Indian Drama & Theatre is one of the oldest art forms, as old as the Indian music and dance. The Classical theatre traditions have also influenced modern theatre, particularly the Hindi, Marathi and Bengali theatres. Looking back at history, we can find the beginning of the ancient dramas in the Rig Veda. viz. Pururava - Urvashi, Yama-Yami, Indra-Indrani, Sarma-Pani and Ushas Suktas. Even the epics of Ramayana, Mahabharata and Artha Shastra have some techniques of dramas. Since, Valmiki, Vyas and Panini throw light on dramaturgy, and Patanjali writes in his Mahabhashya that there were two dramas, viz. - Kamsa Vadha and Vali Vadha. Actors were not only dancers but also were musicians. Vatsyayan says in Kama Sutra that Kings were arranging programmes of acting through actors in festivals. So the origin of dramas found from the early Vedic age.

Then, by the mid-A.D. 300`s, flourishing drama in the Sanskrit language had developed, which were actually epic poems. Each play was organized around one of nine Rasas (mood - sentiments). The goal was to produce harmony, so authors avoided clashing moods and all these plays ended happily. There are mainly six dramatists, viz. Bhasa, Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti, Shudrak, Bhatta Narayana, Vishakhadutta and Harsha. The dramas were written on the basis of the epics and puranas.

Bharata is the founder of the Indian dramaturgy and he described Drama as the fifth Veda. Thus, he is often known as the father of Indian theatrical arts. His Natya Shastra seems to be the first attempt to develop the technique or rather art, of drama in a systematic manner. The Natya Shastra tells us not only what is to be portrayed in a drama, but how the portrayal is to be done. The Natya Shastra is incredibly wide in its scope. It consists of minutely detailed precepts for both playwrights and actors. Bharata describes ten types of drama ranging from one to ten acts. In addition, he lays down principles for stage design, makeup, costume, dance, a theory of rasas & bhavas, acting, directing and music, in each individual chapters.

He sets out a detailed theory of drama, where he referred to the Bhavas and the Rasas like love, pity, anger, disgust, heroism, awe, terror and comedy that inspire the audience. And the plays should mix different Rasas but should be dominated by one. According to the Natya Shastra, all the modes of expression employed by an individual, which include speech, gestures, movements and intonation must be used. The representation of these expressions can have different modes according to the predominance and emphasis on one mode or another. Bharatamuni recognises four main modes: speech and poetry (bharati vritti), dance and music (kaishiki vritti), action (arabhatti vritti) and emotions (sattvatti vritti).

Mahakavi Bhasa is the first playwright if Sanskrit literature. He has written 13 plays, taking the story of Ramayana, Mahabharata, Puranas and Lok Kathas. Mahakavi Kalidas has written three dramas, viz. Malavikagnimitram, Vikramorvashiyam and Abhignan Shakuntalam. Kalidas gave new art, technique, Bhava, Costumes, thoughts, methods and directions. Thus, he became greatest poet and playwright in Sanskrit Literature.

Till 15th centuries, the Sanskrit dramas were being performed on stage in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat. King Mitrak of Gujarat`s Vallabhi had given much patronage to Dramas & Arts. In the time of Gujarat king Siddharaj Bilhan`s "Karnasundri" was performed in Patan during the celebration of Naminath Yatra Mahotsav. Similarly Balchandra`s Drana "Karuna Vajra Yudhe" was staged on Satrunjaya Hill near Palitana. The kings and the Jain and other religious community patronized these plays, but their performance were confined to religious festivals and to the Royal Courts only in the in the presence of Kings and their nobleman and devotees. They did not reach the common people.

After the 15th centuries, however, the Indian drama activity almost ceased due to foreign invasions on India. But there were the beginnings of "Loknatya" (People`s Theatre) are noticed in every state of India from 17th century onwards. Various states innovated the new styles of drama; in Bengal there were styles like Yatrakirtaniya, Paal, Gaan; in Madhya Pradesh Mach; in Kashmir Bhandya Thar and in Gujarat the forms were Bhavai, Ramlila; in Northan India there were Nautanki, and Bhand, Ramlila & Raslila; in Maharashtra Tamasha; in Rajasthan Raas and Jhoomer; in Punjab Bhangra and Songe; while in Assam it was Ahiyanat & Ankinaat; in Bihar it was Videshiya.

The beginning and the rise of the Modern Indian Dramas were in the 18th century when the British Empire consolidated its stable power in India. In 1765, there were two drama lovers, who had staged two English comedy plays named Disgaij and Love is the Best Doctor. In 1831 Prasaankumar Thakur had establish the Hindi Rangmanch. In 1843, on the request of the Sangli King, the playwright Vishnudas Bhave had produced Seeta Swayamwar in Marathi. In 1880 Annasaheb Kirloskar staged Abhignan Shakuntal in Marathi. However, in the western part of India, due to the Portuguese domination, drama groups from western countries began to arrive in India to stage English plays.

In 1850, the modern theatre activity originated in Bengal, Karnataka and Kerala also. Then, from 1858 onwards Gujarati and Urdu plays were staged in many cities in Mumbai & Gujarat chiefly in Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda, Vadnagar. The Parsis started their own drama company and they used words from Hindustani, Urdu, Persian and Sanskrit, while staging their plays. Their successful dramas were quite famous in the theatre halls of Karachi, Calcutta and Mumbai. At about the same time the theatre activity began in Karnataka and Orissa. The Parsi plays besides the language of the play also paid much attention to stage decor and stage specialties. Thus, from the beginning in 1850 upto 1940 there was a resurgence of drama movement in different regions of India and there was significant development of the Indian Theatre. There are hundred years can rightly be called the Golden Age of the Indian Theatre.

The period after 1947 marks a second stage in the development of modern Indian Drama. Prior to 1947 the drama scripts centered around Sanskrit plays, English plays and ancient religious-historical epics. They related themselves to the social problems as well as the ideology of the freedom movement; making it a very powerful medium intended to make an impact on the life of the common man.

The second stages of Modern Indian Drama began after 1947, which divided dramas, into two parts: Professional Theatre and Non - Professional Theatre. The Non Professional Theatre groups were formed by co-operative theatrical societies, where their subjects were inspired by western plays. The Indian theatre groups, including the theatre craftsmen and artists went to foreign countries to acquire knowledge of stagecraft. The modern Indian drama enriched itself with the modern techniques of stage screens, sets, scenery, lighting and sound effects and the same has been continued, till date.