Book about Indian History, culture, folklore

Hey guys,

Just to clarify, this is about the guys living around the Ganges, not the folks living in north America before the Europeans.

I currently search for books about Indian History prior to British colonialism, ideally a lot before that. I am well aware that India is gigantic and has a multitude of different cultures, but:

I don't care, since I know very little about the country, so it doesn't really matter with which part of the culture/country I start.

My main expectation is that it is somewhat fun to read, but should also be not toooo influenced by religious beliefs. My native language is German and there I found for example translations of "Mahabharata", but had the impression that it was not translated by a historian, but instead by a dude trying to sell his yoga classes.

I need the basics of the culture, ideally as an ebook or audio book.

I checked this list by the economist: What to read as an introduction to India from TheEconomist https://www.economist.com/the-economist-reads/2022/08/13/what-to-read-as-an-introduction-to-india

Which suggests: Mahabharata; India in the Persianate Age: 1000-1765. By Richard M. Eaton Penguin; 512 pages; $39.95 and £30;Inglorious Empire: What the British did to India. By Shashi Tharoor. Hurst Publishers; 296 pages; £10.99 and $17.95; Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity. By Katherine Boo. Penguin Random House; 288 pages; £9.99 and $15.99 ; The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India’s New Gilded Age. By James Crabtree. Penguin Random House; 416 pages; £9.99 and $17.

Non of them, except Mahabharata seem to match my description.

Any ideas where to start? Languages that I can read are German and English. French if it is not tooo complex.