India is a land of rich culture and tradition and Indian mythology is an important part of this culture. Different stories of Indian mythology have been passed down from generations to generations mostly through word of mouth.
Stories based on Indian mythology can not only interest your child but they also make for a knowledgeable and recreational reading/listening. Indian Mythology contains stories of courage, adventure, compassion, love that inculcate good values and ethics in children.
Religion plays a vital role in India. For example, most Hindu households tell their children mythological stories from Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Bhagvad Gita. However, this may be true only to some extent as India is a land of unity in diversity. There are many mythological stories that explain why we celebrate festivals and other occasions. Like for instance, Children know why we celebrate Diwali if they know stories from Indian mythology – It is because Diwali was the day when King Rama’s coronation was celebrated in Ayodhya after victory.
Stories of various Gods and Goddesses are told to children. For example: instances in Lord Krishna’s life are told as short interesting stories to children, stories about Lord Ganesha, Stories of Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Goddesses Saraswati, Goddesses Laxmi, Goddess Kali, Goddess Durga etc all form a part of mythological stories.
The reason mythological stories are popular because they have a message for every child. The charm of these stories is that they stay with us forever. As adults too we remember some of the famous mythological stories.
Some of the mythological story books available for children are:
• How Parvati won the heart of Shiva? – Harish Johari
• How Ganesha got his elephant Head? – Harish Johari
• Little Krishna – Harish Johari
• Hindu/Sikh/Islamic/Buddhist/Jewish/Christian Stories – Anita Ganeri
• Hanuman- Erik Jendresen
• Ram the Demon Slayer: Classic Indian Stories for Children – Vatsala Sperling
• Rama and the Demon King (Dual Language) by Jessica Souhami