopted Prakrit & Ardhamagadhi, the languages of common people.

The Besanagar Pillar Inscription is the earliest epigraphic evidence of the Bhagavata cult, showing the devotion of Heliodorus to Vasudeva.

The Susruta Samhita is a foundational ancient Sanskrit text on medicine and surgery, attributed to the physician Sushruta.

The Samvada-suktas (dialogue hymns) in the Rigveda, such as the dialogue between Pururavas and Urvashi, are considered to contain the seeds of Indian dramatic tradition.

The Nidanasutra, consisting of ten prapathakas, is a ritualistic and musical manual that belongs specifically to the Samaveda tradition.

The Rig Veda is the oldest of the four Vedas and is a foundational collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns, mantras, and rituals.

The Vedas are the oldest scriptures of Hinduism and serve as the primary source of historical information regarding the Aryan period in India.

The Vedas are the oldest and most authoritative scriptures of Hinduism, containing hymns, philosophy, and guidance on rituals.

The Qur'an is the holy book of Islam, which is the religion associated with the festival of Eid (Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha).

The Vedas and post Vedic literature form an important source of ancient Indian history. It includes Brahmanas, the Upanishads, the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Jain and Buddhist literature, plays, poems, stone and pillar inscriptions, travelogues of foreign travellers etc.

The Aitareya Brahmana is one of the earliest texts that mentions the Andhras, who are associated with the Satavahanas.

The Cheras drew upon Sanskritic traditions. The first literary works in Malayalam, dated to about the twelfth century, are directly indebted to Sanskrit. Interestingly enough, a fourteenth-century text, the Lilatilakam, dealing with grammar and poetics, was composed in Manipravalam literally, diamonds and corals referring to the two languages, Sanskrit, and the regional language.