Description

About the Book

Ratnavali is a famous Sanskrit drama composed in four Acts by Sri Harsha. The play is a comedy of court life, centring round the light-hearted love-intrigue of king Udayana with a lowly maiden of unknown descent, their secret meetings through the help of a jester and the damsel’s friend, the jealousy of the queen and her anger and resentment, and finally her acceptance of the situation when the maiden is discovered to be her lost cousin.

About the Author

Harsha, an eminent dramatist, was the king of Thaneshwar and Kanauj who reigned from 606 to 648 A.D. and to whose court the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang paid a visit. He was a great patron of letters; Banabhatta, the famous author of prose romances and Mayura, the poet adorned his court. He is an author of three plays: Ratnavali, Priyadarshika and Nagananda. All his three plays are set against the background of the royal palace.