List of historic Indian texts

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Collection

Each collection represents a set of books that are collectively known by the collection's name. In the list of books (shown below the table of collections), each book also refers to the collection it belongs to (if it does).

Name	Description	Alternate Names	Date
Vedas	Sacred Hymns, which are a large body of texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. There are four vedas, and these constitute the Hindu canon.	Samhita	1500-500 BCE^[1]
Shakhas	Vedic school. Each school taught a Veda in a specific way, over time evolving specific styles and emphasis, based on how / by whom / where it was taught.
Brahmanas	Commentary and elaboration on vedas and description of religious procedures.		1000 - 800 BCE^{[citation needed]}
Upanishads	Philosophy in response to Vedas and Brahmanas.		800 - 600 BCE^{[citation needed]}
Vedanta	Later commentary on the vedas, brahmanas and upanishads.
Itihasas	Two sections of the epic Bhagavatham - Ramayana and Mahabharata - are known as the itihasas.
Pali Canon	Essential collections of teachings of Buddha, as written by his followers, three centuries later.	Tipitaka
Puranas	Historic texts (usually about a royal lineage) - written by court-appointed historians. Usually contrasted with historical descriptions in vedas, brahmanas, etc., that are written by priests.
Dharmasastra	Collection and description of laws (man-made and natural).

Books

Key

Subject Area - subject area of the book
Topic - topic (within the subject area)
Collection - belongs to a collection listed in the table above
Date - date (year) book was written
Reign Of - king/ruler in whose reign this book was written (occasionally a book could span reigns)
Reign Age - extent of the reign
Geographic Region - as it was known at the time of writing

