Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s3.t5.1

v2.c11.s3.t5.1

*Natyashastra*, regarded as the Dramaturgy or Theory of Drama was written by Bharatamuni, a dramatic scholar and musicologist in ancient India. It is the earliest work in theory of drama in India. Natya means dance in Sanskrit, and then changes into the drama integrating music, dance, language, etc. According to legend, Bharatamuni was a writer with the same status with Valmiki and Vyasa. He was a great scholar, and his book *Natyashastra* is a classic handed down from ancient times. But, the process of writing *Natyashastra* was very long, lasting about 300 or 400 years, therefore, the writing style is not unified in the previous and subsequent parts, and there is repetition and paradox. The earliest version is rumored to have had 6,000 *shloka*, while the existing versions include 36 chapters of southern version and 37 chapters of northern version, with about 5,000 Shloka, and it was updated by constant additions, deletions and revision by people of several generations. For the time of finishing the book, some people think that the time was in the 2^nd century BCE, while the majorities believe that it was in the 4^th or 5^th century CE, and finally, it is decided as before the 7^th century CE.