Sanskrit became the court language so was adopted by the literates as a medium of communication. The rulers of Gupta dynasty patronised poets, writers and dramatists, and the famous book Panchatantra was also written during this era. It became a classic piece of literature and was translated in Persian language as Kalila Damna.

The famous poet Kalidasa (375AD - 455AD) belonged to the Gupta period and his writings gained popularity throughout India and also beyond its borders. His work was translated in all major world languages. His surviving works include four long poems Kumarasambhava, meaning birth of Kumara or Kartikeya (the god of war and the second son of lord Shiva and goddess Parvati), Raghuvamsa or dynasty of Raghu, Ritusamhara, or brief narration of the seasons and Meghaduta or cloud messenger.

Kalidasa also wrote plays which include Sakuntala or Shakuntala, Vikramorvasi and Malavikagnimitra. Shakuntala is the most popular one and has been translated into many languages.

Kalidasa writings reflect social and cultural traditions, institutions, customs and values of his time. They are an important source social and cultural history of the Gupta period.

Shakuntala

The story of Shakuntala unfolds as when a king named Dushyanta went hunting and accidentally met Shakuntala, a beautiful woman who was living in a monastery. He married her and after some time left her. On his departure, he gave a ring to Shakuntala as a mark of his identity. Soon after returning to his palace, the king forgot about Shakuntala. Then Shakuntala gave birth to a son and then left the monastery in search of the king. She also took the ring with her but lost it on her way. When she met the king, he refused to recognise her and the disappointed Shakuntala came back to the monastery.

After sometime, a fisherman found the ring in the stomach of a fish. As it was the ring of the king, he was caught in suspicion of theft and brought before the king. When the king saw the ring, he thought of Shakuntala and went out in search of her. One day when he was coming back from an adventure, he saw a boy at the monastery of Bhimkot. When he came to know that her mother's name was Shakuntala, he recognised the boy as his son. Then he met Shakuntala and apologised for his mistake and brought her to the palace and gave her the status of Maharani or the chief queen. His son's name was Bharat who became his heir apparent. It is said that the name of Bharatavarsha (modern South Asia) is on Bharat's name.