Vishakhadatta

(6th c.) Sanskrit dramatist whose
only surviving work is the play
Mudrarakshasa (“Rakshasa’s Ring”).
The play is of some historical interest,
for its major theme is the rise of
Chandragupta Maurya (r. 321–297
B.C.E.), founder of the Maurya dynasty,
although the play ascribes his success to
the machinations of his cunning brahmin minister, Chanakya. The play
paints the king as a weak figure, with the
minister as the real power behind the
throne, although in fairness to the
historical king this portrayal seems
inaccurate. The drama’s plot is highly
complex, as with many Sanskrit plays,
but its climax comes when the principal
characters are dramatically rescued
from execution at the last moment.
The play has been translated into
English by Michael Coulson, and
published in an anthology titled Three
Sanskrit Plays, 1981.