Bharata in his Natyashastra gives a detailed account regarding the various aspects of the theatre. The main features as described by Bharata were adhered to in later times. The most important topics dealt with in the Natyashastra are the measurements of the stage, interior decorations, green room, mattavaranis, Rangasirsa, Rangapitha and the seating arrangements.

Measurements of Stage
According to the Natyashastra, the play-house as made ready for performance may be of three types, namely vikrista (rectangular), caturasra (square) and tryasra (triangular). The vikrista is jyestha, caturasra is madhya and tryasra is avara. The measurement is done in hastas. The Natyashastra states that the vikrista is one hundred and eight hastas, the caturasra is sixty four hastas and tryasra is of thirty two hastas. From the Natyashastra, it is found that the jyestha type is specially meant for gods, madhya for kings and avara for ordinary people. The measurement of the building of theatre was dependent upon the conception of hasta and danda. The smallest measure according to the Natyashastra is anu (atom). Eight anus make one raja, eight rajas one bala, eight balas one liksa, eight liksas one yuka, eight yukas one yava, eight yavas one angula, twenty four angulas one hasta and four hastas one danda. The measuring tape should be made of karpasa, vadara, valkala or munja and must have no joints. According to Bharata, while constructing a play-house, it is necessary that the soil should be first examined. It must be even, steady, hard and black or white. The whole field must be ploughed and bones, nails, skulls and such other things taken out.

The standard theatre is a rectangular building, sixty four cubits in length and thirty two cubits in breadth, marked out into two equal divisions, the auditorium and the stage. The stage is divided into two equal parts, the front and the rear, the latter being the green room. The front part is again divided into two equal parts. Of these two parts the one behind is the head of the stage (Rangasirsa) and the front part is the stage proper where the play is acted. On either sides of the stage proper, two mattavaranis, equal in measure to the stage, are constructed. The auditorium is 32×32 cubits, the front stage is 8×16 cubits, the back stage is 8×32 cubits and the green room is 16*32 cubits. The caturasra type of theatre is thirty two cubits in length and thirty two cubits in breadth. The whole field 32×32 cubits should be divided length wise and breadth wise into eight equal parts, thus making sixty four squares. The Rangapitha should be in the four inner squares. In this type the mattavaranis will be 8×8 cubits each and the Rangasirsa 8×8 cubits. The size of the green room is 4×32 cubits and that of the auditorium is 12×32 cubits. The tryasra theatre is in the form of an equilateral triangle. It is divided into eight parts on each side and from each dividing point lines are drawn parallel to those on the side of the equilateral triangle. Thus sixty four triangles are formed. The Rangapitha is built in the middle. Behind the Rangapitha is placed the Rangasirsa in five triangles and the green room in fifteen triangles. Each of the mattavaranis is constructed in eight triangles. The remaining triangles are reserved for the audience. The Natyashastra prescribes no exact measurement of the tryasra type theatre.

Rangapitha
The height of the theatres was dependent on the type of play that was to be performed. The theatre usually had the shape of a mountain cave and was constructed in two storeys with a few windows. The avibhumi was the higher and lower portions of the Rangapitha. From the Rangapitha, from where the seats for the audience commence to the exit, bhumis should be made, each one higher than the preceding one, the last having a height equal to the height of the Rangapitha, so that the rows of the spectators may not get in the way of one other`s view. The stage was often a double storeyed building. The upper storey of the theatre was used for the presentation of the dramatic actions of celestial regions and the lower one for that of the terrestrial ones. The terrace in the play Ratnavali suggests that the stage had an upper storey. According to the Natyashastra, the divisions of the stage should be made in the regular order and the divisions were known as kaksyas. When a change of scene was to be effected, it could be done through kaksyas. Those who come in to the stage first are said to be inside the place of representation. Those who enter afterwards are said to be on the outer side of the place of representation.

Rangasirsa
The Rangasirsa is the back stage of the theatre. The Rangasirsa is built of six pieces of wood and furnished with two doors leading into the green room. It is smooth and even like a mirror and decorated with jewels. The in-between space is filled with very fine black earth, having the shine of a pure mirror and studded with emeralds, sapphires, corals and other valuable stones, arranged in a variety of designs on the four sides. The Rangasirsa is constructed with six planks. Portion of the back stage or the Rangasirsa, is reserved as a place of rest for actors, for maintaining the privacy of the entrance and exit and for purposes such as prompting, securing some stage effect and storing stage equipments. The Rangasirsa was of a level higher than the Rangapitha in the vikrista type of theatre and of the same level in the caturasra. The Rangapitha and the Rangasirsa were positioned in two different parts of the theatre as they were used for diverse purposes.

The Natyashastra prescribes that the musicians should sit in the Rangasirsa.

Nepathyagriha
The green room (nepathyagriha) is a part of the main building. Behind the curtain are the quarters of the actors {nepathyagriha). In the vikrista type of theatre the green room is 16×32 cubits and in the caturasra type it is 4×32 cubits. The green room is a moderately airy place to enable the several characters to attend to their costume and make up. The nepathyagriha is a place from where sounds are raised to indicate uproar and confusion; here also are uttered the voices of gods and other persons whose presence on the stage is not desirable. For example, in the play Ratnavali, the magician`s art which could not be shown on the stage and was described through uproar behind the scenes

Mattavaranis
The Natyashastra prescribes that on both the sides of the Rangapitha, two mattavaranis are to be constructed. A mattavaranis has four columns. The mattavaranis are one and a half cubit higher than the Rangapitha and were some special portions of the Rangapitha because action was performed on these mattavaranis. The mattavaranis could also be used as kaksyas.

Seating Arrangements
The Natyashastra states that, on the Rangapitha there must be ten columns strong enough to bear the burden of the mandapa. People of different castes were to sit at places indicated by columns of various colours. Brahmanas had the front seats indicated by a white column. Kshatriyas occupied seats indicated by a red column. Behind them sat Vaisyas and Sudras, the former to the north-east and the latter to the north-west, their seats being indicated by yellow and blue columns respectively. There were other columns too, perhaps, to provide accommodation those who were not incorporated in the four castes. Galleries were to be erected one behind the other. Seats in the auditorium were to be arranged in the form of a staircase to guarantee visibility. They were to be made of wood and bricks and were to be one and a half above the ground. The Natyashastra prescribes different places for the castes and for various strata of society, it is clear that the theatres, in ancient India though constructed as a temporary structure, were planned for the general public.

Doors and Roofs in Theatre
According to the Natyashastra, the vikrista theatre has two doors leading to the green room from the Rangasirsa. The players of musical instruments sat in between these doors. In the caturasra type a door leads to the Rangapitha. The first door is for people to enter the theatre and the second door is in front of the auditorium. In the tryasra type there is one door at the back of the Rangapitha and another in one corner for the entry of the audience. In the Natyashastra there is only one reference to theatres without roofs. But the theatres in which plays were performed must have had roofs. There are indications in the Natyashastra which prove the existence of roofs. In the section on arrangement of columns the Natyashastra says that the columns should be capable of supporting the roof.

Bharata`s description of theatres, their construction, size and shape, the position of the stage, orchestra and auditorium, indicates that theatres were of a permanent nature. Thus the Natyashastra gives an elaborate detail on the different aspects of Indian theatre.