A Critical Analysis of Girish Karnad’s Naga-Mandala: Play with a Cobra Girish Karnad (1938–2019) was a renowned Indian playwright, actor, director, and public intellectual who wrote primarily in Kannada and English. Known for blending folklore, mythology, and contemporary themes, his plays such as Tughlaq , Hayavadana , and Nagamandala challenged social norms and redefined modern Indian theatre. Girish Karnad’s Naga-Mandala: Play with a Cobra is a remarkable example of how Indian playwrights have drawn upon indigenous narrative forms to explore contemporary social realities. Blending two Kannada folktales collected by A. K. Ramanujan, Karnad constructs a multilayered drama where myth, fantasy, oral tradition, and social critique converge. Naga-Mandala is a feminist retelling of the age-old stories of marital relationships, chastity, and female agency. The play demonstrates the vitality of Indian folk theatre by using surreal elements, symbolic imagery, and performative dev...