9. Courtesan in Arthaśāstra

Arthaśāstra of Kauṭalya, the most authoritative treatise on ancient Indian polity and civics, considers prostitution as an art to be taught by experts. Courtesans were attached to the army and a royal officer, Gaṇikādhyakṣa, looked after prostitution organized and controlled by the state^[1].

Arthaśāstra gives elaborate details of the functions of Gaṇikādhyakṣa both in the king’s palace and outside.

“The superintendent of prostitutes shall employ (at the king’s court) on a salary of 1000 paṇas (per annum) a prostitute (Gaṇikā) whether born or not born of a courtesan family and noted for her beauty, youth and accomplishments. A rival prostitute (pratigaṇikā) on half the above salary (kuṭumbārdhena) shall also be appointed. Whenever such a prostitute goes abroad or dies, her daughter or sister shall act for her and shall receive her property and salary. Or her mother may substitute another prostitute. In absence of any of these, the king himself shall take the property. With a view to add to the splendour of the prostitutes, they were allowed to hold the royal umbrella, golden pitcher and fan and attend upon the king seated on a royal place, a throne or a chariot. Prostitutes were classified as of first, middle and highest rank according to their beauty and jewellery; likewise their salary was to be fixed in thousands. She who has lost her beauty, shall be appointed as a nurse (mātṛkā). A prostitute shall pay 24,000 paṇas as ransom to regain her liberty and prostitute’s son 12,000 paṇas. From the age of 8 years, a prostitute shall hold musical performance before the king. Those prostitutes, female slaves and old women who are incapable of rendering any service in the form of enjoyment (bhaṅgabhogāh) shall work in the store-house or kitchen of the king. The superintendent shall determine the earning, inheritance, income (āya), expenditure and future earnings (āyati) of every prostitute. He shall check their extravagant expenditure”^[2].

After the end of Mauryan rule (first and second centuries CE.), the position of courtesans was uplifted both financially and socially. They became independent and self-sufficient and they had involvement in social life.

On the contrary another phase of this atmosphere also can be seen in Arthaśāstra. The above mentioned colourful sketches are only applicable in the case of rich class only.

An observation may be cited here:

“In Kauṭalya’s time an ambivalent attitude towards prostitution must have developed, but that was not sufficient to overthrow them from their privileged position. From the evidence of the Arthaśāstra itself it appears that the oppressive and ruthless class society had by that time produced a professional group of body-sellers. In the Kauṭalyan ideal society the actors, musicians, artists, craftsmen and other persons belonging to the lower occupational groups had to survive by allowing their wives to sell their bodies to rich persons. The business of these body-sellers, which was invariable in class societies, undoubtedly told upon the honour of the accomplished ones. Apart from the Gaṇikas or courtesans, Kauṭalya mentions other categories of public women like Rūpājīvā, a woman who does not have artistic accomplishment but possesses beauty as her only stock-in-trade (1.20; 2. 4; 3. 20; 4. 13; 5. 2; 7. 17), Rūpadāsī, a beautiful maid-servant of the Gaṇika’s, household doing independent business (2. 27), Gaṇikādāsī, female-slave of the courtesan (2. 27), Mātṛkā, the retired courtesan generally engaged in training and looking after the younger Gaṇikās, Kumārī and Duhitṛkā, immature girls and daughters of Gaṇikā (2. 27) and a host of miscellaneous class mentioned above” (Narendranath Bhattacharyya, 1975: 95).

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Arthaśāstra, 2. 43

[2]:

gaṇikādhyakṣo gaṇikānvayayāmagaṇikānvayaṃ vā rūpayauvanaśilpasampannāṃ sahasreṇa gaṇikāṃ kārayet | kuṭumbārdhena pratigaṇikām || niṣpatitāpretayorduhitā bhaginī vā kuṭumbaṃ bhareta | tanmātā vā pratigaṇikāṃ sthapayet | tāsāmabhāve rājā haret || saubhāgyālaṃkāravṛddhyā sahasreṇa vāraṃ kaniṣṭhaṃ madhyamamuttamaṃ vāropayet | chatrabhṛṃgāravyajanaśibikāpīṭhikāratheṣu ca viśeṣārtham || saubhāgyamaṃke mātṛkāṃ kuryāt || niṣkrayaścaturviṃśatisāhasro gaṇikāyāḥ | dvādaśasāhasro gaṇikāputrasya | aṣṭavarṣātprabhṛti rājñaḥ kuśīlavakarma kuryāt || gaṇikādāsī bhagnabhogākoṣṭhāgāre mahānase vā karma kuryāt | aviśantī sapādapaṇamavaruddhā māsavetanaṃ dadyāt || bhogaṃ dāyamāyaṃ vyayamāyatiṃ ca gaṇikāyā nibandhayet | ativyayakarma ca vārayet || (arthaśāstram, 2. 43. 1-7)