The World of Courtesans c8.249

c8.249

Naturally the women with whom Bharata deals are not ordinary women but women connected with the royal court. They are divided into three classes, namely, the homely type (*abhyantara*), the public women (*bahya*), and the mixed type (*bahyabhyantara*). The homely woman belonged to a good family, and the public woman was a prostitute. The girls from good families were well-versed in court etiquette, while public women were not usually favoured by the king and they did not receive his attention.