The World of Courtesans c9.84

c9.84

The adventures of Kamamanjari do not end here. Apaharavarman in the course of his visit to Champa met a Jain monk who was in a miserable state. He said that Kamamanjari was the cause of his ruination. He was the eldest son of a prosperous merchant of Champa and was nicknamed "Ugly" because of his appearance. There was another man in the town named "Handsome" who was not rich A city scoundrel (*pauradhurta*) who made a living by fomenting quarrels, created dissension between these two. Once in a festive gathering (*utsavasamaja*), Ugly and Handsome started a quarrel. In this quarrel the scoundrel tried to appease them and laid down the principle that neither good looks nor cash mattered; the best man was one whose youthfulness attracted the gayest girls. He also suggested that it was Kamamanjari who was in a position to decide the issue. Ugly, with all his money managed to gain her favour to the embarrassment of his rival But she fleeced him completely and left him a beggar