Indian literature

views updated May 23 2018

Indian literature Sanskrit literature divides into three periods: the Vedic period (c.1500–c.200 bc) includes the Vedas and the Upanishads; the Epic period (c.400 bc–c.ad 400) includes the Mahabharata, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Ramayana; and the Classical period (from c.ad 200) includes the lyrics of Kalidasa. During the 19th century, various regional vernacular literatures emerged. Bengali literature was particularly influential in the development of a nationalist literature, including writers such as Rabindranath Tagore.

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