The Best Lie in Vijayanagara
The king holds a contest for the best lie, with a prize of a thousand gold coins.
Indian folk tales and stories from India
These stories draw on Indian folklore, fables, and writing set in India, with clever animals, brave choices, and memorable adventures. Read Savitri, explore the Jataka Tales, or follow Mowgli’s Brothers; every story is free to read or listen to on Pagehush, with a natural voice reading aloud.
The Thief and the Magic Sticks
A rich merchant has been robbed, and every one of his servants swears they are innocent.
The Crooked Man
A colonel is found dead in a locked room, his wife unconscious beside him, and only one strange word to go on: David.
The Line That Got Shorter
Akbar draws a line on the floor and challenges his courtiers to make it shorter without touching it.
The Mark of the Beast
On New Year's Eve a drunken Englishman in India grinds his cigar into the forehead of a temple statue.
Stories of Krishna and Prahlad
Seven tales for children from Sister Nivedita's Cradle Tales of Hinduism: baby Krishna carried through the storm to Gokool, the naughty little butter-thief no rope…
The Tales of Sheikh Chilli
Sheikh Chilli means well, works hard and dreams big, and somehow everything still goes wrong.
The Boy with the Moon on His Forehead
A king with six childless queens marries a poor woman's beautiful daughter, who promises him twins: a boy with the moon on his forehead and a girl with a star on her…
The Barber's Clever Wife
A lazy barber's wife sends him out to make his fortune and then saves him, again and again, from tigers, robbers and a king, with her quick wits.
The Price of a Horse
A rich man’s will says the money from selling his horse must go to a poor family.
The Story of Prince Sobur
A merchant asks his seven daughters whose good fortune feeds them.
Harisarman and Other Indian Tales
Five Indian folk tales: Harisarman, the poor Brahman who pretends to be a great fortune-teller and keeps getting lucky; the clever little Lambikin; the dreamer and…
How Fear Came
The rains have failed, the rivers are dry, and the Water Truce is called: no animal may hunt at the drinking place.
Jataka Tales: Six Fables from Old India
Six tales from the Jataka, the ancient Buddhist stories of the Buddha's earlier lives, retold for children: a giant crab, a monkey who outwits a crocodile, two…
Tenali Chooses How to Die
Tenali Raman finally goes too far, and the furious king sentences him to death.
The Home-Coming
Phatik, a wild village boy of fourteen, is sent to live with his uncle's family in Calcutta.
The Kingdom of Cards
On a lonely island live the Kings, Queens, Aces and Knaves of the Kingdom of Cards, who do everything by the Rules and have never asked why.
The Rat's Wedding
A clever rat trades up, one bargain after another, from a thorn in his foot to a king's daughter for a bride.
The Sign of the Four
Miss Mary Morstan comes to Baker Street with a strange tale: every year since her father vanished, someone has sent her a perfect pearl.
The Talkative Tortoise and Other Indian Fables
Two old Indian fables of clever animals and foolish ones: a tortoise who cannot keep his mouth shut, and a tiger, a Brahman and a very clever jackal.
Toomai of the Elephants
Little Toomai is ten, the son and grandson of elephant drivers, and he loves the great old elephant Kala Nag more than anything.
Truth's Triumph
A Rajah's twelve wives are jealous of the gentle thirteenth, and plot against her and her children, but the truth will out.
Vikram and the Vampire: Four Tales
King Vikram must carry a talkative Vampire through the night.
Washing the Black Dog
The royal barber pleases the king so much that he asks to be made a minister.
Hitopadesha: Six Fables of Good Counsel
Six famous animal fables from the Hitopadesha, the Sanskrit "Book of Good Counsels"
Mowgli's Brothers
A man's cub toddles into a wolf cave in the Indian jungle, and Mother Wolf decides to keep him.
The Best Weapon
Birbal tells the Emperor that the best weapon in the world is whatever happens to be at hand.
The Brahmin Girl That Married a Tiger
A girl’s mother promises her to the young man who tells the best stories.
The Three Deaf Men
A deaf husband, a deaf wife and a deaf passer-by try to settle a quarrel about cabbage, and nobody hears a word.
Valiant Vicky, the Brave Weaver
A timid little weaver kills a mosquito, gets a reputation as a great warrior, and has to fight a tiger and an army.
Without Benefit of Clergy
An English official in India secretly lives with Ameera, a young Muslim girl, in a little house in the city.
कृष्ण और प्रह्लाद की कथाएँ
बालकृष्ण की सात कथाएँ, तूफ़ान में टोकरी में गोकुल पहुँचाए गए शिशु से लेकर गोवर्धन उठाने वाले तक, और भक्त प्रह्लाद की कहानी, जिसे उसका पिता भी नहीं डिगा सका।
Birbal Counts the Crows
Emperor Akbar asks Birbal a question that no one could possibly answer: exactly how many crows live in the city of Agra?
Birbal’s Journey to Heaven
The royal barber, who hates Birbal, persuades the Emperor to send him on a journey to heaven to visit Akbar’s ancestors, by way of a funeral fire.
Can I read Indian folk tales online for free?
Yes. Every story on Pagehush is free to read, with no ads, and you can read on your phone.
Can I listen to these stories aloud?
Yes. Any story on Pagehush can be read aloud in a natural voice.