Kaumudi-Mahotsava (IAST: Kaumudīmahotsava, "Festival of Moonlight") is a Sanskrit play of uncertain date, known from a single manuscript discovered in the present-day state of Kerala, India.
The orphaned young prince is taken to safety by his nurse Vinayandhara and other loyalists, and spends several years in exile in the Vindhya forest.
The manuscript was partially damaged by worms and had a hole at the place that appears to state the beginning of the author's name in the prologue.
Alternatively, the broken word may not be a name at all: it is possible that the sentence containing it states that "the play was composed with a sub-plot patākayā".
Once, while sitting under an Ashoka tree near the temple of goddess Chandika, the prince recalls his childhood, and wonders if his memories are a dream or an illusion.
Vaikhanasa sees what he thinks is a heap of rice, but turns out to be a broken pearl necklace dropped by the princess.
Meanwhile, she recalls her own past: she became a nun after her family suffered a disaster, and came to the Shurasena capital Mathura, where the Queen liked her and made her the caregiver of the princess.
Yogasiddhi recognizes Kalyanavarman, and recalls that she used to be his nurse when he was a young boy: she became a nun after his family lost the throne of Magadha.
Yogasiddhi vows to unite the lovers, and writes a verse on the painting, declaring that Kirtimati is as worthy of Kalyanavarman, as Bandhumati of Shaunaka, and Kurangi of the Avimaraka (characters from well-known stories).
The orphaned prince Kalyanavarman escaped the capital with his nurse Vinayandhara and other loyalists, including the sons of the ministers.
[7] Mantragupta describes the evening in Pataliputra, and at night, he receives the news that Kalayanavarman will arrive in the city in the morning.
[3] Historian Edward Aloysius Pires connected the play's characters with the Maukhari rulers, whose names ended in -varman.
[6] However, this identification is incorrect, as the play explicitly states that Chandasena was killed and his dynasty ended when the forces loyal to Kalyanavarman conquered the capital.
He interpreted "Karniputra", a word mentioned in the play, as "Satakarni-putra" (Satakarni was a title common to several Satavahana kings).
[11] Several other scholars have determined that Sundaravarman (or Sundaravarma) and Kalyanavarman (or Kalyanavarma) are not historical figures at all, and have categorized the drama as a work of fiction.