Shudraka

Shudraka was an Indian playwright, to whom three Sanskrit plays are attributed: Mrichchhakatika, Vinavasavadatta, and a bhana, Padmaprabhritaka. According to the prologue of Mrichchhakatika, he was a king; according to one theory, he may have been a third century Abhira king. According to another theory, Shudraka is a mythical figure, and the authorship of plays attributed to him is uncertain. Col. Wilfred has identified him with Simuka, the founder of Satavahana dynasty and placed him in 200 B.C.