The World of Courtesans c13.43

c13.43

The king generally decided to visit the *vesha* on the pretext of taking a round of the city. He mounted an elephant and was followed by a host of attendants, some of whom were armed. They cleared the way for the royal procession. Some of his trusted servants kept advising him to hold on to the seat when the road became rough. A din was created by the king's guards, by the tinkling of the elephant's bells, by the beats of the drivers and the blowing of the conch-shells. The beautiful girls of the *vesha* decked their bodies with flowers and came out to receive the king. Some of them had a crescent *tilaka* mark on their foreheads, the golden *nupuras* shone on their feet. Some held their braids in their left hands and a flower garland in the right. Some held mirrors; their toilet was only half finished. Some in a hurry loosened the ends of their *saris* and gazed at the king. They were all young and beautiful. After watching all of them the king sent his Superintendent of Pastimes (*narmasachiva*) to select a suitable girl for him. Then the king returned to the palace.