Kalidasa

Kalidasa is traditionally regarded as the greatest Sanskrit poet and dramatist of ancient India. Very little is known for certain about his life, and reliable biographical details are scarce. Scholarly consensus places him in the Gupta period, commonly dated to the 4th or 5th century CE, though the exact dates and identity remain debated. Traditional accounts associate him with a royal court—often identified with Vikramaditya—but such connections are not definitively established.

His body of work includes both drama and lyric poetry. His best-known play is Abhijnana Shakuntala (The Recognition of Shakuntala). Other plays attributed to him include Malavikagnimitram and Vikramorvasya. His major Sanskrit poetic works are Raghuvamsha (The Dynasty of Raghu), Kumarasambhava (Kumarasambhava), Meghaduta (The Cloud Messenger), and Ritusamhara (The Cycle of the Seasons).

Kalidasa is celebrated for refined diction, mastery of meter, and a cultivated taste for aesthetics. His poetry often intertwines human love with nature, drawing on the rasa theory to evoke specific emotional states. His influence on later Sanskrit literature was profound, helping shape poetic and theatrical styles for centuries. Translations and adaptations of his works contributed to his reputation beyond the Indian subcontinent, making him a lasting touchstone in the study of classical Indian literature.