Hours at an average pace
Showing 82 books
About 704 hours for 81 of 82 books with measured lengths. Estimates use 250 words a minute, adjusted for each book's difficulty. At 2 hours a day, about 353 days for those books.
At roughly 1.8 million words, the Mahabharata is the longest poem ever composed, and it earns its length: a dynastic war becomes the scaffold for a complete philosophy of duty, cosmic law, and the impossibility of righteous action in a fallen world. The Bhagavad Gita is embedded within it as a single episode, which gives some measure of its ambition.
Valmiki's poem established the archetype of the righteous exile — a prince who surrenders his kingdom, rescues his wife from a demon king, and returns to rule — and in doing so provided South and Southeast Asia with a moral and narrative grammar that has shaped religion, theater, sculpture, and statecraft for over two millennia.
The Gita—a 700-verse dialogue between the warrior prince Arjuna and his charioteer Krishna, who is an avatar of God—is embedded within the Mahabharata but has been read as a standalone scripture for centuries. On the eve of a catastrophic battle, Arjuna sees his kinsmen arrayed on both sides and refuses to fight. Krishna's response unfolds the central teachings of Hindu philosophy: karma yoga (the path of selfless action), bhakti yoga (the path of devotion), and jnana yoga (the path of knowledge). Krishna argues that Arjuna must act—not because the outcome matters but because action without attachment to results is the nature of dharma. The Gita's synthesis of duty and detachment, action and renunciation, has made it the most widely read scripture in Hinduism and one of the most influential philosophical texts in world literature. Gandhi called it his 'eternal mother'; Oppenheimer quoted it upon witnessing the first nuclear explosion. Its teachings on duty, selflessness, and the nature of consciousness continue to resonate across cultures and centuries.
Kalidasa's best-known lyric is central to Sanskrit literature curricula and the model for the duta-kavya genre, translated widely across Indian languages and the world.
The central text of Tamil civilisation, memorised in schools, quoted in politics and cinema, and required in Tamil and comparative literature study.
The Satanic Verses occupies singular position in late-twentieth-century literature due to the fatwa issued by Ayatollah Khomeini, making it perhaps the most internationally controversial novel of its era. Beyond the political firestorm, it stands as landmark postcolonial fiction and exemplar of British multicultural literature. The novel appears on standard lists of essential postmodern works and remains central to discussions of migration, identity, and religion in global fiction. Its notoriety ensures permanent place in literary and political history.
Supreme Sanskrit drama; first Indian text to reach European audience.
No. 8 on this list. Gita Govinda
Jayadeva · 1200
Challenging1.1 hours
Included in: UNESCO Collection of Representative Works
A required text in Sanskrit literature, Indian religious studies, and the history of dance, and part of daily ritual at the Jagannath temple in Puri.
The Shadow Lines won the Sahitya Akademi Award and is standard on postcolonial fiction syllabuses globally. It is consistently ranked among the defining novels of South Asian Anglophone literature alongside Midnight's Children. Its treatment of Partition and communal violence has made it a touchstone for academic and general literary discourse about South Asia.
No. 10 on this list. Midnight's Children
Salman Rushdie · 1981
Challenging21 hours
Included in: Bokklubben World Library
Appears on 781 university syllabi according to Open Syllabus (72nd percentile), with a Wikipedia article in 40 languages. Required reading in postcolonial literature courses worldwide. Won the Booker Prize (1981), then the Booker of Bookers in both 1993 and 2008—the prize committee's pick for the best Booker winner across 25 and 40 years respectively. Listed on TIME All-TIME 100 Novels, Modern Library 100 Best Novels, and Le Monde's 100 Books of the Century.
No. 11 on this list. Godaan · Premchand · 1936
Godaan is the central text of modern Hindi literature and a staple of Indian university and school curricula. It is widely studied in world and South Asian literature courses and translated into many languages.
Moderate8.6 hours
Start this bookNo. 12 on this list. Panchatantra · Vishnu Sharma · 300
Taught in schools: Turkish edebiyat curriculum (Turkey)
Included in: UNESCO Collection of Representative Works
A standard text in world literature, folklore, and comparative narrative courses and one of the most widely translated works ever produced in India.
