Itihasa means iti (this)-ha (verily)-asa (was) – this is how it really was. Itihasa literature is later than Vedic literature. In this literary form, there is a central story about a great hero, but material relating to religion, philosophy, sciences, law and other subjects is woven into it. There are two basic Itihasas, the  Ramayana and the Mahabharata.

The Mahabharata is the largest work in any language in the world, containing about a hundred thousand verses of four lines each. That is ten times the combined length of the Iliad and the Odyssey. It is divided into 18 parvans or parts. The work is attributed to a sage named Veda Vyasa, although scholars feel that it could not have been the product of any single-handed effort, however mighty. The epic covers the battle for succession to the throne of the Chandra Vamsha (Lunar Dynasty) and is peopled with innumerable gods (Dharma, Shiva) and goddesses (Ganga), heroes (Yudhisthira, Arjuna, Karna) and heroines (Gandhari, Kunti, Droupadi), demons (Ghatotkacha) and demonesses (Hidimba).
The Gita is a part of the Mahabharata. 

The Ramayana is only about one-fourth of the Mahabharata. It is divided into seven kandas or parts. It uses metres similar to those of the Mahabharata. The work is attributed to the robber-turned-sage Valmiki, and covers the ups and downs in the life of Rama, heir to the throne of Surya Vamsha (Solar Dynasty). 

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