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.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Peasie and Beansie
Kind Peasie helps a tree, a fire, a pipal and a stream on her way to visit their father, and her selfish sister Beansie hopes to win the same rewards.
Pride Goes Before a Fall
Three proud robbers strip ten cloth merchants and make them dance, but the merchants' leader sings a secret trade-code song telling his friends how to strike.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Prince Half-a-Son
A prince mocked for his unusual body uses magic and careful listening to survive his brothers' attacks, while the tale exposes their envy and the court's prejudice.
Indian Folk Tales
Prince Lionheart and His Three Friends
Prince Lionheart frees two haunted cities and wins kingdoms for his three friends, and when a witch's trick kills him, their skills bring him back to life.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Prince Wicked and the Grateful Animals
A man rescues a prince and three animals from a flood. The animals honour their promises, but the new king remembers the rescue with resentment and tries to silence him.
Indian Folk Tales
Princess Aubergine
A tiny fairy girl who steps out of an aubergine is lured to the palace by a jealous sorceress-queen determined to discover the secret of her life.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 6-8
Vishnu-Sarman and the King’s Sons
King Sudarsana despairs that his sons have learned nothing, until an old sage promises to make the princes wise in six months by telling them stories.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
The Merchant and the Bullock
An abandoned injured bull recovers beside the Yamuna. His unfamiliar bellow frightens the lion king, until a jackal investigates and arranges a meeting.
Jataka Tales
Ages 3-5
The Elephant and the Dog
When a farmer buys away the little dog who shares his meals, the king's elephant will not eat or bathe, and the king must find out why his elephant is so sad.
Panchatantra Stories
Ages 9-12
The Girl Who Married a Snake
A woman raises her snake son with care. A bride accepts her father's marriage arrangement and later sees the snake take human form, in a tale that questions fate and recognition.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Light Makes Prosperity
Her mother breaks a vow to marry her daughters to their ruined uncle's sons, so the youngest weds one anyway and uses one lamp-lit night to bring wealth home.
Indian Folk Tales
Little Anklebone
A little shepherd boy is given up to a hungry wolf by his own aunt, yet his tiny anklebone goes on to scare off robbers and make a pond of milk.