History of Dharmashastra (Ancient and Mediaeval Religious and Civil Law in India) v4.c62.333.2

v4.c62.333.2

says that a *gaṇikā* was to be employed for a salary of one thousand paṇas, whether she was born in a prostitute's family or not and she was to possess beauty, youth and accomplishments (i. e. the 64 *kalās* enumerated in Kāmasūtra I. 3. 16). Kauṭ. prescribes that, if she left the country or died, her daughter or sister took her place and estate or her mother could substitute some other gaṇikā in her place; when none of these existed the king took her wealth and her son did not inherit her wealth. A gaṇikā could purchase her freedom by paying to the king 24000 paṇas as ransom. She was to hold the umbrella, the golden pitcher and the fan for the king when he was seated on the throne or in a chariot or in his palanquin. There were grades among the gaṇikās as best, middling and inferior and salaries differed by a thousand. The sons of prostitutes were to be the chief actors on the royal stage. It appears from these provisions that the veśyas were more or less slaves. The superintendent of ships (nāvadhyakṣa, II. 28) was to look after the passage of ships not only over the seas and at the mouths of rivers, but also over lakes and rivers in the sthānīya (vide above p. 140) and other sub-divisions of the kingdom. Kauṭ. prescribes that villages on the sea-shore and river banks were to pay a fixed tax, fishermen were to render a sixth part of the haul of fish as fees for fishing licenses and merchants were to pay the customary tolls levied in port towns.