Historical Analysis of Sudraka's 'Mrichchhakatika'
Mricchakatika is a Sanskrit play composed by Sudraka, dated between second century BCE and fifth century CE. Nothing more is known about Sudraka except that he was a well learned Kshatriya king and a Shiva devotee. Sanskrit scholars would put Mricchakatika into the technical category of ‘Prakarana’ as it is- an imaginative plot based on worldly life; with a serene and dignified hero (Charudatta- a Brahmana merchant); and has ten acts based chiefly on the concept of Shringara or love. Also it is a Sankirna Prakarana as it has a courtesan as its heroine. The drama is set in Ujjayini during the rule of King Palaka of the Pradyota dynasty (fifth century BCE). However it is supposed to have been composed during the Post-Maurya/Pre-Gupta period. The plot of Mricchakatika is strikingly partly similar to Bhasa’s play Charudatta. Some scholars describe the former as an extension or elaboration of the latter. The story’s protagonist is a noble impoverished young Brahmin, Charudatta wh