The contemporary decade has seen a major growth in the sphere of Mobile Ad hoc Networks, which has exceptionally changed the way mobile devices are handled, their standards, operating systems, databases and network implementation. Mobile Ad hoc Networks, due to their inherent features make them pregnable to adversaries and spiteful or pernicious attacks. As a consequence providing security by means of cryptographic algorithms in these network genres is a factor of precedence. Amidst prolific cryptographic algorithms, encryption algorithms play a cardinal role in information security systems. Encryption algorithms are avowed to be methodical and intensive computationally. They expend notable amount of computing amenities. Outlining an energy efficient security algorithm requires in inceptive a light weight algorithm and perception of the data related to energy squander. This paper presents in detail, classification of diverse genre of encryption algorithms used in Mobile Ad hoc Networks. It also presents the applications of encryption algorithms in use till date.
