The Colas c28.18

c28.18

The social standing of courtesans in the ancient Cōḷa country is clearly indicated by the numerous records registering rich endowments made by them for various public benefactions and the recognition afforded by local powers to their public spirit; in a record from Tiruvoṟṟiyūr, dated A.D. 1049, a certain *dēvaraḍiyāḷ* (courtesan), Catuṟaḷ Caturi, by name, is also described as the wife (*ahamuḍaiyāḷ*) of a citizen, Nāgan Peruṅgāḍan.³⁶ The marriage of another dancing-girl belonging to a temple in the Tanjore district is recorded in an inscription of the reign of Kulōttunga III.³⁷