India

About India

Indian storytelling is richly diverse, encompassing ancient epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, animal fables such as the Panchatantra, and countless regional folk traditions. Stories often blend moral lessons, mythology, and cultural customs.

Traditional storytelling includes street performance, temple recitals, puppetry, and oral narration passed through generations. Many tales teach ethics, cleverness, and the consequences of actions.

Explore our collection of Indian stories that highlight the subcontinent’s narrative depth and variety.

Stories from the India origin:

• The Mahabharata: The Game of Dice Aug 11, 2025

  

  In the magnificent city of Hastinapura, seat of the great Bharata dynasty, there stood a palace assembly hall whose beauty and grandeur were unmatched in all the three worlds. Built by the demon architect Maya for the Pandava brothers, this hall was a marvel of craftsmanship where floors appeared to be water but were solid crystal, and walls seemed transparent but were made of the finest glass.

• The Greedy Dog Aug 10, 2025

  

  In a bustling village beside the sacred Yamuna River, there lived a street dog named Bhukka. He was neither the strongest nor the cleverest dog in the village, but he had one quality that set him apart from all the others – an insatiable greed that was never satisfied, no matter how much he acquired.

  Bhukka spent his days wandering through the narrow streets and crowded markets, always searching for food scraps and easy opportunities. Unlike other dogs who were content with whatever meals they could find, Bhukka was constantly dissatisfied, always convinced that somewhere else there must be something better, something more, something that would finally fill the empty feeling in his heart.

• The Mahabharata: Draupadi's Swayamvara Aug 10, 2025

  

  In the prosperous kingdom of Panchala, there ruled a wise and powerful king named Drupada, whose daughter Draupadi was renowned throughout the land as the most beautiful and accomplished princess of her generation. Born from the sacred fire itself through her father’s prayers and sacrifices, Draupadi possessed not only extraordinary beauty but also divine wisdom, courage, and devotion.

• The Bodhisattva and the Hungry Tigress Aug 9, 2025

  

  Long ago, in the ancient kingdom of Kushinagar, there lived a wise and benevolent king who ruled with justice and compassion. The king had three sons, each blessed with different virtues, but the youngest prince, Mahasattva, was renowned throughout the land for his extraordinary kindness and his deep concern for the suffering of all living beings.

  Prince Mahasattva was not content to live a life of royal luxury while others suffered. From his earliest years, he had shown an unusual sensitivity to pain and hardship, whether it was experienced by humans, animals, or any living creature. His heart was so full of compassion that he could not bear to see suffering without doing everything in his power to alleviate it.

• The Mahabharata: The Kurukshetra War Aug 9, 2025

  

  On the sacred plain of Kurukshetra, where the ancient kings had performed great sacrifices and where the very soil was consecrated by centuries of righteous deeds, two mighty armies faced each other as the sun rose on what would be remembered as the most devastating war in human history.

  Eighteen long years had passed since the dice game that had led to the exile of the Pandavas. Thirteen years of exile had been completed—twelve in the forest and one year living incognito in the court of King Virata. Now the time had come for the Pandavas to reclaim their rightful kingdom, but the Kauravas, led by the stubborn Duryodhana, refused to return even a needle’s point of land.

• The Bhagavad Gita: Krishna's Counsel Aug 8, 2025

  

  On the sacred field of Kurukshetra, as two mighty armies prepared for the battle that would determine the fate of the world, the greatest archer of his time found himself paralyzed not by fear of death, but by the weight of moral doubt.

  Arjuna, son of Pandu and the most skilled warrior in the known world, sat in his golden chariot with his bow Gandiva fallen from his hands, overwhelmed by the sight of his beloved relatives, teachers, and friends arrayed on both sides of the battlefield. Beside him sat his charioteer—who was none other than Lord Krishna, the divine incarnation who had taken human form to restore dharma to the world.

• The Monkey and the Crocodile Aug 7, 2025

  

  On the banks of a wide, flowing river stood a magnificent rose apple tree, its branches heavy with the sweetest, most delicious fruits that anyone had ever tasted. The tree was so tall that its top branches seemed to touch the clouds, and its fruits were so perfectly ripe and juicy that their fragrance could be smelled from far away.

• The Lion and the Rabbit Aug 6, 2025

  

  In a dense forest where tall trees created a canopy so thick that even the brightest sunlight could barely penetrate to the ground, there lived a terrible lion named Bhasuraka. This lion was not content with hunting for his food like other lions—instead, he had become a tyrant who killed for the mere pleasure of killing.