of pre-eminence is disputed with K[=a]lid[=a]sa by the great
dramatic poet Babhav[=u]ti (called Crikantha, or he in whose throat is
fortune), who flourished in the earlier part of the 8th century. While
he is considered more artificial in language than his rival, and in
general more bound by rules, he can hardly be deemed his inferior in
dramatic genius. Of his three extant plays, _Mah[=a]v[=a]ra-Charitra_
and _Uttara-R[=a]ma-Charitra_ are heroic dramas concerned with the
adventures of R[=a]ma (the seventh incarnation of Vishnu); the third,
the powerful melodrama, in ten acts, of _M[=a]lat[=i] and M[=a]dhava_,
has love for its theme, and has been called (perhaps with more aptitude
than usually belongs to such comparisons) the _Romeo and Juliet_ of the
Hindus. It is considered by their critical authorities the best example
of the _prakarana_, or drama of domestic life. Babhav[=u]ti's plays, as
is indicated by the fact that no jester appears in them, are devoid of
the element of humour.

The plays of R[=a]jasekhara, who lived about the end of the 9th century,
deal, like those of Harsadeva, with harem and court life. One of them,
_Karpura Manjuri_ (_Camphor Cluster_), is stated to be the only example
of the _saltaka_ or minor heroic comedy, written entirely in Prakrit.

In this period may probably also be included Vis[=a]khadatta's
interesting drama of political intrigue, _Mudr[=a]-Rakshasa_ (_The
Signet of the Minister_), in which Chandragupta (Sandracottus) appears
as the founder of a dynasty. In subject, therefore, this production,
which is one of the few known Indian historical dramas, goes back to the
period following on the invasion of India by Alexander the Great; but
the date of composition is probably at least as late as A.D. 1000. The
plot of the play turns on the gaining-over of the prime minister of the
_ancien regime_.

Among the remaining chief works of this period is the _Veni-Samhara_
(_Binding of the Braid_) by N[=a]r[=a]yana Bhatta. Though described as a
play in which both pathos and horror are exaggerated--its subject is an
outrage resembling that which Dunstan is said to have inflicted on
Elgiva--it is stated to have been always a favourite, as written in
exact accordance with dramatic rules. Perhaps the _Candakansika_ by
Ksem[=i]svara should also be included, which deals with the working of a
curse pronounced by an aged priest upon a king who had innocently
offended him.

Second period (declin