Bhavabhuti, one of India’s greatest dramatists, lived in the late 600’s or early 700’s. Bhavabhuti was a Brahman priest, interested in poetic and moral feelings. He wrote in Sanskrit. His best-known drama is Malatimadhava (The Stolen Marriage), which recounts a legendary tale about two lovers who elope when the girl is ordered to marry a favorite of the king. Bhavabhuti also wrote two plays about the mythical hero Rama: Mahavira-charita (The Story of the Great Hero); and its sequel, Uttararama-charita (The Later Story of Rama).
