Drama as a distinct genre of Sanskrit literature emerges in the final centuries BC, although its exact origins remain unknown. Literature in Sanskrit begins with the Vedas, and continues with the Sanskrit Epics of Iron Age India; the golden age of Classical Famous Sanskrit dramatists include Śhudraka, Bhasa, Asvaghosa and Kalidasa. was an Indian King Three Sanskrit plays are ascribed to him - Mricchakatika, Vinavasavadatta and a bhana (short one-act monologue Bhāsa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit Aśvaghoṣa (? 80 -? 150 CE) ( Devanagari: अश्वघोष was an Indian Philosopher - Poet, born in Saketa "Kalidasa" redirects here For the true bug Genus, see Kalidasa (insect. Though numerous plays written by these playwrights are still available, little is known about the authors themselves.
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Precursors
The Yama-Yami episode and other Rigvedic dialogue hymns present one of the earliest forms of dramatic dialogue in literature, and can be argued to be an early precursor of Sanskrit drama. | Llama, the animal Yama ( Sanskrit: यम also known as Yamarāja (यमराज in India Yanluowang (閻羅王 or simply Yan The Rigveda contains a number of dialogue hymns ( saṃvāda-sūkta s hymns that are in the form of Dialogues representing the earliest surviving The nature of the plays ranged from tragedy to light comedy. Dramatists often worked on pre-existing mythological or historical themes that were familiar to the audience of the age. For instance many plays, drew their plot lines from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, the great epics of India. The Rāmāyaṇa ( Devanāgarī: sa रामायण is an ancient Sanskrit epic attributed to the Hindu sage ( Maharishi) Valmiki Indian epic poetry is the Epic poetry written in the Indian subcontinent.
Much as in ancient Greece, drama in India eventually developed into a tradition that was independent of religious ritual. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Some argue that Hellenistic influences following Alexander the Great's invasion of India may have influenced Sanskrit drama. This article focuses on the cultural aspects of the Hellenistic age for the historical aspects see Hellenistic period. Alexander the Great ( or, Mégas Aléxandros; July 20 356 BC June 10 or June 11 323 BC also known as Alexander III of Macedon (el Ἀλέξανδρος Γ' Although Orientalists have taken the relation of the word "Yavanika" (the curtain used in Sanskrit Drama) to "Yavana" (Greek) as evidence for Sanskrit drama being exposed to Hellenistic influences, there is no conclusive evidence that this was the case and the origins of Sanskrit drama remain open to debate. Orientalism refers to the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers designers and artists and can also refer to a sympathetic stance
Mricchakatika (The Little Clay Cart)
One of the earliest known Sanskrit plays, this play is thought to have been composed by Śhudraka in the 2nd century BC. Mṛcchakatika ( The Little Clay Cart) also spelled Mrcchakatika, Mricchakatika, or Mrichchhakatika was an Indian King Three Sanskrit plays are ascribed to him - Mricchakatika, Vinavasavadatta and a bhana (short one-act monologue The 2nd century BC started the first day of 200 BC and ended the last day of 101 BC. Rife with romance, sex, royal intrigue and comedy, the juicy plot of the play has numerous twists and turns. The main story is about a young man named Charudatta, and his love for Vasantasena, a rich courtesan or nagarvadhu. Nagarvadhu or Nagar Vadhu ("bride of the city" was a tradition followed in some parts of Ancient India. The love affair is complicated by a royal courtier, who is also attracted to Vasantasena. The plot is further complicated by thieves and mistaken identities, and thus making it a greatly hilarious and entertaining play. It invited widespread admiration when staged in New York in 1924. The play was made into a 1984 Hindi movie Utsav, directed by Girish Karnad. Bollywood (बॉलीवूड بالی وڈ is the informal term popularly used for the Mumbai -based Hindi-language Film industry in India Utsav (The Festival is a 1984 Hindi film produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad. Girish Raghunath Karnad (ಗಿರೀಶ್ ರಘುನಾಥ ಕಾರ್ನಾಡ್ (born 19 May 1938) is a contemporary Writer, Playwright The Indian play depicted in the film Moulin Rouge! may have been based on The Little Clay Cart. This article is about the 2001 Motion picture. For other uses see Moulin Rouge (disambiguation Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 Musical film
Natya Shastra
The Natya Shastra (literally "Scripture of Dance," though it sometimes translated as "Science of Theatre'") is a keystone work in Sanskrit literature on the subject of stagecraft. The Nātya Shastra ( Sanskrit: Nātyaśāstra नाट्य शास्त्र is an ancient Indian treatise on the Performing arts The Nātya Shastra ( Sanskrit: Nātyaśāstra नाट्य शास्त्र is an ancient Indian treatise on the Performing arts The Natya Shastra dates to around the second century AD.
