The Sanskrit Drama in its Origin, Development, Theory & Practice c22.7

c22.7

Behind³ the stage is the painted curtain (*paṭi, apaṭi, tiraskaraṇī, pratisīrā*), to which the name Yavanikā (Prākrit, Javanikā) is given, denoting merely that the material is foreign, and forbidding any conclusion as to the Greek origin of the curtain itself or the theatre. When one enters hastily, the curtain is violently thrown aside (*apaṭikṣepa*). Behind the curtain are the actors' quarters (*nepathyagṛha*) or tiring rooms. Here are performed the sounds necessary to represent uproar and confusion which cannot be represented on the stage; here also are uttered the voices of gods and other persons whose presence on the stage is impossible or undesirable.