ICSE Class 6 Answered

Books and manuscripts dealing with the phenomenon of religion are known as religious literature. The Vedas, the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Gita and the Puranas can be referred to as religious literature. The Jain Angas and the Buddhist Tripitakas are also important literary sources.

On the other hand, non-religious literature is known as secular literature. It includes biographies of important historical characters like ‘Harshacharitra’ by Banabhatta, dramas and poems like Kalidasa’s ‘Abhijnanasakuntalam’ and ‘Meghaduta’, folk tales like ‘Panchatantra’, work on politics like Kautilya’s ‘Arthashastra’ and books on law like ‘Manusmriti’. Accounts of foreign travelers are also important sources of information. An important foreign account is ‘Indika’ by Megasthenes. Megasthenes was the Greek ambassador in Chandragupta Maurya’s court and his work provides valuable insights into Mauryan administration and society. Other important foreign travel accounts include those written by Chinese travelers like Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang (Xuanzang).