What do you understand by Jatakas? How do the Jatakas relate to Buddhism?

The Jātaka tales are a voluminous body of literature native to India concerning the previous births of Gautama Buddha. These are the stories that tell about the previous lives of the Buddha, in both human and animal form.
Jataka tales were written in layman language and everybody could relate to them.
Jataka tales are not only important from narrating the life of Buddha but also became an important part for sculptural decorations purpose.
Among the Jataka stories that are frequently depicted are Chhadanta Jataka, Vidurpundita Jataka, Ruru Jataka, Sibi Jataka, Vessantara Jataka and Shama Jataka.

Topics: GS-I: Indian Literature