Social and Political Life in the Vijayanagara Empire (A.D. 1346 – A.D. 1646) v2.c20.s3.35

v2.c20.s3.35

No description of Vijayanagara women may be deemed adequate without mention being made of the courtezans. The public woman, according to Kauṭilya, was in charge of a great number of duties relating to the person of the king. We have the following in the *Arthaśāstra*: "Prostitutes shall do the duty of bathroom servants, shampoors, bedding room servants, washermen, and flower garland-makers, while presenting to the king water, scents, fragrant powders, dress and garlands; servants along with the above prostitutes shall first touch things by their eyes, arms and breast".³ Further Kauṭilya enjoins: "The superintendent of prostitutes shall employ (at the king's court) on a salary of 1,000 paṇas (per annum) a prostitute, whether born or not born of a prostitute's family, and noted for her beauty, youth and accomplishments".⁴ That such prostitutes were under the direct control of the Central Government is clear from the following regulations in the *Arthaśāstra*: "When a prostitute does not yield her person to any one under the orders of the king, she shall receive 1,000 lashes with a whip or pay a fine of 5,000 paṇas".¹ "Every prostitute shall pay every month twice the amount of a day's earning to the government. Those who teach prostitutes, female slaves, and actresses, arts such as singing, playing on musical instruments, reading, dancing, acting, writing, painting, playing on the instruments like vīṇā, pipe and drum, reading the thoughts of others, manufacture of scents and garlands, shampooing, and the art of attracting and captivating the minds of others shall be endowed with maintenance from the State".² Kauṭilya tells us for what purpose the prostitutes are to be maintained by the State: "The wives of actors and others of similar profession who have been taught various languages and the use of signals shall, along with their relatives, be made use of in detecting the wicked and murdering or deluding foreign spies".³