The Mahabharata and Ramayana
Two vast epics take written form and become the shared narrative of South Asia.
- When
- —
- Duration
- 799 years
- Known to
- ± 100 years
- Era
- Classical, Holocene
The Mahabharata, at roughly 100,000 verses the longest poem in the world, and the Ramayana are compiled from older oral traditions between about 400 BCE and 400 CE. The Bhagavad Gita, a dialogue on duty and detachment inserted into the Mahabharata on the eve of a battle, becomes the single most widely read Hindu text. Both epics remain live across South and Southeast Asia in theatre, television, dance and politics.