Book	Subject Area	Topic	Collection	Language	Author	Date	Reign Of	Reign Age	Geographic Region	Modern Name of Geographic Region	Notes
Rig Veda	Hindu hymns about various gods, and references to historic events.	Part 1 of the four part Hindu canon.	Veda / Samhita	Sanskrit	No concrete information available, but attributed to several rishis.	1500-500 BCE^[1]			Saptha Sindhva	Indus region (Indus + its five tributaries + Saraswati)
Yajur Veda	Hindu sacrificial knowledge.	Part 3 of the four part Hindu canon.	Veda / Samhita	Sanskrit	No concrete information available, but attributed to several 'rishis'	1500-500 BCE^[1]			Saptha Sindhva	Indus region (Indus + its five tributaries + Saraswati)
Sama Veda	Hindu music and arts.	Part 2 of the four part Hindu canon.	Veda / Samhita	Sanskrit		1500-500 BCE^[1]
Atharva Veda	Hindu medicine, magic, sorcery.	Part 4 of the four part Hindu canon.	Veda / Samhita	Sanskrit	Attributed to rishis "Atharvana" and Angirasa.	1500-500 BCE^[1]
Taittiriya Shakha		Recension of Yajur Veda	Shakha	Sanskrit
Shaunaka Shakha		Recension of Atharva Veda	Shakha	Sanskrit
Paippalada Shakha		Recension of Atharva Veda	Shakha	Sanskrit
Satapatha Brahmana	Hindu sacrificial knowledge.	Commentary on Yajur Veda	Brahmana	Sanskrit		600 BCE - 500 BCE^{[citation needed]}					Supposedly an allegory of the Aryan expansion towards the east.
Aitareya Brahmana	Hindu vedic practices.	Commentary on Rig Veda	Brahmana	Sanskrit
Kaushitaki Brahmana		Commentary on Rig Veda		Sanskrit
Taittriya Brahmana	Hindu sacrificial knowledge.	Commentary on Yajur Veda	Brahmana	Sanskrit
Samavidhana Brahmana	Hindu music and arts.	Commentary on Sama Veda	Brahmana	Sanskrit
Arseya Brahmana	Hindu music and arts.	Commentary on Sama Veda	Brahmana	Sanskrit
Devatadhyaya Brahmana	Hindu music and arts.	Commentary on Sama Veda	Brahmana	Sanskrit
Shakdwipiya Brahmana	Hindu music and arts.	Commentary on Sama Veda	Brahmana	Sanskrit
Tandyamaha Brahmana	Hindu music and arts.	Commentary on Sama Veda	Brahmana	Sanskrit
Aitareya Aranyanka				Sanskrit
Kaushitaki Araynkaya				Sanskrit
Taittiriya Upanishad			Upanishad	Sanskrit
Maitri Upanishad			Upanishad	Sanskrit
			Mimamsa	Sanskrit
	Theravada Buddhism		Buddhist Pali Canon	Pali
	Yoga			Sanskrit
	Ayurveda			Sanskrit
Ramayana		Life of Rama, a prince of the Sun dynasty.		Sanskrit		400 BCE - 400 CE ^[2]					Supposedly an allegory of the Aryan conquest of the pre-Aryan people.
Mahabharata				Sanskrit		400 BCE - 400 CE ^[2]
Bhagavad Gita		Krishna's advice to Arjuna on duty.		Sanskrit		200 BCE - 200 CE ^[2]					Not a separate work. Part of Mahabharata.
Bhagavata				Sanskrit
Hatha Yoga Pradipika				Sanskrit
Gheranda Samhita				Sanskrit
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali				Sanskrit	Patanjali
Vishnu Purana			Purana	Sanskrit
Persian Wars				Greek	Herodotus
Arthasastra				Sanskrit	Chanakya (aka Kautilya)		Chandragupta Maurya	321 BCE - 301 BCE^{[citation needed]}	Magadha	Bihar
Milinda Panha		Dialogues with King Milinda (Menander)		Pali			Menander	circa 150 BCE^{[citation needed]}	Sagala	Sialkot in Punjab
Buddhacharita	Buddhism	Life of Buddha		Sanskrit	Ashvagosha		Kanishka	100^{[citation needed]}	Purushapura	Peshawar
Periplus of the Erythrean Sea		A naval guide to Indian commerce.		Greek		0 - 100 CE^{[citation needed]}
Manusmriti (aka Manava Dharmaśāstra)	Law, code of conduct.	Code of conduct as described by Manu.	Dharmaśāstra	Sanskrit
			Puranas	Sanskrit
Kamasutra	Sex	A manual of love.		Sanskrit	Vātsyāyana	100 - 200 CE^{[citation needed]}
Charaka Samhita	Medicine	Medical text.		Sanskrit	Charaka	100 - 200 CE^{[citation needed]}
Ashtadyayi	Sanskrit language	Sanskrit grammar		Sanskrit	Panini	circa 400 BCE^{[citation needed]}
Siddhāntakaumudī	Sanskrit language	Sanskrit grammar. Rearranges and provides descriptions for Panini's Ashtadyayi.		Sanskrit	Bhattoji Diksita	circa 1700 CE^{[citation needed]}
Mahabhashya	Sanskrit language	Sanskrit grammar		Sanskrit	Patanjali	circa 200 BCE^{[citation needed]}
Devichandragupta	Drama	Drama about Chandragupta II (aka Vikramaditya)		Sanskrit	Vishakhadatta	600 BCE^{[citation needed]}
Āryabhaṭīya	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Āryabhaṭa	499 CE^{[citation needed]}
Surya Siddhanta	Mathematics	Mathematics	Panchasiddhantika	Sanskrit	Varahamihira	circa 400 CE^{[citation needed]}
Romaka Siddhanta	Mathematics	Mathematics	Panchasiddhantika	Sanskrit	Varahamihira	500-500 CE^{[citation needed]}
Paulisa Siddhanta	Mathematics	Mathematics	Panchasiddhantika	Sanskrit	Varahamihira	500-500 CE^{[citation needed]}
Vasishtha Siddhanta	Mathematics	Mathematics	Panchasiddhantika	Sanskrit	Varahamihira	500-500 CE^{[citation needed]}
Paitamaha Siddhanta	Mathematics	Mathematics	Panchasiddhantika	Sanskrit	Varahamihira	500-500 CE^{[citation needed]}
