India is a land of diversity, with a multiplicity of cultures and religions unparalleled by any other single country in the world. From pre-historic times it has welcomed and become home to people from all over the world, all of whom brought with them their own traditions, their own beliefs and their own stories. Over the centuries, these stories grew, sometimes borrowing, one from the other, sometimes changing in accordance with nature the new land they found themselves in, and sometimes staying steadfast and unchanged through the ages.

Here, then, are some of the myths and legends from this vast country.