Kālidāsa
The most popular theory is that Kalidasa flourished during the reign of Chandragupta II, and therefore lived around 4th-5th century CE. Several Western scholars have supported this theory, since the days of William Jones and A. B. Keith. Many Indian scholars, such as Vasudev Vishnu Mirashi and Ram Gupta, also place Kalidasa in this period. According to this theory, his career might have extended to the reign of Kumaragupta I (r. 414 – 455 CE), and possibly, to that of Skandagupta (r. 455 – 467 CE).
Indian classical drama
Kālidāsa in the 4th-5th century CE, was arguably one of ancient India's greatest Sanskrit dramatists. Three famous romantic plays written by Kālidāsa are the "Mālavikāgnimitram" ("Mālavikā and Agnimitra"), "Vikramōrvaśīyam" ("Pertaining to Vikrama and Urvashi"), and "Abhijñānaśākuntalam" ("The Recognition of Shakuntala"). The last was inspired by a story in the "Mahabharata" and is the most famous. It was the first to be translated into English and German. "Śakuntalā" (in English translation) influenced Goethe's "Faust" (1808–1832). The next great Indian dramatist was Bhavabhuti (c. 7th century CE). He is said to have written the following three plays: "Malati-Madhava", "Mahaviracharita" and "Uttar Ramacharita". Among these three, the last two cover between them the entire epic of "Ramayana". The powerful Indian emperor Harsha (606–648) is credited with having written three plays: the comedy "Ratnavali", "Priyadarsika", and the Buddhist drama "Nagananda". Other famous Sanskrit dramatists include Śhudraka, Bhasa, and Asvaghosa. Though numerous plays written by these playwrights are still available, little is known about the authors themselves.