It is near impossible to narrate the story of Indian Literature and do justice to it. The myriad languages, complexities, forms, volume, and the amazing length of the time span in which it has been produced makes the task awesomely difficult. Yet, what emerges from the layers of Indian literature is the living relationship among its various cultural narratives and a fluidity that is impossible to surpass.

Ancient  Indian Literature: The history of Indian literature spans milleniums. The earliest Indian literature took the form of the canonical Hindu sacred writings, known as the Veda –the Rig Veda being the oldest. However, to infer that ancient Indian literature is only about the religious classics would be to undermine the scope of the literature.  Sanskrit literature is filled with erotic stories and realism, while the Veda’s contain poetry of the highest literary form.  Literature in ancient India also includes plays, narratives, and folktales. Plays by Kalidas, and Jayadeva, written as lyric poetry, are performed and read even today, and has greatly influenced subsequent Indian literature.  While ancient literature in India was not written in Sanskrit alone; Prakrit, Pali, Ardham