The importance of Śakuntalā as personifying Indian womanhood in Indian literature and culture is undisputed. This books attempts to explore some of the links between culture, history and gender, and between literature and history, through reading variant versions of the narrative of Śakuntalā. The importance of Śakuntalā as personifying Indian womanhood in Indian literature and culture is undisputed. This books attempts to explore some of the links between culture, history and gender, and between literature and history, through reading variant versions of the narrative of Śakuntalā. These include the stories in the Mahābhārata, the play by Kālidāsa, and the 18th century kathā in Braj. The transformation of Śakuntalā from an autonomous assertive figure in the Mahābhārata, to the quintessential submissive woman in the Kālidāsa version, is carefully examined by the author through a fascinating reading of the texts and translations of the play in India and Europe.