Ritusamhara is a long poem or mini-epic in Sanskrit attributed to Kalidasa. The poem has six cantos for the six Indian seasons-grisma (summer), (monsoon/rains), sarat (autumn), hemanta (cool), sisira (winter), and vasanta (spring). It is considered to be Kalidasa's earliest work. The word Ritu (seasons)with the word saṃhara is used here in the sense of "coming together" or "group". Thus, Ritusamhara has been translated as Medley of Seasons or Garland of Seasons, perhaps more aptly as the "Pageant of the Seasons", but also mistranslated as "birth and death" of seasons, which arises from the alternate meaning of samhāra as destruction.

Kālidāsa (4th-5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest playwright and dramatist. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata and the Purānas. His surviving works consist of three plays, two epic poems and two shorter poems.Much about his life is unknown except what can be inferred from his poetry and plays. His works cannot be dated with precision, but they were most likely authored before the 5th century CE.