All Stories
Browse our complete collection of folk tales, Panchatantra stories, and moral stories from around the world.
Indian Folk Tales
Chandralekha and the Eight Robbers
Chandralekha, a brilliant dancer’s daughter, outwits a gang of eight robbers night after night until a prince helps her set one last trap in the forest.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
Diamond Cut Diamond
When a crafty shopkeeper refuses to give back a merchant’s box of jewels, a cheerful young trickster thinks up an even craftier plan to get them back.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Dorani
A prince marries the golden-haired Dorani, who will not say a word to him and leaves every night, so he makes himself invisible to discover her secret.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
Eating Up the Protector
A snake threatens the Brahmin who rescues it, then reconsiders before he returns. A king uses the tale to recognize his own ingratitude.
Indian Folk Tales
Good Will Grow Out of Good
A king orders a deadly trap after an untested accusation against an old Brahmin. A breakfast invitation changes who reaches the executioners first.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 6-8
Harisarman
After hiding a horse to stage a magical recovery, Harisarman gains a reputation he cannot support. An overheard name and a lucky nickname keep his bluff alive.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
How Raja Rasalu Journeyed to the City of King Sarkap
Sheltering from a storm in an old graveyard, Rasalu talks all night with a headless ghost, who warns him how King Sarkap cheats at dice and how to beat him.
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
Ages 9-12
How Raja Rasalu Killed the Giants
In Nila city Rasalu meets a weeping mother whose last son is due to be handed to the giants, and he rides off in the young man’s place to face them himself.
Indian Folk Tales
How Raja Rasalu Played Chaupur with King Sarkap
Rasalu stakes his armour, his horse and his own head in a game against a cheating king, and a kitten he rescued from a potter’s kiln helps turn the tables.
Indian Folk Tales
Ages 9-12
How Raja Rasalu Swung the Seventy Fair Maidens, Daughters of the King
A rescued cricket helps Rasalu separate millet from sand. His next encounter with Sarkap's daughters turns violent before poisoned food reveals the king's treachery.
Indian Folk Tales
How Raja Rasalu Was Born
Puran returns after his father's brutal punishment and confronts Queen Lona. His promise of a son is followed by a separate prophecy that shapes Rasalu's hidden childhood.