Ratnavali

Ratnavali (Precious Garland) is a Sanskrit drama about a beautiful princess named Ratnavali, and a great king named Udayana. It is attributed to the Indian emperor Harsha (606–648). It is a Natika in four acts. One of the first textual references to the celebration of Holi, the festival of Colours have been found in this text. Ratnāvalī subtitled (rajaparikatha) is also the title of a 3rd-century (?) Buddhist philosophical work by Nagarjuna, a discourse addressed to an Indian king (possibly a Satavahana monarch). Udayana (aka Vatsaraja)- The hero, King of Kaushambi Ratnavali (Sagarika)- The heroine, daughter of King Vikramabahu Vasavadatta - Queen, wife of Udayana Susangata - Bosom friend of Sagarika Vasanthaka (Vidusaka)- The hero's companion and Court-wit Yaugandharayana- The Chief Minister of Kaushambi Vikramabahu- The King of Sinhala Vijayaverma- Commander-in-chief of the King Babravya- The Chamberlain of the King Vasubhuthi- The Minister of Vikramabahu Aiyndrajalika- A magician Medhavini (Sarika)- A talking bird Udayana, King of Kaushambi, is both valiant and romantic. He is happily married to Vasavadatta, princess of a neighboring kingdom, and the story of their courtship and wedding is the subject of an earlier work, Svapnavasavadattam, written by Bhāsa. Udayana is well-served by Yaugandharayana, an extremely loyal and astute, if rather presumptuous and devious minister. Yaugandharayana now wishes the king to marry Ratnavali, princess of the distant island kingdom of Simhala (presumably Sri Lanka). This is because a sage had prophesied that the man who marries Ratnavali would become a Sarvabhauma (Emperor). Incidentally, Ratnavali's father, king Vikramabahu of Simhala, is Vasavadatta's uncle. He is aware that Udayana and Vasavadatta are unusually close to each other (because they had married for love), and that a second wife would either be unhappy herself or make his niece Vasavadatta unhappy. He is therefore initially reluctant to accept the proposal of marriage which the minister makes to him.