Both were first composed in verse and, coming down the centuries in the ancient oral tradition, have deeply influenced the history, culture and arts of not only the Indian subcontinent but of most of South-East Asia. The Mahabharata tells of a Great War, and the events that lead upto it. The original Mahabharata in Sankrit is an epic poem of 100,000 couplets seven times as long as the Iliad and the Odyssey together.

    Set in the ancient city of Ujjayani, Mrichchhakatika is "rife with romance, comedy, intrigue and a political subplot detailing the overthrow of the city's despotic ruler by a shepherd, [and] is notable among extant Sanskrit drama for its focus on a fictional scenario rather than on a classical tale or legend. Mrichchhakatika also departs from the traditions enumerated in the Natyashastra that specify that dramas should focus on the alives of the nobility and instead incorporates a large number of middle and lower-caste characters who speak a wide range of Prakrit dialects." Much celebrated in the West because of its plot structure, following several successful nineteenth century translations and stage adaptations, Mrichchhakatika remains the prominent drama in Sanskrit, widely translated, adapted and performed internationally. This volume includes the text translated by M. R. Kale along with relevant background essays and criticism, to enable students of literature to understand the long tradition of theatre in India on one hand; and on the other, its subsequent negotiations with the West, traversing, accommodating, negotiating and becoming what we call Modern Indian Drama today.