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| Home > Indian Literature > Sanskrit Plays
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| | Sanskrit Plays
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Indian theatre traces its roots back to Vedic period. The earliest forms of theatrical arts could have existed in the form of dance dramas evidenced by iconography from Indus Valley Civilisation. This form of theatre died a natural death along with the Indus valley Civilisation and was later replaced by the dramatic forms of the Vedic Age. Vedic drama like the Greek Drama owed itrs origin to religion. The Yama Yami episiode in Rig Veda for example presents one of the earliest forms of drama in Indo European style of literature. It was probably enacted by the brahmanas as a part of ancient Vedic ritual.
Alexander`s conquest of India greatly influenced the Sanskrit drama. Despite the influence, Sanskrit plays maintain their individuality and subjects of the plays ranged from the tragedy to light comedy. Many dramatists based their works around the polt of Ramayan and Mahabharata.
The most well known Sanskrit dramatists are Sudraka, bhasa, Asvaghosha and Kalidasa. Little is known about the playwrights and whatever is known is because of other writers referring to them in their works.
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