The World of Courtesans c8.169

c8.169

After the king got up from his midday siesta, he had to decide with which inmate of the harem he was going to spend his evening. It was the duty of the chamber maids (*vasakapali*) to tell him whose turn was over and whose turn it was to be with him. The chamber maids accompanied by the attendant of the chosen one approached the king with the signet ring, the unguents and clothes as a mark of his decision that it was her turn to sleep with him. If the king accepted the gifts it served to seal his decision to pass the night with her.