Indian literature is one of the oldest languages in the world. India has 22 officially recognized languages and a huge body of literature is produced in each of these languages. In Indian literature oral and written forms are both important and Hindu literary traditions dominate a large part of early literature. The history of literature is the historical development of writings in prose or poetry which aim at providing education, entertainment and enlightenment to its readers as well the development of the literary techniques used in the communication of these pieces. The historical development of literature did not happen at an even pace across the world. Indian Literature can be divided into Ancient Literature, Medieval Literature and Contemporary Literature.

Ancient Indian Literature: Most of the early Indian literature is written in Sanskrit, Prakrit or Pali script. Hence, ancient Indian literature can also be termed as Puranic Literature or Sanskrit Literature. Sanskrit Literature is one of India`s two oldest languages and the basis of several modern languages in India.

The most famous works in Sanskrit are the Hindu Holy texts like Vedas & Upanishads. The Puranic literature also comprises of the great epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata. Composed between 2000 B.C-500 B. C., there are four books of Vedas - Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva; some people consider the first three as the most important ones. Each book has four types of associated literature- hymns, rituals, meditation and mystical philosophy. The Vedas are not written in any single time but compiled over several centuries by different people. As a result, the Vedas provide valuable insights into the historical and cultural development of India during this period. Their content is diverse and includes different lines of thought and belief. The Upanishads also form a part of the Vedas and are strongly philosophical in content.

The great epic of Ramayana was also handed down orally and evolved through several centuries before being written down. Traditionally, the authorship is attributed to the Hindu sage Valmiki who is referred to as "Aadikavi" or the first poet. He introduced the Anustubh meter for the first time which later went on to become the most popular meter in Sanskrit. The first and the last chapters (Balkhand and Uttarkhand) of the epic are added at a later stage. However it forms the basis of Hindu faith and includes tales that form the basis for modern Hindu festivals and some of its practices survive till date as for example the ritual of Hindu marriage. The story of Ramayan is one that deals with Prince Ram, his exile and the abduction of his wife Sita by the demon Ravana and the arising Lankan War. There are a number of stories appearing as sub plots intricately assimilated into the main plot.

Mahabharata is one of the largest poetic works in the world. It contains large tracts of Hindu mythology, philosophy and religious tracts. It contains 100,000 stanzas, authored by sage Vyasa. The first stanza mentions the book`s name as Jaya even though it is known as the Mahabharata. It must have been orally transmitted for a few centuries thus leading to modifications before being written down.

Thus, the Mahabharata simply evolved alongside Indian culture and is a veritable storehouse of cultural mores, mythology, religion, and philosophical sophistication in the seminal work of Hindu religion (Bhagwad Gita), which appears in the tenth chapter of Mahabharata. The epic is the story of two rival royal families fighting for the control of Hastinapur. It contains a number of sub-plots, which are independent stories in their own rights. This epic has left a major impact and imprint on later works. Its effect can be seen in Indian literature, religion, folklore and philosophy. At once eloquent and grand the importance of Mahabharata can be summed up in what is written in it " what can be found here can be found elsewhere, what cannot be found here cannot be found elsewhere".

Medieval Indian Literature: In medieval Indian literature the earliest works in many of the languages were sectarian, designed to advance or to celebrate some unorthodox regional belief. Examples are the Caryapadas in Bengali, Tantric verses of the 12th century and the Lilacaritra (circa 1280), in Marathi. In Kannada (Kanarese) from the 10th century and later in Gujarati from the 13th century, the first truly indigenous works are Jain romances; ostensibly the lives of Jain saints, these are actually popular tales based on Sanskrit and Pali themes. Other example was in Rajasthani of the bardic tales of chivalry and heroic resistance to the first Muslim invasions - such as the 12th-century epic poem Prithiraja-raso by Chand Bardai of Lahore. Most important of all for later Indian literature were the first traces in the vernacular languages of the northern Indian cults of Krishna and of Rama. Included are the 12th-century poems by Jaydev, called the Gitagovinda (The Cowherd`s Song); and about 1400, a group of religious love poems written in Maithili (eastern Hindi of Bihar) by the poet Vidyapati were a seminal influence on the cult of Radha-Krishna in Bengal.

During the same period, the Bhakti Movement was founded in South India was led by 63 nayanars (devotees of Shiva) and 12 Alvars (devotees of Vishnu). The most famous shaiva bhaktas cults were the 4 Nalvar namely - Snndarar, Appar, Sambandarand Manikkavasagar - their devotional hymns are ecstatic and lyrical. The hymns of the 12 Alvars are held together as the Nalayira Divya Prabandham and recited in temple rituals. Chief amongst them is Andal, the only female Vaishnava saint and her hymns express the bridal mysticism in the Hindu religion.

