Ratiratna Pradipika

In the thirteenth century, Praudha Devaraja wrote "Ratiratna Pradipika". This treatise describes the characteristics of women from different provinces. It also describes different postures - twenty-one supine, three sideways, two seated, two seated, five standing, eleven bending and two female above positions. [ [http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/grhf-asia/suchana/0603/brahmbhatt.html History of Sexual Medicine] ]

Devaraja was an ancient ruler of the Karnataka Kingdom, who may have been one of the two Mysore kings of that name who ruled successively from 1659-1704 A.D., most probably the first, as in one of these manuscripts and title "Rajaparamesvara" is attributed to another, with which title, his tory tells us, Sri Doddadevaraja Wodeyar used to be acclaimed on grand occasions. As Sanskrit learning has all along found liberal patronage at the hands of the enlightened kings of Mysore-the tradition now being maintained in a much more liberal scale by the present illustrious ruler, works on Kama, as one of the four-fold objects of man (Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksa), also found encouragement. The author has based his work on the ancient authors of the that science, such as Nindikesvara, Gonipatra and Vatsyayana. [K. R. Iyengar, RATIRATNAPRADIPIKA: Text with Transliteration and English Translation, CHAUKHAMBA SANSKRIT PRATISHTHAN, 2005 Edition]

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