Vasantasena

Vasantasena is a fictional character and the protagonist of the iconic Sanskrit play Mṛichchhakatika (The Little Clay Cart) written by Śūdraka.[1]

Mricchakatika was translated in 1826 as The Toy Cart by Horace Hayman Wilson, a surgeon in the East India Company. In 1847, the text was translated by the German scholar A.F Stenzler, and published in Bonn. [2]

The play was subsequently adapted and performed widely across Europe.[3] Many of the adaptions were titled 'Vasantasena' after the main character.

Characters in the Play

The main characters in the play include:

Chārudatta : a wealthy noble-man who loses all his wealth due to his philanthropic and altruistic nature and is seriously impoverished.

Vasantasena : a wealthy courtesan who lives a life of utmost luxury but falls in love with Chārudatta for his extremely noble nature.

Madanika : Vasantasena's attendant

Sansthanaka : the evil brother-in-law of the King Palaka; Sansthanaka fancies Vasantasena.

Aryaka : prophesied to become the King[4]

Art and Media

Sculpture of Vasantasena kept in National Museum, Delhi

Different works in the domain of arts and media have been produced at different points of time in history because the legend has been popular since times immemorial. Recognisable works have been listed down as follows:

The Indian painter Raja Ravi Verma made an oleographic print of Vasantasena depicting her the way she has been described in the play Mṛcchakaṭika. She is portrayed as a rich, beautiful and fine lady.

An oleographic print by Raja Ravi Varma depicting Vasantasena, the protagonist of the play Mṛcchakatika

Painting by Abanindranath Tagore (early 1920's) / Public Domain
Sculpture from Kushana period: A mottled red sandstone sculpture belonging to the 2nd century A.D., which depicts a Scene of a Courtesan's House. It is kept in the National Museum, Delhi.
Oleograph by Raja Ravi Varma: The 19th-century Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma produced an oleograph depicting Vasantasena.
Movies:
- - Vasantsena, a movie by Dadasaheb Phalke made in 1929
  - Vasantha Sena, a Kannada movie by Ramayyar Shirur made in 1941
  - Vasantha Sena, a Bollywood movie by Gajanan Jagirdar in 1942
  - Vasantha Sena, a Tollywood movie by B. S. Ranga in 1967

Utsav is a 1984 Hindi erotic drama film, produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad and is based on this play.[5]

References

The Mrichchakati; Or, The Toy Cart: A Drama. V. Holcroft, Asiatic Press. 1826-01-01.
"Sudraka | The Online Books Page". onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
Lab, The Heritage (2023-05-07). "Vasantasena on stage : the timeless Sanskrit drama, 'Mricchakatika' (The Little Clay Cart)". The Heritage Lab. Retrieved 2023-06-01.
Sudraka, Rajah of Magadha; Ryder, Arthur W. (Arthur William) (1905). The little clay cart (Mrcchakatika) a Hindu drama, attributed to King Shudraka; translated from the original Sanskrit and Prakrits into English prose and verse. Robarts - University of Toronto. Cambridge Harvard University.
@NFAIOfficial (8 November 2019). "A lobby card for Girish Karnad's #Utsav (1984), featuring #FaceOfTheWeek #ShankarNag. The film was based on popular…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

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[1] The Mrichchakati; Or, The Toy Cart: A Drama. V. Holcroft, Asiatic Press. 1826-01-01.

[2] "Sudraka | The Online Books Page". onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu. Retrieved 2023-06-01.

[3] Lab, The Heritage (2023-05-07). "Vasantasena on stage : the timeless Sanskrit drama, 'Mricchakatika' (The Little Clay Cart)". The Heritage Lab. Retrieved 2023-06-01.

[4] Sudraka, Rajah of Magadha; Ryder, Arthur W. (Arthur William) (1905). The little clay cart (Mrcchakatika) a Hindu drama, attributed to King Shudraka; translated from the original Sanskrit and Prakrits into English prose and verse. Robarts - University of Toronto. Cambridge Harvard University.

[5] @NFAIOfficial (8 November 2019). "A lobby card for Girish Karnad's #Utsav (1984), featuring #FaceOfTheWeek #ShankarNag. The film was based on popular…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.