The path of devotion showed by these mystics would later influence Ramanuja and Madhavacharya philosophy. The Virashaiva movement spread the philosophy of Basavanna. Even the Haridasa Movement spread from present day Karnataka and presented two groups - Vyasakuta (proficient in Vedas, Upanishads and Darshans) and Dasakuta (they conveyed the message of Madhavacharya through local Kannada language). The Bhakti movement also resulted n a proliferation of Kannada poetic works in praise of Vishnu. Eminent poets being Purandara Dasa andKanaka Dasa whose contributions to Carnatic music were invaluable.

The spread of Bhakti Movement in North India was spontaneous and was centered on Rama and Krishna. However, all the forms of Bhakti Movement peacefully coexisted and were immensely popular with the masses. The 14th - 17th century A.D saw the wave of Bhakti Movement sweeping through North India and the teachers of this movement were saints like Vallabhacharya, Mirabai, Kabir, Tulsidas, Tukaram, who wrote in vernacular prose and poetry in the ethnic language of the state using simple language to express their devotional ecstasy.

Even seminal works in the regional languages on the theme of Bhakti are seen in Shyama Sangeet in Bengal, which were composed by Ram Prasad Sen and are still an integral part of Bengali culture. Dedicated to Goddess Kali they use allegory as a medium of expression; Ram Prasad had dialogues with the Mother Goddess through his poetry. Another Bengali leader in Bhakti movement was Mahaprabhu Chaitanya who defined his system of philosophy as "achintya bheda bhed" (inconceivable and simultaneous oneness and difference). His philosophy is taught globally at the Hare Krishna movement.

The domination of the British on India had a lot of socio-economic impact and literature was not far behind. The advent of the printing press revolutionized literature as it reached out to the masses. The Bengal Gazette was the first newspaper to come out, beginning a new genre. Schools were established to further English education and vernacular languages as well. Indians were writing in English for the first time and putting across their views to the world. Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar were spearheading the reformist movement championing the cause of women`s education and abolishment of sati. Raja Ram Mohan Roy fought for widow remarriage and voting rights for women, was the pioneer of Indian writing in English. Roy insisted that for India to be included among the world`s nations, education in English was essential. He, therefore, campaigned for introduction of scientific education in India through the English medium.

Even authors like Rabindranath Tagore wrote prolific literature during this period. It also won him the title of Nobel Laureate. He explored every possible genre of literature, he wrote essays, short stories, dramas, poetry, novels etc. He wrote in English as well as Bengali with a dexterity that was remarkable. He translated his own works into English. Gitanjali won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. His other collections of poetry are Gitimalya (1914), Balaka, Sonartari (1894). His numerous dramas are enacted even today and show an emancipated mind. The most famous being Dak ghar, Ghare Baire, Yogayogand many others.

Another colonial writer well known in the west is Jhaver chand Meghani a renouned folklorist, a pioneering researcher, he traveled extensively over Saurashtra in Gujarat and his book Saurashtra ni Rasdhar depicts tales of bravery, honesty and nobility. He has authored more than 80 volumes of folk tales, biographies, stories and plays. Kaka Saheb Kalelkar is another noted writer in pre-independent India. His philosophical writings show his vast erudition, his commentary on the Geeta, his essays on culture, his travelogues, his translation of Gitanjali won him appreciation from all quarters. The other eminent personalities that contributed to the literatary work during this period are: Munshi Premchand, Subramaniam Bharati, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Tarashankar Bandopadhya, Sarat Chandra Chatterjee, Rabindranath Tagore, R. K. Narayan, Fakir Mohan Senapati and many other Literary Personalities of the Colonial Period.

Contemporary Indian Literature: The modern literature is vast in its scope and encompasses literature in various genres and styles. Contemporary literature is influenced in content by the western philosophy and thought, however it maintains its unique Indian flavour. In the arena of world literature it occupies a position of pride for its richness and originality. Contemporary Indian literature still bears some of the colonial impact and writers often base their works in the colonial backdrop. However this is not something unusual for a nation under colonial rule for such a long period. Contemporary Indian Writers have taken to writing in English and often their themes are based on an Indian set up.

Contemporary Indian writers are also very conscious about their own culture and traditions hence we have a large body of vernacular language and literature flourishing in it. While some of the authors write in English, most of them continue to write in their colloquial language, the philosophy and thought behind their works show influences of western thought and principles. It is remarkable that these author have maintained the unique flavour of their region in their works and given it a modern dimension The literary genre of the contemporary Indian literature are manifold. Today we have novels, plays, short stories, literary criticism, science fiction and poetry.
Contemporary writers like Jibanananda Das, Buddhadev Bose, Dharamvir Bharati, Javed Akhtar and Mulk Raj Anand have won international awards and put India firmly on the world`s literary map.