India
Explore stories associated with Indian traditions, including the Panchatantra, Jataka narratives and regional collections. A tale’s setting, the place where a version was recorded and the history of its publication are different kinds of evidence. Read the source note for the connection supported on each page.
219 stories are in this region right now.
Jataka Tales
Ages 9-12
The Mouse Merchant
Following a treasurer’s passing remark, a penniless young man sells a dead mouse for a farthing and trades his way up to two hundred thousand coins.
Jataka Tales
Ages 9-12
The Firewood Gatherer
A stick-gatherer’s son proves he is the king’s child by sitting in mid-air, then grows up to rule as the Firewood Gatherer king.
Jataka Tales
Ages 6-8
The Gray Hair
When his barber finds a single gray hair on his head, a king who still has thousands of years to live gives up his throne to become a hermit.
Jataka Tales
Ages 6-8
The Happy Monk
A hermit who was once a king lies at ease before a visiting king, crying “Oh, happiness!”, and his teacher explains why the holy life brings such joy.
Jataka Tales
Ages 9-12
The Two Stags
An old deer king sends his two sons to lead their herds to the hills at harvest time, and only the careful one, who travels by night, brings every deer home.
Jataka Tales
Ages 9-12
The Banyan Deer (Nigrodhamiga Jataka)
A golden deer king offers his own neck on the block to spare a mother doe, and his courage moves the king to protect every creature in the land.
Jataka Tales
Ages 6-8
How the Turtle Saved His Own Life
Frightened princes mistake a turtle for a demon, and when the court debates how to destroy it, the clever turtle begs not to be thrown into the lake.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
King Joy and Secretary Splendor
A secretary shaves his head and a king neighs like a horse to win back their angry wives, and the secretary's rhyme gives the game away.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
Elephants and Hares — A Panchatantra Story of Wit Over Might
When thirsty elephants trample the rabbits by the Lake of the Moon, a clever rabbit claims to speak for the Moon and uses its reflection to send them away.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
Frogs That Rode a Snake
An old snake tells the frogs he has been cursed to carry them, and the frog-king enjoys the rides so much that he never sees what the snake is planning.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
Of Crows and Owls
After the owls raid his banyan tree by night, the crow king's oldest minister lets himself be beaten and abandoned so that the owls will take him in.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Hare, the Partridge and the Holy Cat
A partridge comes home to find a hare in his nest, and the two ask a cat who claims to have sworn off hurting anyone to decide whose home it is.