The text specifically describes the proper way one should go about staging a Sanskrit drama. It addresses a wide variety of topics including the proper occasions for staging a drama, the proper designs for theatres, the types of people who are allowed to be drama critics and, most especially, specific instructions and advice for actors, playwrights and (after a fashion) producers.
Bhasa
The plays written by Bhāsa were only known to historians through the references of later writers, the manuscripts themselves being lost. Bhāsa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit Bhāsa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit Manuscripts of 13 plays written by him were discovered in an old library in 1913 by the scholar Ganapati Shastry. A 14th play was later discovered and attributed to Bhāsa, but its authorship is disputed. Bhāsa is one of the earliest and most celebrated Indian playwrights in Sanskrit
Bhasa's most famous plays are Svapna Vasavadattam (Swapnavāsadatta) (Vasavadatta's dream), Pancharātra and Pratijna Yaugandharayaanam (The vows of Yaugandharayana). Some other plays being Pratimanātaka, Abhishekanātaka, Bālacharita, Dūtavākya, Karnabhāra, Dūtaghatotkacha, Chārudatta, Madhyamavyāyoga and Ūrubhanga.
Karnabhara is a critically acclaimed play and it is being subjected to lot of experimentation by the modern theatre groups in India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country
Bhasa is considered to be one of the best Sanskrit playwrights, second only to Kalidasa. "Kalidasa" redirects here For the true bug Genus, see Kalidasa (insect. He is earlier than Kalidasa, and may date to any time between the 1st century BC and the 4th century AD.
Kalidasa
Kalidasa (3rd-4th cent AD) is easily the greatest poet and playwright in Sanskrit, and occupies the same position in Sanskrit literature that Shakespeare occupies in English literature. "Kalidasa" redirects here For the true bug Genus, see Kalidasa (insect. William Shakespeare ( baptised The term English literature refers to Literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by Writers not necessarily from He deals primarily with famous Hindu legends and themes; three famous plays by Kalidasa are Vikramōrvaśīyam (Vikrama and Urvashi), Mālavikāgnimitram (Malavika and Agnimitra), and the play that he is most known for: Abhijñānaśākuntalam (The Recognition of Shakuntala). A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical Vikramōrvaśīyam ( Sanskrit: विक्रमूर्वशीय is a Sanskrit play by medieval Indian poet Kalidasa, on the Vedic love Mālavikāgnimitram ( Devnagari:मालविकाग्निमित्रम्("Mālavikā and Agnimitra" is a Sanskrit play by Shakuntala RRVjpg|right|thumb|200px|Shakuntala writes to Dushyanta The last named play is considered to be greatest play in Sanskrit. More than a millennium later, it would so powerfully impress the famous German writer Goethe that he would write:
- "Wouldst thou the young year's blossoms and the fruits of its decline
- And all by which the soul is charmed, enraptured, feasted, fed,
- Wouldst thou the earth and heaven itself in one sole name combine?
