Sanskrit poets have often been criticised for excessive exaggeration, known as oriental hyperbole, especially while praising kings, patrons, and heroes. In such poetry, rulers were frequently equated with gods like Indra, while the lives and sufferings of common people were almost entirely ignored. Even Kalidāsa, the greatest of Sanskrit poets, glorified kings such as Raghu and Dilīpa but paid little attention to the masses who sustained the kingdom.