India
Folk tales from the diverse traditions of India.
Aesop's Fables
Ages 3-5
Infant God Krishna Kills Demoness Putana
Infant God Krishna Kills Demoness Putana: Long ago, the kingdom of Mathura was ruled by the cruel king Kamsa. A prophecy had warned him that Devaki’s eighth
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 12+ / YA
Jwaala Ghat Short Story (YA Retelling) | Ages 12+
The night was eerie and the eclipse cast shadows of terror. Jwaala, a young girl, gathered her village and taught them the science of celestial events.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 3-5
Kaliya Daman – Krishna Tames The Serpent Kaliya – Indian Mythological Story
Kaliya Daman – Krishna Tames The Serpent Kaliya – Indian Mythologica: In the Dvapara Yuga, Krishna lived in Vrindavan as an incarnation of Vishnu, born to
Jataka Tales
Ages 9-12
The Hawks And Their Friends
Hawks and animal friends learn that loving-kindness, not kinship, binds hearts together across difference.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 3-5
Kupti And Imani
A Punjabi folktale from Andrew Lang's Olive Fairy Book (1907): the younger princess Imani, sent away to live with a poor fakir, builds her own fortune at the loom — and saves the king who would marry her.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 3-5
Light Makes Prosperity
Light Makes Prosperity: There is a Tamil proverb dîpam lakshmîkaram, meaning, “light makes prosperity,” and the following story is related to explain it: The
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
How Raja Rasalus Friends Forsook Him
On the first night out of Sialkot, Rasalu’s companions face a serpent and an unspeakable horror — and ask leave to go home. Expanded Rasalu cycle episode. Ages 9–12+.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
How Raja Rasalu Killed the Giants | Punjabi Folk Epic (9–12+)
Punjabi hero Rasalu stops for a weeping widow, takes her son’s place, and ends Nila’s tribute to the giants. Full episode + moral.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 3-5
How Raja Rasalu Journeyed To The City Of King Sarkap
How Raja Rasalu Journeyed To The City Of King Sarkap: Now, after he had reigned a while in Hodinagari, Rasâlu gave up his kingdom, and started off to play
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 3-5
How Raja Rasalu Went Out Into The World
How Raja Rasalu Went Out Into The World: Young Rasâlu lived on, far from the light of day, for eleven long years, growing tall and strong, yet contented to
Indian Folk Tales
Older Kids / Teens / Adults
Good Will Grow Out Of Good: Tamil Folk Tale of the Lime & the Blessing
Southern Indian folk tale — Brāhmin Pāpabhīru’s daily yellow lime, the Tamil blessing “if good is sown, good will grow,” and how sown good and sown evil return. Full story + FAQ.
Classic Kathasaritsagara
Ages 9-12
Harisarman
A Kathāsaritsāgara comic of wit, bluff, and luck — the Indian cousin of “Doctor Know-All” (ATU 1641).