The World of Courtesans c9.72

c9.72

Courtesans also waited upon the king while he held court. Bana again describes the pretty courtesans waiting upon Harsha in his court. They wore *agaru tilakas* on their foreheads and they arched their eyebrows coquettishly. They demonstrated the fatigue they experienced after the dance by breathing heavily. Their heads were encircled with chaplets and the jewels on the centre of their necklaces moved all the time To conceal their yawns they at times covered their mouths with their palms and their eyes flickered as the pollen of the flower-ornaments fell on them. Sometimes they looked around or simply smiled and at times they danced with their hands interlocked over their heads. Sometimes they cracked their knuckles and moving around in a circle they performed a dance.