by Police - Bureau of Police Research and Development

The Indian Police JournalOn Kamasastra, Acharya Nandi had written an exhaustive book,comprising one hundred chapters, much-more earlier to MuniVatsyayana. After Acharya Nandi, Acharya Svetaketu had composedother famous book on it, comprising 500 chapters.Thereafter, Muni Babhravya wrote on Kamasastra, consisting of150 chapters, with seven Adhikarana, incorporated in Vatsyayan’s Kamasutra. Hence, prior to Vatsyayanthe above-mentioned Acharyas had written on Kama in great details. Inaddition to them, there are several books on Ratirahasya, Angaranga,Kuttanimattam, Nagarsarvaswa and many other manuscripts on Kamaare in the different archives of India and twelve books on it werewritten by Dhundirajshastri, named as Kamkunjalata in Sanskrit. Prof.Dalbir Singh Chouhan has written several books on Kama, publishedfrom Choukhambha, Varanasi, Sanskrit Series,light on the subject relating to Kama.Dandin’s Dasakumarcaritam, Ksemendra’s Samayamatrika, andDamodargupta’s Kuttanimattam, all published by Lotosverlag, Leipzig;Vatsyayanas’ Kamasutra, Indissche Erotik and Liebe und Ehe in Indienare some of the important works on prostitution or unchaste women,which furnish abundant information on ancient Indian life of love, orrather lechery.But the Kuttanimattama’s major text on prostitution, mentions theplight of such discarded prostitutes, who were reduced to evenbegging, stealing and various other tricks; having no guarantee oftheir next meal or shelter, no provision against old age, disease andpenury. Sukumari Bhattacharjee description of an abandoned, unattractive prostitute, who takesis occasionally rendered ludicrous by the very comicality of her variousBut beyond this comic portrait is the tragic situation of a woman, whoafter having provided pleasure to many men’s lust all through her life,has to fend for herself at a time when she is worst equipped for such alone battle. In many texts, we hear of such retired harlots’ begging. 11Bhattacharjee had cited an example of Kankali, an inn-keeper’sdaughter, sold at seven as a slave in the market place, who startedas an ordinary prostitute and in no time lost her youth and whatevercharm she earlier had. So, she tried her hard and to the best at differentJanuary - March, 2013185