Who is the author of 'Abhinaya Darpana', a classical text on gestures in dance?

"Abhinaya Darpana" ("The Mirror of Gesture") is a Sanskrit treatise on dance and acting attributed to Nandikeshvara. It is believed to date from around the 2nd-5th century CE, though scholars differ on its exact date.

About Abhinaya Darpana:

• It focuses on "abhinaya", the art of expression in dance and drama.
• It describes in detail the hand gestures (hastas or mudras), including single-hand gestures (asamyuta hastas) and double-hand gestures (samyuta hastas), as well as the movements of the head, eyes, neck and feet.
• It explains the use of these gestures to tell stories and express emotions.
• It is especially important for the classical dance form of Bharatanatyam and is widely used by teachers and students of Indian classical dance.

In 1917, the scholar Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and Duggirala Gopalakrishnayya translated it into English as "The Mirror of Gesture".

The four types of abhinaya:

• Angika: expression through body movements and gestures.
• Vachika: expression through speech and song.
• Aharya: expression through costume, make-up and jewellery.
• Sattvika: expression of inner emotions.

Other important texts on music and dance:

• Natyashastra: by Bharata Muni (around 200 BCE-200 CE); the oldest Indian treatise on drama, dance and music; describes the "rasa" theory.
• Sangita Ratnakara: by Sharngadeva (13th century), on music and dance.
• Brihaddeshi: by Matanga (around 8th-9th century); first text to use the word "raga" in the modern sense.
• Sangita Makaranda: by Narada.
• Chaturdandi Prakashika: by Venkatamakhin (17th century), on the 72 melakarta raga system of Carnatic music.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Bharata Muni wrote the Natyashastra.
• ✗Sharngadeva wrote the Sangita Ratnakara.
• ✗Matanga wrote the Brihaddeshi.