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Natya Shastra, written by Bharata Muni around 2nd century B.C. is the earliest and most elaborate treatise on Indian theatre. In Natya Shastra, Bharata Muni consolidated and codified various traditions in dance, mime and drama. This gives all conceivable details of make-up and costumes, has exhaustive notes on direction and production, deals with theory of aesthetics and analyzes various sentiments and their protrayal.
Natya Shastra describes ten classifications of drama ranging from one act to ten acts. No book of ancient times in the world contains such an exhaustive study on dramaturgy as Natya Shastra. The text is placed some time between 200 B.C. and A.D. 200. It is addressed to the playwright, the director, and the actor because, to Bharata Muni these three were inseparable in the creation of a drama.
The Sanskrit word for drama, nataka, derives from the word meaning "dance". In traditional Hindu drama, expression was achieved through music and dancing as well as through acting, so that a play could be a combination of opera, ballet and drama.
According to legend the very first play was performed on heaven when the gods, having defeated the demons, were enacting their victory.
Hindu theorists from the earliest days conceived of plays in terms of two types of production: lokadharmi - realistic which was meant the reproduction of human behaviour on the stage and the natural presentation of objects, and natyadharmi - conventional which is presentation of a play through the use of stylised gestures and symbolism and was considered more artistic than the realistic.
From the primitive to the most cultured community, all men have retained dance as a function of life. Primitive man combines reality with deity and the cultured dance for pleasure and for the expression of art. Dance is an older institution than drama, rather it is the oldest drama itself. In India, drama had a semi-religious origin from the art of dancing. As recorded in the Abhinaya Darpana, Bharata performed Natya, Nrtya and Nrtta with the help of Gandharvas and the Apsaras in the presence of Lord Siva. Pleased at this dance performance, Siva added his own Tandava and Lasya form of Parvati.
In ancient India, theatre was the centre of focus of all artistic activity, because it is theatre alone which can admirably blend any branch of art or craft. Therefore, Natya Shastra says -
" There is no such knowledge, no such craft, no such education, no such art, no such yoga, no such activity, which can not be seen in theatre ".
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