Stories 3
All kinds
Origin
Legend
Local story
Folk tale
From the epics
Festival story
Temple legend
In stone and bronze
How a tradition frames it
Everywhere
Pan-India 240
South India 81
West India 37
East India 37
North India 28
The Himalaya 17
Northeast India 8
Southeast Asia 6
Central India 5
Sri Lanka 1
✕ rain
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Festival story · 4 tellings · contested
Indra's pole: the banner festival and Indra Jatra
Why a pole is raised for Indra: the Mahabharata's gift to King Vasu of Chedi, Kathmandu's legend of Indra the captive flower thief, and the Tamil Indra festival at Puhar.
Legend · 3 tellings · contested
Parjanya brings the rain
Rigveda 5.83 follows a storm from first thunder to the request that the rain stop; Atharvaveda 4.15 is a charm to summon late rains.
Legend · 3 tellings · contested
The frogs who sing when the rain comes
Rigveda 7.103 praises the frogs who wake at the first rain and compares them to chanting priests; in Assam a frog wedding is held to bring late rain.