A. N. D. Haksar Kshemendra Libri

One of Kshemendra s finest satires, The Courtesan's Keeper is a delightful and rambunctious rendition of the life and times of the courtesan Kankali as she teaches the ways of the world to her ward Kalavati. From the attractive courtesan and her shrewd keeper, to the experienced barber and the avaricious trader, the book brings to life the vibrant society of Kashmir Valley a thousand years ago through a host of characters, each drawn in vivid detail.

Corruption in government, hypocrisy in religion, avaricious greed in business: these are some of the targets of Kshemendra's one-thousand-year-old satires. So are superstition and sexual obsession, anomalies in education and a host of other ills of the time.