The Mudrarakshasa (मुद्राराक्षस, IAST: Mudrārākṣasa, transl. 'The Signet of the Minister') is a Sanskrit-language play by Vishakhadatta that narrates the ascent of the king Chandragupta Maurya (r. c. 324 – c. 297 BCE) to power in India. The play is an example of creative writing, but not entirely fictional.[1] It is dated variously from the late 4th century[2] to the 8th century CE.[3]
Mudrarakshasa | |
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Written by | Vishakhadatta |
Characters |
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Original language | Sanskrit |
Genre | Indian classical drama |
Setting | Pataliputra, 3rd century BCE |
There is a Tamil version based on the Sanskrit play[4] and Keshavlal Dhruv translated the original into GujaratiasMel ni Mudrika (1889). There is a Kannada version of the play Mudramanjusha written by Kempunarayana.
The later episodes of the TV series Chanakya were based mostly on the Mudrarakshasa.
A film in Sanskrit was made in 2006 by Dr Manish Mokshagundam, using the same plot as the play but in a modern setting.[5]
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