Social Life in Ancient India: Studies in Vatsyayana's Kamasutra c8.s6.t6.1

c8.s6.t6.1

The fact that the mistress of the house was expected to keep the daily accounts, to prepare the annual budget of receipts and expenditure, and supervise in general over the purse, proves, beyond a doubt, that women ordinarily were literate. Besides, from what Vātsyāyana says, it is apparent that an ordinary woman could receive and reply to love letters smuggled into ear ornaments, chaplets or garlands made of flowers carried by female messengers (*patrahāridūtī*). Such love letters not infrequently contained verses and songs having special reference to the beloved and replies were obtained from her.² Unless women had some education, this would be without meaning.