Sanskrit plays

Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa

The Mālavikāgnimitram (Sanskrit: मालविकाग्निमित्रम्, translation : Mālavikā and Agnimitra) is a Sanskrit play by Kālidāsa. Based on some events of the reign of Pushyamitra Shunga, it is his first play.

Mṛcchakatika (), also spelled Mṛcchakaṭikā, Mrchchhakatika, Mricchakatika, or Mrichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart) is a ten-act Sanskrit drama attributed to Śūdraka (Simuka), an ancient playwright who is possibly from the 5th century CE, and who is identified by the prologue as a Kshatriya king as well as a devotee of Shiva who lived for above 110 years. The play is set in the ancient city of Ujjayini during the reign of the King Pālaka, near the end of the Pradyota dynasty that made up the first quarter of the fifth century BCE. The central story is that of a noble but impoverished young Br

Vikramōrvaśīyam () is a five-act Sanskrit play by ancient Indian poet Kālidāsa, who lived in the 4th or 5th Century CE, on the Vedic love story of King Pururavas and an Apsarā (celestial nymph) named Ūrvaśī, known for her beauty.

The Mudrārākshasa (मुद्राराक्षस, IAST: Mudrārākṣasa, ) is a Sanskrit-language play by Vishakhadatta that narrates the ascent of the Emperor Chandragupta Maurya ( BCE) to power in India. The play is an example of creative writing, but not entirely fictional. It is dated variously from the late 4th century to the 8th century CE.

Nagananda (Devanagari: नागानन्द) () is a Sanskrit play attributed to emperor Harsha (ruled 606 C.E. - 648 C.E.).

Uttararāmacharita (, IAST: Uttararāmacharita) () is a Sanskrit play in seven acts in the Nataka style by Bhavabhuti. It depicts the later life of Hindu god Rama, from the coronation after Rama's return from exile, to his reunion with his wife Sita whom he abandoned immediately after his coronation and his two sons Lava and Kusha, covering a period of more than twelve years.

Svapnavasavadattam (, ) (English: The dream of Vasavadatta) is a Sanskrit play in six acts written by the ancient Indian poet Bhāsa.

dramatic tradition of classical India

short one-act Sanskrit play

thumb|An actor portraying Duryodhana in a Yakshagana play Urubhanga or Urubhangam, () is a Sanskrit play written by Bhasa in the 2nd or 3rd century CE. Based on the well-known epic, the Mahābhārata, by Vyasa, Urubhanga focuses on the story of the character Duryodhana during and after his fight with Bhima. Although Urubhanga contains the same core storyline as that in the Mahābhārata, Bhasa's altering of certain aspects results in a different presentation of the story. The most extreme of these alterations is Bhasa's portrayal of Duryodhana, who, in the Mahābhārata, is viewed as a villain, but

Ratnavali (Devanagari: रत्नावली ) (transl.- Jewel Necklace or Precious Garland) is a Sanskrit drama about a beautiful princess named Ratnavali, and a great king named Udayana. It is attributed to the Indian emperor Harsha (606–648). It is a Natika in four acts. One of the first textual references to the celebration of Holi, the festival of Colours have been found in this text.

Pratijnayaugandharayana (, ) (English: The Pledge of Minister Yaugandharāyaṇa) is a Sanskrit play in four acts written by the ancient Indian poet Bhāsa. It is the oldest extant political play of India and the prequel to Bhāsa's Svapnavasavadattam. These plays were written by Bhāsa on the account of Udayana, king of Vatsa (Kaushambi).

Priyadarśikā (Devanagari: प्रियदर्शिका ) is a Sanskrit play attributed to king Harsha (606 - 648 CE). It was first translated into English by G. K. Nariman, A. V. Williams Jackson, and Charles J. Ogden and published by the Columbia University Press in 1923 as the tenth volume of the 13 volume Columbia University Indo-Iranian Series (1901–32).

thumb | right The Anargharāghava (Devanagari: ; English: Priceless (anargha) Rama (rāghava)) is a dramatised retelling of the Ramayana, and is a piece of classical Sanskrit poetry. It is the only surviving work by '''''', a Brahmin court poet, who lived some time between the 8th and 10th century CE, perhaps in Orissa or in neighbouring South India.

Kaumudi-Mahotsava (IAST: Kaumudīmahotsava, "Festival of Moonlight") is a Sanskrit play of uncertain date, known from a single manuscript discovered in the present-day state of Kerala, India. The portion of the manuscript that likely contained the playwright's name is damaged, but the name appears to be feminine—some scholars interpret it as "Vijjakaya"—though this remains uncertain. Several scholars have made attempts to identify the play's characters with historical figures, but most modern scholars consider it a work of fiction.

Mahaviracharita ("Exploits of a Great Hero") is a play by the 8th-century Sanskrit playwright Bhavabhuti based on the early life of Rama, the hero of the Ramayana and venerated as a Hindu deity. It is the first play of Bhavabhuti, thus lacking in character and style compared to his two known later works: Malatimadhava and Uttararamacharita. Though currently composed of seven acts, the whole present text may not have been composed by Bhavabhuti.