- I name thee, O Sakuntala! and all at once is said. ˈjoːhan ˈvɔlfgaŋ fɔn ˈgøːtə (in English generally ˈgɝːtə 28 August 1749 22 March 1832 was a German writer "
Kalidasa also wrote two large epic poems, Raghuvamsham (The Genealogy of Raghu) and Kumarasambhavam (Birth of Kumara), and two smaller epics, Ritusamhaara (Medley of Seasons) and Meghadutam (The Cloud Messenger), another 'perfect' work. This article is about Kalidasa's maha-kavya epic poetic work For the dynasty see Raghuvamsa. Kumarasambhava or Kumaarasambhavam is an epic poem written by the Hindu poet Kalidas. Ritu Samhaaram is a short epic in Sanskrit by Mahakavi Kalidasa. Meghadūta (literally "cloud messenger" is a Lyric poem written by Kālidāsa, considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets
Kalidasa's writing is characterized by the usage of simple but beautiful Sanskrit, and by his extensive use of similes. SIMILE is a research project focused on developing tools to increase the interoperability of disparate digital collections His similes have earned him the saying, Upama Kalidasasya (Kalidasa owns simile).
Dandi
Sri Dandi is a 6th-7th century Indian Sanskrit author of prose romances and expounder on poetics. Although he produced literature on his own, most notably the Dasa Kumara Charita, translated in 1927 as The Adventures of the Ten Princes, he is best known for composing the Kavyadarsa ('Mirror of Poetry'), the handbook of classical Sanskrit poetics, or kavya. Dasakumaracarita, translated into English as The Adventures of the Ten Princes is a story written in Sanskrit in the 6th or 7th century by Kavya refers to a highly artificial Sanskrit literary style used by Indian court poets in the early centuries AD. His writings were all in Sanskrit.
He is also known for his complex sentences and creation of very long compound words (some of his sentences ran for half a page, and some of his words for half a line).
A shloka (hymn) that explains the strengths of different poets says: "Dandinaha padalālityam" (Dandi is the master of playful words).
Other Major Plays
There are lot of other great plays like Ratnavali and Nagananda, by Sri Harsha (7th century), Mahendravikramavarman's Mattavilasaprahasana, Shaktibhadra's Aascharyachoodamani (Āscharyachūdamani), Sri Harsha’s Nagananda, Kulasekhara’s Subhadradhananjaya and Tapatisamvarana, Neelakantha’s Kalyana Saugandhika and Sri Krishna Charita.
Performances
Sanskrit plays were very popular and were staged in ancient times all over India. Mani Damodara Chakyar ( Māni Dāmodara Chākyār) ( b. 1946 is a renowned Kutiyattam and Chakyar Koothu artist in Kerala state of South Now the only surviving ancient Sanskrit drama theatre is Koodiyattam, which is preserved in Kerala by the Chakyar community. Koodiyattam or Kutiyattam (kuːʈijaːʈːam is a form of Sanskrit theatre traditionally performed in the state of Kerala, India. Kerala ( Malayalam: {{Kerala in Malayalam}}; Chakyar (also Cakyar Chakkiar Chakiar etc is a caste from the Kerala state of South India. This form of Sanskrit drama is thought to be at least 2000 years old and is one of the oldest living theatrical traditions in the world. All major Sanskrit plays such as that of Bhasa, Sri Harsha, Shaktibhadra etc. are performed in Koodiyattam. Guru Nātyāchārya Vidūshakaratnam Padma Shri Māni Mādhava Chākyār choreographed and directed plays like Kalidasa's Abhijñānaśākuntala, Vikramorvaśīya and Mālavikāgnimitra; Bhasa's Swapnavāsadatta and Pancharātra for the first time in the history of Koodiyattam. Padma Shri (also spelt Padma Shree, Padmashree, Padma Sree and Padma Sri) is an award given by the Government of India generally Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar ( Māni Mādhava Chākyār Devanāgarī: माणि माधव चाक्यार् മാണി മാധവ ചാക്യാര് Shakuntala RRVjpg|right|thumb|200px|Shakuntala writes to Dushyanta Vikramōrvaśīyam ( Sanskrit: विक्रमूर्वशीय is a Sanskrit play by medieval Indian poet Kalidasa, on the Vedic love Mālavikāgnimitram ( Devnagari:मालविकाग्निमित्रम्("Mālavikā and Agnimitra" is a Sanskrit play by He popularised Koodiyattam and rejuvanated the only surviving Sanskrit drama theatre in India.
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