Ancient Indian Education: An Inquiry into its Origin, Development, and Ideals c5.119

c5.119

They receive some education to enable them to perform their work of reciting and singing poems at certain festivals. Dubois¹ says, ‘These prostitutes are the only females in India who may learn to read, sing, and dance. Such accomplishments belong to them exclusively, and are, for that reason, held by the rest of the sex in such abhorrence, that every virtuous woman would consider the mention of them as an affront.’ The education of prostitutes is a very ancient custom in India. Thus with regard to them the *Arthaśāstra* of Kauṭilya says:² ‘Those who teach prostitutes, female slaves and actresses, arts such as singing, playing on musical instruments like *vīṇā*, pipe and drum, reading the thoughts of others, manufacture of scents and garlands, shampooing, and the art of attracting and captivating the mind of others shall be endowed with maintenance from the state.’ Their sons also were to be trained as actors, and many of the prostitutes were to be trained for the work of spies. ‘The wives of actors and others of similar profession who have been taught various languages and the use of signals shall, along with their relatives, be made use of in detecting the wicked and murdering or deluding foreign spies.’