Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s3.t6.8

v2.c10.s3.t6.8

Romila Thapar, the famous historian in India, thinks that Mahabharata describes the historical events occurring from 1000 BCE-700 BCE. Rigveda and Brahmana have ever mentioned the warlike Bharata and its branch of Kauravas. After coming out, Mahabharata is thought to be the scripture by Hindus, and is known as the “fifth Veda”. Because the epic covers complex contents, including religion, philosophy, history, politics, ethics, geography, astronomy, legends, myths, nationality, language, literature and many other fields, it is also known as India's encyclopedia of ancient society. It is an inexhaustible source of Indian literature and art of the later generations. This multi-volume epic written in Sanskrit has been translated into several modern languages of India, and also into English, French, German, Russian and even Persian, Javanese, producing long-term and extensive effects in India and the world, directly or indirectly.