Indian Rulers
Kalidasa
Jewel of the Nine
Kalidasa was an Indian poet active in the 4th c. AD during the Gupta period from the state of Gupta. Died of natural causes.
Historical Note
Foremost of Vikramaditya's Nine Gems. Author of Shakuntala, Meghaduta, and the Raghuvamsha — Sanskrit's Shakespeare. Goethe read Shakuntala in translation and wrote: 'Wouldst thou the young year's blossoms and the fruits of its decline... I name thee, O Shakuntala, and all is said.'