Brāhmasphuṭasiddhānta	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Brahmagupta	628 CE^{[citation needed]}
Mahabhaskariya	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Bhaskara I	600-680 CE^{[citation needed]}					Expansion of Aryabhatta's work
Dhavala	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Virasena	800-900 CE^{[citation needed]}	Amoghavarsha
Ganit Saar Sangraha	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Mahavira	800-870 CE^{[citation needed]}	Rashtrakuta
Nav Shatika	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Sridhara	870-930 CE^{[citation needed]}				Bengal
Maha-Siddhanta	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Aryabhata II	920–1000 CE^{[citation needed]}				Bengal	Commentary on Sridhara's work
Siddhanta Sekhara	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Śrīpati	1019-1066 CE^{[citation needed]}
Ganit Tilaka	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Śrīpati	1019-1066 CE^{[citation needed]}
Dhikotidakarana	Mathematics	Lunar and solar eclipses		Sanskrit	Śrīpati	1019-1066 CE^{[citation needed]}
Siddhanta Shiromani	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Bhāskara II	1114–1185 CE^{[citation needed]}
Lilavati	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Bhāskara II	1114–1185 CE^{[citation needed]}
Bijaganita	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Bhāskara II	1114–1185 CE^{[citation needed]}
Gola Addhyaya	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Bhāskara II	1114–1185 CE^{[citation needed]}
Griha Ganitam	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Bhāskara II	1114–1185 CE^{[citation needed]}
Karun Kautoohal	Mathematics	Mathematics		Sanskrit	Bhāskara II	1114–1185 CE^{[citation needed]}
Travels of Faxian	Social life	Travels in India during the Chandragupta II era		Mandarin	Faxian		Chandragupta II (aka Vikramaditya)	375 - 415 CE^{[citation needed]}	Magadha	Bihar
Shakuntala	Drama	Drama about a girl forgotten by her husband		Sanskrit	Kalidasa		Chandragupta II (aka Vikramaditya)	375 - 415 CE^{[citation needed]}	Magadha	Bihar
Meghadūta	Drama	Story of a cloud carrying a message amongst lovers		Sanskrit	Kalidasa		Chandragupta II (aka Vikramaditya)	375 - 415 CE^{[citation needed]}	Magadha	Bihar
Mrichakatika	Drama	Story of a poor brahman falling in love with a courtesan.		Sanskrit	Shudraka		Chandragupta II (aka Vikramaditya)	375 - 415 CE^{[citation needed]}	Magadha	Bihar
Harshacharita	Biography	Life of King Harsha Vardhana		Sanskrit	Bāṇabhaṭṭa		Harsha Vardhana	606 - 647 CE^{[citation needed]}	Thanesar	near Delhi
In the footsteps of Buddha	Travel			Mandarin	Xuanzang	630 - 644 CE^{[citation needed]}	Harsha Vardhana	606 - 647 CE^{[citation needed]}	Thanesar	near Delhi
In the footsteps of Buddha	Travel			Mandarin	Xuanzang	630 - 644 CE^{[citation needed]}	Pulakesin II (Pulikesi)	610 - 642 CE^{[citation needed]}	Badami	near Krishna river
Samkhya Verses				Sanskrit	Isvara Krishna	200 CE^{[citation needed]}
Soundarya Lahari				Sanskrit	Sankaracharya
Mattavilasa Prahasana				Sanskrit	Mahendravarman I		Mahendravarman I (Pallava)	600 - 630 CE^{[citation needed]}	Kancheepuram	Kancheepuram
				Arabic	al Biruni		Mahmud of Ghazni	971 - 1030 CE^{[citation needed]}
Shahnameh				Arabic	Firdawsi		Mahmud of Ghazni	971 - 1030 CE^{[citation needed]}
				Arabic	Utbi		Mahmud of Ghazni	971 - 1030 CE^{[citation needed]}			Utbi was the official court chronicler of Mahmud Gazni.
	Travel	Travels in Asia and Africa		Arabic	Ibn Battuta	1324 - 1354 CE^{[citation needed]}	Muhammad bin Tughluq	1325 - 1351 CE^{[citation needed]}	Delhi
	Medicine	Ma'dan ul Shifa		Arabic			Sikandar Lodi	1489 - 1517 CE^{[citation needed]}	Delhi
	Music	Lahjat I Sikandar Shahi		Arabic			Sikandar Lodi	1489 - 1517 CE^{[citation needed]}	Delhi
				Persian	Kabir	1440 - 1518 CE^{[citation needed]}
Baburnama	Autobiography	Babur's life		Chagatai	Babur		Babur		Kabul, Delhi
Humayunnama		Humayun's life		Persian			Humayun		Delhi
Ain-i-Akbari	Biography of Akbar	Akbar's rule		Persian	Abu'l-Fazl ibn Mubarak	1551 - 1602 CE^{[citation needed]}	Akbar	1556 - 1605 CE^{[citation needed]}	Delhi
Tulsidas Ramayan	Hinduism	Translation of Ramayana into Hindi		Hindi	Tulsidas	1532 - 1623 CE^{[citation needed]}	Akbar	1556 - 1605 CE^{[citation needed]}	Delhi
Tuzk-e-Jahangiri	Memoirs	Memoirs of Jehangir		Persian	Jehangir	1605 - 1627 CE^{[citation needed]}	Jehangir	1605 - 1627 CE^{[citation needed]}	Delhi
Guru Granth Sahib	Sikhism	Holy scripture of Sikhism		Sant Bhasha	Guru Arjan Dev	1563 - 1606 CE^{[citation needed]}	Jehangir	1605 - 1627 CE^{[citation needed]}	Punjab

References

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[1]

[2]

List of historic Indian texts

Contents

Collection

Books

Key

See also

References

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