Gaṇikā
Courtesan in Ancient India
Gaṇikā (Devanagari: गणिका) is the Sanskrit term for a courtesan in Ancient India, with earliest reference in the Vedic period. In the Kamasutra, ganikas are dubbed "courtesans de luxe", distinguishing them from other prostitutes such as vesyas. According to Indian historian Moti Chandra, gaṇikā occupied the highest place in the hierarchy of courtesans.
According to the Kamasutra, to become recognized as a ganika, a woman had to master the sixty-four arts of Kalā, which include musical, performing, visual arts, writing, architecture, clairvoyance, and chemistry. After earning the title of ganika, she was revered as the most virtuous, beautiful, and luxurious of all courtesans. She would use these arts to entertain rulers, princes, and other wealthy patrons on religious and social occasions.
Terminology
Gaṇikā refers more to a courtesan who is cultured, educated, and skilled in the arts, distinct from a prostitute. Indian tradition has categorized and clearly distinguished between the two. Nagarvadhu was a royal courtesan, known as the "bride of the city", chosen only by the most beautiful and most skilled courtesan in dance. Rajnartaki refers to a female court dancer.
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This entry incorporates text from “Gaṇikā” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.