The World of Courtesans c4.38

c4.38

But courtesans were not only camp followers. They formed an important adjunct of urban life. It is said that Virata, after gaining a victory on the battlefield with the help of the Pandavas, asked his messenger to proclaim that young girls should come out of the city bedecking themselves. Courtesans playing musical instruments were also invited to participate in the victory celebrations (*M.B.* IV. 34, 17, 18). After his son’s victory Virata made similar arrangements for his reception by the young men and courtesans of the city (*M.B.* IV. 64, 24, 26, 29). At the consecration ceremony of Rama (*Ram.* II. 3, 17-18) the royal paraphernalia included a band of courtesans gathered within the second enclosure of the royal palace, and when Rama returned from his long exile, the crowd that welcomed him included courtesans (*Ram.* VI. 127, 1 ff.).