The Natyashastra written more than two millenniums ago is a unique work of Indian literature. Though the title relates to theatre, it is in fact an encyclopedia dealing with all possible subjects connected with the stage. This voluminous work composed almost entirely in verse (about 6000 couplets) with a sprinkling of prose and divided into thirty-six chapters, containing besides other valuable data on the history of ancient Indian culture, discussions on the following topics: 1) Mythical origin of theatre, it’s coming down on the earth. 2) Construction of a playhouse, a stage a tiring – room and auditorium etc, ceremonies related to the construction 3) Preliminaries to a dramatic performance: ceremonies including songs, chants, dances and instrumental music. 4) Choreographic elements: dance, gestures and movements of different parts of the body (head, neck, eyes, hands, legs etc) and body in some conventional postures. 5) Costumes and makeup 6) Classification of plays, analysis of their structure 7) Poetic aspects of plays, and metres and figures of speech used in them. 8) Theory of music, metres of songs and chants, elocution, modes of playing instruments (Vinas, Flutes and Drums) and Tala-s (time measure) to be observed during songs, and playing of instruments 9) Roles and characters in plays: their classification, description, and training of actors and actresses, members of theatrical troups and qualification of an ideal stage manager 10) Criticism of a dramatic performance Some of the topics, especially an analysis of typical plays and their poetic aspects may appear to be superfluous in connection with the production of plays. But this is not actually so. For during the early period of Indian drama, independent playwrights as a class were non existent and every troupe had its own playwright who accompanied it from place to place and utilized local history and legends to compose plays for entertaining a large number of people as well as for adding to its repertoire. It was with a view to help such playwrights that the author of the natyashastra discussed in detail the structure design of the various types of play and its elaboration. It is not known if Abhinavagupta looked into this matter in such a light, still this reply to the anticipated criticism was that it (N.S) is for the guidance of playwrights as well as of producers. As drama in any form is primarily and essentially a spectacle, an acquaintance with the rules of its production should be considered indispensable for playwrights. For it is a well known fact that good many literary dramas are not taken up for performance, because they are not suitable for being put up on the boards. The author of the NatyaShastra was evidently conscious about this close connection between the literary and technical aspects of theatrical production and treated both of these with almost equal care. Hence his work almost assumed the form of an encyclopedia. Topics of the NS discusses above are, however principle ones, and many minor ones come up from time to time. This shows to what extent Indian writers were ready to go into details to clarify the subject in hand. But inspite for our great respect for the author, it would be idle to pretend that he followed a plan that can quite satisfy the modern readers. This however may not prove to be a handicap in following his main lines of treatment. The real difficulty about understanding and interpreting his great work comes from its peculiar textual tradition, which developed obscurities through being copied and recopied for persons who were later cut off from the original tradition. And it is probably from this assumption that one can explain the fact that from about the seventh century, a number of talented scholars began to study the work closely and write commentaries on it. Abhinavagupta (about 10th-11th century) was perhaps the last great name amongst them. His work alone has come down to us, though not in accurate and complete manuscripts.