Kalidasa

(c. 600 - c. 650)

Though little is known about the life of Kalidasa, often considered the greatest poet and dramatist in classical Sanskrit literature, he is believed to have been a native of Kashmir based on his vivid descriptions of the Himalayas. Seven works of his survive, among them the poems Ritusamhara (The Gathering of the Seasons) and Meghaduta (The Cloud Messenger) and the play Shakuntala. Despite his devotion to Brahmanism, his name was often avoided by orthodox Brahmans because of the stigma attached to the suffix dasa, “slave.”