Kālidāsa (lived 5th century AD)

Indian epic poet and dramatist. His works, in Sanskrit, include the classic drama Sakuntalā, the love story of King Dushyanta and the nymph Sakuntala.

Kalidasa (lived 5th century AD)

Sanskrit poet and dramatist who is thought to have lived at Ujjain in central India in around AD 400. Kalidasa created his courtly dramas from a blend of sacred myth and historical fantasy. His play The Recognition of Sakuntala and poem ‘The Cloud Messenger’ were much admired by Goethe and others in the 18th century, and helped stimulate a lively interest in Sanskrit literature in the West.

Kalidasa's other works include the dramas The Hero and the Nymph, Malavika, and Agnimitra; the epic poems The Dynasty of Raghu, and The Birth of the War-god; and the lyric poem ‘The Seasons’.Together, they form an important canon of classical Hindu literature from the time of the Gupta dynasty.