Folklore of India
Indian folklore spans diverse oral epics, arts, and traditional games.
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Many ethnic communities maintain their own distinct folk heroes and oral ballads.[1] Indian folklore includes performing arts like Garba, Dandiya Raas, and Yakshagana that draw on myths, folktales, and seasonal changes, and much of it has survived through oral transmission.[2][3]
Quick Facts
- Field
- Folklore
- Nationality
- Indian
- Known for
- Oral epics
- folk art
- traditional games
- and folk heroes
- Key forms
- Madhubani painting
- Warli painting
- Panchatantra
- Pabuji epic
- Notable folklorists
- A. K. Ramanujan
- Devendra Satyarthi
- Krishna Dev Upadyhayaya
Facts from the source article.
Key facts and history
A large body of heroic ballads and epic poetry survives in oral tradition across India.[4] Professional storytellers called Bhopas perform the Pabuji epic in front of a tapestry that serves as a portable temple.[4] Many performing arts derive their elements from myths, folktales, and seasonal changes.[3] Dr. John Smith collected the oral epic of Pabuji, a historical Rajput prince who became deified in Rajasthan, from Rajasthan.[4]
Local religious practices and customs are explained by folk religion syncretism within Hinduism, which contains local myths.[2] Rama and Krishna are folk heroes recognized throughout India and are traditionally deified.[1] Beer Kherwal and Bidu Chandan are culture heroes of the Santhals, as each ethnic community possesses its own folk heroes.[1] Chital Singh Chhatti is a folk hero of the Gonds, while Lakha Banjara or Raja Isalu is a Banjara folk hero.[1]
Female protagonists are common in Banjara epics.[1]
What the cited sources add
The Baul musical and religious repertoire has been recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage.[5] Lalon Fakir and Bhaba Pagla are among the most respected historical figures of the Baul tradition.[5] A. K. Ramanujan discussed the intertextual nature of Indian literature, both written and oral, in his works "Where Mirrors are Windows" and "Three Hundred Ramayanas".[6] Ramanujan's essay "Where Mirrors Are Windows" and his commentaries in "Folktales from India" exemplify his work in Indian folklore studies.[6]
Odiyans were said to apply herbs, chant spells, and transform into animals like bulls or foxes.[7]
References
- Wikipedia, "Folklore of India" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Folklore of India", excelsol.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Folklore of India" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Exploring India's Folk Storytelling Heritage – Voices Across Time", Travel and Leisure Asia India, 2025-08-31 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Folklore of India" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature (Volume Two) (Devraj To Jyoti)", Amaresh Datta, p. 1304; "Thirayattam" (Folklore Text -malayalam), Bhasha Institute, Keralam - (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Folklore of India" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "The epic of Pabuji", bombay.oriental.cam.ac.uk (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Folklore of India" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Lorea, Carola Erika, "Folklore, religion and the songs of a Bengali madman : a journey between performance and the politics of cultural representation", 2016 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Folklore of India" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Wagoner, "Attipat Krishnaswami Ramanujan", Postcolonial Studies at Emory University, Fall 1998 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Folklore of India" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bresnan, "Awakening: An Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought", Routledge, December 27, 2021; Rao, "Social Change in Malabar", Popular Book Depot, September 5, 1957; Dare, "Indian Underworld: A First-hand Account of Hindu Saints, Sorcerers, and Superstitions", E.P. Dutton & Company, Incorporated, September 5, 1940; Thurston, "Omens and Superstitions of Southern India: Popular Books by Edgar Thurston : All times Bestseller Demanding Books", January 2021 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Folklore of India (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Folklore of India (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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