Challenging7.5 hours
Start this bookNo. 13 on this list. Gitanjali · Rabindranath Tagore · 1910
Included in: UNESCO Collection of Representative Works
Gitanjali won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, making Tagore the first non-European laureate. The work established Bengali literature on the world stage and remains required reading in Indian schools. Its influence on English-language spiritual poetry endures through its absorption into wedding readings, meditation anthologies, and political speeches (poem XXXV became a patriotic touchstone in India).
Moderate1 hours
Read nowNo. 14 on this list. Chokher Bali · Rabindranath Tagore · 1903
Recognised as the first modern Bengali novel and a foundational text of the Indian psychological novel, taught across South Asian literature programmes.
Moderate6 hours
Start this bookNo. 15 on this list. Samskara · U.R. Ananthamurthy · 1965
The central text of Kannada modernism and a fixture of Indian literature syllabi worldwide in Ramanujan's translation.
Challenging4.6 hours
Start this bookNo. 16 on this list. The Home and the World · Rabindranath Tagore · 1916
The Home and the World is one of Tagore's most celebrated novels and a staple of postcolonial literature syllabi worldwide. Written by the first non-European Nobel laureate, it occupies a significant position in the global literary canon, particularly in discussions of Indian literature, nationalism, and modernity. Satyajit Ray's 1984 film adaptation further cemented its cultural status. It appears in 7 Wikipedia languages and has remained continuously in print for over a century.
Challenging5.2 hours
Read nowNo. 17 on this list. Tughlaq · Girish Karnad · 1964
The most produced and most taught modern Indian play, standard in Indian drama syllabi and translated into every major Indian language.
Challenging2 hours
Start this bookNo. 18 on this list. Kanthapura · Raja Rao · 1938
The foundational text of Indian writing in English, taught in every postcolonial literature course; Rao's foreword is quoted as the field's manifesto.
Challenging5.3 hours
Start this bookNo. 19 on this list. The God of Small Things · Arundhati Roy · 1997
Taught in schools: AQA GCSE and A-level English Literature (UK)
The God of Small Things achieved rapid canonical recognition following its 1997 publication and Booker Prize victory. It became a staple of contemporary literary curricula and global literature syllabi, particularly notable as the first novel by an Indian author to win the Booker in the award's history. Its canonical position reflects both literary merit and cultural significance.
Challenging8.1 hours
Start this bookNo. 20 on this list. River of Fire · Qurratulain Hyder · 1959
Ranked among the major Urdu novels of the century and a standard text in South Asian and comparative literature courses.
Difficult24 hours
Start this book
No. 21 on this list. Anandamath · Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay · 1882
A required text in Indian nationalism and Bengali literature courses and the source of India's national song.
Challenging5.3 hours
Start this bookNo. 22 on this list. Breast Stories · Mahasweta Devi · 1997
Draupadi is among the most anthologised and taught short stories in postcolonial and feminist syllabi worldwide.
Challenging4.8 hours
Start this bookNo. 23 on this list. Hayavadana · Girish Karnad · 1971
A standard text in Indian drama and world-theatre courses and the key example of the theatre of roots movement.
Challenging1.8 hours
Start this bookNo. 24 on this list. Shame · Salman Rushdie · 1983
Shame appears on 244 university syllabi — the 59.7th percentile — placing it in solid but not dominant canonical territory. It is taught in postcolonial literature, South Asian fiction, and magic realism courses internationally, and its Wikipedia article spans 71 language editions, confirming global cultural reach. Midnight's Children commands far greater curriculum presence; Shame benefits from being Rushdie's second major novel.
Difficult11 hours
Start this bookNo. 25 on this list. The Quilt and Other Stories · Ismat Chughtai · 1990
Lihaaf is the most taught Urdu short story in gender and sexuality courses across South Asia and the West.
Challenging4.1 hours
Start this bookNo. 26 on this list. Train to Pakistan · Khushwant Singh · 1956
The standard Partition novel in English, taught worldwide in South Asian history and literature courses.
Moderate3.9 hours
Start this bookNo. 27 on this list. Untouchable · Mulk Raj Anand · 1935
The standard text on caste in Indian English fiction, taught worldwide in postcolonial and Dalit studies courses.
