Shakuntala is the heroine of a great love story told in the Hindu epiclong poem about legendary or historical Heroes, written in a grand style the Mahabharata. She was the daughter of a wise man named Vishvamitra and the nymphminor goddess of nature, usually represented as young and beautiful Menaka, who abandoned her in the forest as an infant. A hermit who lived in the woods found the child and raised her as his daughter.

One day, King Dushyanta was hunting and stopped at the hermit's home. When the king saw Shakuntala, he fell in love with her and the two were married. The king returned to his palace and Shakuntala stayed behind. She soon gave birth to a son, Bharata.

Some time later, Shakuntala took the boy to the palace to meet his father. However, Dushyanta did not recognize her. As the...