Which ancient Indian poet is credited with writing the Buddhacharita?

Ashvaghosha is credited with writing the Buddhacharita, an epic Sanskrit poem about the life of Gautama Buddha. He was a Buddhist poet, philosopher, dramatist, musician, and orator who probably lived around the 1st or 2nd century CE.

The Buddhacharita presents the Buddha’s life in the refined mahakavya style of classical Sanskrit literature. It covers his birth, privileged youth, renunciation, quest for enlightenment, awakening, and teaching career. Compared with some other Buddhist biographies, it is notable for its polished literary structure and relatively restrained treatment of miracles.

The original poem contained 28 cantos. Only the first 14 survive in Sanskrit, while later sections are preserved through Chinese and Tibetan translations. Ashvaghosha is also associated with the poem Saundarananda. He is sometimes confused with later Sanskrit writers such as Kalidasa, but Kalidasa belonged to a later literary period and was not the author of the Buddhacharita.