Akhjana

(Sanskrit—literally, “tale”), narrative genres of the oldest literary monuments of the peoples of India. As early as the Vedas, there are fragments of epic works and dramatic dialogue (pururawas and urvasi, jama, and jami), the themes of which were developed in classical Sanskrit literature, including the plays of Kalidasa. It is considered that classical drama and narrative genres, both in poetry and prose, had their origin in akhjana. The presence of akhjana in the Vedas testifies to the fact that by the time of their composition the peoples of India had a developed literature in terms of genre.