Kālidāsa

Kālidāsa is the most celebrated poet and dramatist of classical Sanskrit literature, though almost nothing of his life is documented; his dates, birthplace and biography are reconstructed chiefly from his own works and later legend. Scholars generally place him in the Gupta era, around the 4th–5th century CE, and traditionally associate him with the court of a king titled Vikramāditya at Ujjain. Six works are widely accepted as genuine: the plays Abhijñānaśākuntalam, Vikramōrvaśīyam and Mālavikāgnimitram; the epic poems Raghuvaṃśa and Kumārasambhava; and the lyric Meghadūta. His verse, noted for its imagery and metrical craft, profoundly shaped later Indian poetry and drama.