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

Śūdraka Shudraka (IAST: ) was an Indian playwright, to whom three Sanskrit drama, Sanskrit plays are attributed: ''Mrichchhakatika'' (''The Little Clay Cart''), ''Vinavasavadatta'', and a ''bhana'' (short one-act monologue), ''Padmaprabhritaka''. Accordi ...

. ''Mricchakatika'' was translated in 1826 as ''The Toy Cart'' by

Horace Hayman Wilson Horace Hayman Wilson (26 September 1786 – 8 May 1860) was an English orientalist who was elected the first Boden Professor of Sanskrit at Oxford University. Life He studied medicine at St Thomas's Hospital, and went out to India in 1808 ...

, a surgeon in the East India Company. In 1847, the text was translated by the German scholar A.F Stenzler, and published in Bonn. The play was subsequently adapted and performed widely across Europe. 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(

nagarvadhu Nagarvadhu (also Nagaravadhu or Nagar Vadhu; Devanagari: नगरवधू; ) was a tradition followed in some parts of ancient India. Women competed to win the title of a nagarvadhu, and there was no taboo against the practice. The most beauti ...

) 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 File:Carl Carlsson, rollporträtt - SMV - H2 061.tif, alt= File:Georgina Hjort, rollporträtt - SMV - H4 162.tif, alt= File:Karin Swanström, rollporträtt - SMV - H8 078.tif, alt= File:Dorothy Raymond as Vasantasena in The Little Clay Cart, 1928 (NBY 5427).jpg, alt=

Art and Media

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: * Painting by

Abanindranath Tagore Abanindranath Tagore (Bengali language, Bengali: অবনীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 August 1871 – 5 December 1951) was an Indian painter who was the principal artist and creator of the Indian Society of Oriental Art in ...

(early 1920's) / Public Domain * Sculpture from

Kushana The Kushan Empire (– CE) was a syncretic empire formed by the Yuezhi in the Bactrian territories in the early 1st century. It spread to encompass much of what is now Afghanistan, Eastern Iran, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Kush ...

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 Dhundiraj Govind Phalke (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪ʱuɳɖiɾaːd͡ʒ pʰaːɭke, popularly known as Dadasaheb Phalke (30 April 1870 – 16 February 1944), was an Indian producer-director-screenwriter, known as "the Father of Indian ...

made in 1929 *** ''Vasantha Sena'', a Kannada movie by Ramayyar Shirur made in 1941 *** ''Vasantha Sena'', a Bollywood movie by

Gajanan Jagirdar Gajanan Jagirdar (2 April 1907 – 13 August 1988) was a veteran Indian film director, screenwriter and actor. He worked in Hindi Cinema, also called Bollywood, as well as Marathi cinema. The period of 1942 to 1947, saw his rise as a film direc ...

in 1942 *** ''Vasantha Sena'', a Tollywood movie by B. S. Ranga in 1967

Utsav ''Utsav'' (Hindi: उत्सव; English: Festival) is a 1984 Hindi erotic drama film, produced by Shashi Kapoor and directed by Girish Karnad. The film is based on play '' Mrichakatika'' ('' The Little Clay Cart'') by Śūdraka. It was f ...

is a 1984

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculp ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

, produced by

Shashi Kapoor Shashi Kapoor (pronounced �əʃi kəpuːɾ born Balbir Raj Kapoor; 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017) was an Indian actor and producer known primarily for his work in Hindi films. He is considered as one of the greatest and most successful acto ...

and directed by

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian playwright, actor, film director, Kannada writer, and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in Kannada, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Marathi films. His rise as a playwr ...

and is based on this play.{{cite tweet, number=1192764152235708418, user=NFAIOfficial, title=A lobby card for Girish Karnad’s #Utsav (1984), featuring #FaceOfTheWeek #ShankarNag. The film was based on popular… , date=8 November 2019

References

Fictional Indian people in literature Female characters in literature Indian courtesans Fictional courtesans Indian plays