A manuscript of Gita Govinda, scribed on ivory, has recently been declared as a National Heritage of India. Many, predictably, are curious to know the greatness of Gita Govinda that has elevated a copy of its manuscript to such high status. For a fair idea about the form and content of this literary creation, a brief account is presented here.

Gita Govinda Kavyam, a lyrical dance drama composed in simplified Sanskrit by celebrated poet Jayadeva of Orissa in the twelfth century, is regarded as a unique phenomenon in the annals of world literature.