The World of Courtesans c8.179

c8.179

While discussing the question of illicit love Vatsyayana mentions certain customs which prevailed in different parts of the country. Thus the custom in Andhradesha was that a courtesan (*janapada-kanya*) entered the palace with presents and after enjoying the company of the king, was released from there on the tenth day. In the country of Vatsagulma (modern Vashim) the wives of the ministers paid visits to the palace to keep their tryst with the king. In Vidarbha, beautiful women spent a month in the palace under the pretext of being friends of the inmates of the harem. In the Aparanta (Konkan) a minister sent his beautiful wife as a present to the king. In Saurashtra the women of the cities and districts assembled in the palace to serve the king's pleasure.