Vishakhadatta
Topic: Gupta Empire and the Classical Age · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Vishakhadatta was a Sanskrit playwright. He is usually placed in c. 5th–6th century CE. He wrote two political plays: Mudrarakshasa and Devichandraguptam. Most Sanskrit plays of the time are about love. His plays are about plotting, power and statecraft instead, so they stand out. Devichandraguptam has not survived as a whole book. We know it only from passages quoted in later works.
Example
Mudrarakshasa shows Chanakya (Kautilya) cleverly winning over Rakshasa, the loyal minister of the Nandas, so that Chandragupta Maurya's rule becomes secure. Devichandraguptam tells how Chandragupta II saved Queen Dhruvadevi from a Shaka king and replaced his weak brother Ramagupta.
Don't confuse with
- Chandragupta Maurya vs Chandragupta II: Mudrarakshasa is about the Mauryan founder. Devichandraguptam is about the Gupta king Chandragupta II "Vikramaditya".
- Kalidasa: also a Sanskrit playwright, but he wrote mainly romantic plays and poems, not political dramas.
Related concepts
- Aryabhata
- Aryabhatiya
- Hindu-Arabic numerals
- Bakhshali manuscript
- Surya Siddhanta
- Varahamihira
- Bhaskara I
- Virahanka
- Kalidasa
- Abhijnanashakuntalam