Kalidasa

Little is known about Kalidasa, who is widely considered to be the greatest poet and dramatist who wrote in the Classical Sanskrit language (the language of religion and high culture in ancient and medieval India). It’s possible that he wrote under the patronage of the Gupta dynasty, which ruled most of the Indian subcontinent during his lifetime. He was probably a member of the brahmin (priestly) class, and the benedictions in the prologues of his plays suggest that he was a particular devotee of the gods Shiva and his consort Kali (“Kalidasa” means “servant of Kali”). The Recognition of Shakuntala is considered to be his masterpiece and it is widely translated, but he also wrote two other plays, Malavika and Agnimitra and Urvasi Won by Valor, as well as epic poems and other poetry. Kalidasa’s writings draw heavily from ancient Hindu texts, including the Ramayana and the Mahabharata—two vast Sanskrit epics filled with mythology and Hindu teachings.