Ganika
Topic: Society in Early India: Kinship, Varna-Jati, Women · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A ganika was a highly accomplished courtesan in the cities of ancient India. She was trained in music, dance, poetry and other fine arts, and was often wealthy and admired. Ganikas show that some women in early cities had money, skill and social standing outside the normal family pattern. They also appear as donors to religious groups.
Example
Amrapali of Vaishali, the best-known ganika, gave her mango grove to the Buddha and his monks. Later, in Shudraka's Sanskrit play Mrichchhakatika (c. 4th century CE), the heroine Vasantasena is a rich ganika. She loves the Brahmana merchant Charudatta.
Don't confuse with
- Devadasi: a devadasi was a woman dedicated to a temple to serve the deity, a practice of later times. A ganika belonged to city life and was not tied to a temple.