Historical literary sources of ancient India: The historical literature can be sub-divided into several groups. They are Puranas, the epics, dynastic history and biography.
• Banabhatta’s Harshacharita: Banabhatta, the poet Laureate of Harshavardhan, composed the Harshacharita. This royal biographies written in ancient India, is an important source of Ancient Indian History. The book gives us a report on the early reign of Harshavardhana.
• Rajatarangini:Kalhana‘s Rajatarangini is another great work that the ancient kings of Kashmir used to conserve historical materials. Kalhana, the famous historian of Kashmir, presents continuous details of the political events of Kashmir from ancient times down to the twelfth century A.D.
• The Arthashastra is an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, economic policy and military strategy, writtenby Kautilya, also known as Vishnugupta and Chanakya. He belong to the period of Emperor Chandragupta Maurya.
• Dharmashastras
Dharmashastras are ancient secular literature.
It belong to the law book called Dharmasutras and Smritis, which together is called the Dharmashastras
• Sangam
It is the poets who assembled in colleges patronized by chiefs and kings, these were called Sangam.
The literature produced by these colleges were called as Sangam literature.
To name a few, Ettuthokai, Pattupattu, Patinenkilkanakku, Purananuru, Agananuru, and etc.
• Abhijnanasakuntalam, famously known as “The Recognition of Sakuntala” (through a token) was the first ever translation made of an Indian play into Western languages. William Jones translated the play in English during the year 1789. The play was written by Kalidasa in a period of his lifetime from 2nd century B.C to 4th century A.D.
—- Continued Literary sources in ancient Indian history – 3