Moderate2.8 hours
Start this bookNo. 28 on this list. Tamas · Bhisham Sahni · 1974
The major Hindi Partition novel, standard in Indian literature syllabi and in history courses on communal violence.
Challenging9.6 hours
Start this bookNo. 29 on this list. Nirmala · Premchand · 1927
A staple of Hindi literature syllabi and the standard text on dowry in Indian fiction.
Moderate3.3 hours
Start this bookNo. 30 on this list. The Guide · R.K. Narayan · 1958
Taught in schools: CSEC English B – Caribbean Examinations Council
The Guide is the central text of Indian English fiction before Rushdie and appears regularly in postcolonial, South Asian, and world literature courses. It was the first novel in English to win the Sahitya Akademi Award, India's national literary prize. Wikipedia articles in multiple languages; the 1965 Bollywood film adaptation signals deep cultural penetration within India.
Challenging7 hours
Start this book
No. 31 on this list. Pinjar
Amrita Pritam · 1950
No. 32 on this list. Devdas
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay · 1917
No. 33 on this list. Mother of 1084
Mahasweta Devi · 1974
No. 34 on this list. Malgudi Days
R.K. Narayan · 1943
No. 35 on this list. The Serpent and the Rope
Raja Rao · 1960
No. 36 on this list. The White Tiger
Aravind Adiga · 2008
No. 37 on this list. Animal's People
Indra Sinha · 2007
No. 38 on this list. The Man-Eater of Malgudi
R.K. Narayan · 1961
No. 39 on this list. A Fine Balance
Rohinton Mistry · 1996
No. 40 on this list. The Calcutta Chromosome
Amitav Ghosh · 1995
No. 41 on this list. മതിലുകള് | Mathilukal
Vaikom Muhammad Basheer · 1983
No. 42 on this list. That Long Silence
Shashi Deshpande · 1988
No. 43 on this list. Sea of Poppies
Amitav Ghosh · 2008
No. 44 on this list. Coolie
Mulk Raj Anand · 1936
No. 45 on this list. Baumgartner's Bombay
Anita Desai · 1988
No. 46 on this list. A Suitable Boy
Vikram Seth · 1993
No. 47 on this list. The Inheritance of Loss
Kiran Desai · 2006
No. 48 on this list. Tomb of Sand
Geetanjali Shree · 2022
No. 49 on this list. Clear Light of Day
Anita Desai · 1980
No. 50 on this list. Sacred Games
Vikram Chandra · 2006
No. 51 on this list. Fasting, Feasting
Anita Desai · 1999
No. 52 on this list. The Golden Gate
Vikram Seth · 1986
No. 53 on this list. Heart Lamp: Selected Stories
Banu Mushtaq · 2025
No. 54 on this list. Family Matters
Rohinton Mistry · 2002
No. 55 on this list. All This Could Be Different
Sarah Thankam Mathews · 2023
No. 56 on this list. Last Man in Tower
Aravind Adiga · 2011
No. 57 on this list. Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard
Kiran Desai · 1999
No. 58 on this list. Selection Day
Aravind Adiga · 2016
No. 59 on this list. A Guardian and a Thief
Megha Majumdar · 2025
No. 60 on this list. Such a Long Journey
Rohinton Mistry · 1991
No. 61 on this list. The Lives of Others
Neel Mukherjee · 2014
No. 62 on this list. The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
Arundhati Roy · 2017
No. 63 on this list. The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Kiran Desai · 2025
No. 64 on this list. Narcopolis
Jeet Thayil · 2012
No. 65 on this list. An Equal Music
Vikram Seth · 1999
No. 66 on this list. Sleeping on Jupiter
Anuradha Roy · 2015
No. 67 on this list. Shuka Saptati : Seventy Tales Of The Parrot
Aditya N. D. Haksar · 2009
No. 68 on this list. Western Lane
Chetna Maroo · 2023
No. 69 on this list. A Burning
Megha Majumdar · 2020
No. 70 on this list. The Death of Vishnu
Manil Suri · 2001
No. 71 on this list. Estro Junkies
Talia Bhatt · 2026
No. 72 on this list. The Principal Upanishads
No. 73 on this list. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad
No. 74 on this list. The Story of My Experiments with Truth
Mahatma Gandhi · 1929
No. 75 on this list. The Location of Culture
Homi K. Bhabha · 1994
No. 76 on this list. Annihilation of Caste
B.R. Ambedkar · 1936
No. 77 on this list. The Way of the Bodhisattva
Śāntideva · 2003
No. 78 on this list. Arthashastra
Kautilya · c. 300 BCE
No. 79 on this list. Development as Freedom
Amartya Sen · 1999
No. 80 on this list. Natyashastra
Bharata Muni · c. 200 BCE
About this list
These 82 books are the highest-scoring eligible books from India currently in the catalogue. About 704 hours of reading in all, for the 81 with measured lengths. Difficulty runs from 50 to 64 out of 100 for the middle half of the list; the summit is River of Fire at 79.
