Last updated: March 2026

Character Name

Shakuntala

Meaning — Derived from Sanskrit "shakunta" meaning "bird" — the name means "one who was cared for by birds". In legend, Shakuntala was abandoned by her mother and raised by birds in the forest hermitage of the sage Kanva. She is the heroine of Kalidasa's celebrated Sanskrit play.·Sanskrit origin·Female·sha-KUN-tah-lah

Shakuntala Kalidasa's Shakuntala is one of Sanskrit literature's most beloved heroines: raised in nature, innocent yet perceptive, capable of deep love and of sustaining enormous suffering with grace. Characters named Shakuntala tend to possess an untutored directness and a naturalness that sharply distinguishes them from those raised in more calculating social worlds.

Best genres for Shakuntala

MythologyHistorical FictionRomanceLiterary FictionDrama

Famous characters named Shakuntala

Shakuntala

Abhijnanashakuntalam (The Recognition of Shakuntala) Kalidasa

A forest-raised maiden of extraordinary beauty and virtue who falls in love with King Dushyanta; their story — separation, a curse of forgetfulness, and eventual recognition — is the masterwork of Sanskrit dramatic literature.


Variations & nicknames

ShakuntalaSakuntalaShakuntala

Pairs well with

Shakuntala DeviShakuntala SharmaShakuntala NairShakuntala RaoShakuntala Iyer

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