This is a computed ranking ordered by literary regard, with a consistent order for equal scores. Membership follows authors and co-authors, not translators or editors. The list keeps to literature: fiction, poetry, drama and philosophy, its novels, poems and plays first and its philosophy after them, and no more than three works by one author. Catalogue coverage and the historical canon both limit what this list can represent.
When we matched the Canons dataset to our catalogue in October 2026, our canonical-status scores rose with the number of school curricula, publisher series and lists in it that cite a work: the median score was 72 for books one such source cites, 84 at two, 88 at three, 92 at four and 93 at five or more. Prizes are left out of that count. Outside the state curricula, the dataset’s sources choose mostly from what has been translated into English or French, so it is a weaker check on other literatures. Source: Canons (Andrew Piper), CC BY 4.0
Questions people actually ask
- What are the best books from India?
- By literary regard, which weighs canonical status, critical standing and influence: Mahabharata by Vyasa, Ramayana by Valmiki, The Bhagavad Gita by Vyasa, Meghaduta by Kalidasa and Tirukkural by Thiruvalluvar. ReadingRate ranks 82 such books, each with a difficulty score and a reading-time estimate.
- Which books from India should I read first?
- Start from difficulty, not from rank. The most approachable books on this list that still carry top literary regard are The Bhagavad Gita by Vyasa (about 1.4 hours), Godaan by Premchand and Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen.
- What are the shortest of the best books from India?
- Among the top 25, the shortest are Meghaduta by Kalidasa (about 26 min), Gita Govinda by Jayadeva (about 1.1 hours) and Gitanjali by Rabindranath Tagore (about 1 hours), at an average pace of 250 words a minute adjusted for each book's difficulty.
- Which of the best books from India are the established classics?
- By canonical status, how firmly a book sits in curricula, anthologies and the canon: Mahabharata by Vyasa, Ramayana by Valmiki, The Principal Upanishads by Anonymous (Vedic Tradition), The Bhagavad Gita by Vyasa and Tirukkural by Thiruvalluvar.
- Can I read any of these books from India for free?
- 4 of the 82 open in ReadingRate's reader with a free account, from public-domain editions: Mahabharata, Ramayana, Gitanjali and The Home and the World.
- How long would it take to read the top ten?
- About 139 hours, at an average pace of 250 words a minute adjusted for each book's difficulty: 70 days at two hours a day. Set your own pace on the page and the list's reading times change to it.
- How hard are books from India to read?
- Most of this list sits between 50 and 64 on ReadingRate's 100-point difficulty scale, where 40 to 55 is moderate. The summit is River of Fire at 79. Every entry carries its own score, so a reader can pick a great book at a difficulty they will finish.
- How long is the Mahabharata?
- It is among the longest epics ever composed, roughly ten times the combined length of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Most readers meet it through an abridgement; the reading-time estimate on its page is for the full text.
- What should I read from modern Indian literature?
- The God of Small Things and Midnight's Children are the usual entry points and both carry strong regard. By the difficulty data Roy reads more easily than Rushdie, whose density and allusion push his scores toward the top of the list.
- How is this list ranked?
- On literary-regard data: how canonically established a work is, its critical standing, and its influence on later writing. It is not a readers’ poll, which is why recent bestsellers rarely appear. Membership follows authors and co-authors, not translators or editors. Lists by country, author, period, theme or difficulty keep to literature (fiction, poetry, drama and philosophy), their novels, poems and plays first and their philosophy after them; a list of a kind of book, such as memoir or criticism, keeps every book of that kind. Every list holds at most three works by one author.