Historically, a tawaif was a courtesan who catered to the Muslim nobility of South Asia, particularly during the Mughal era. They were skilled singers (North Indian classical music), dancers (usually kathak), and poets (Urdu poetry). They were generally highly educated and refined. High-class tawaifs could often pick and choose between the best of their suitors.

The tawaif is celebrated in the Bollywood films Pakeezah (1972), Umrao Jaan (1981), and Devdas (2002).

Today, the term in Urdu has undergone semantic pejoration and is almost synonymous with prostitute. In past days, Tawaif were only available in hira mandi.

See also

• Hira Mandi

Prostitution | Tawaif | Islam in India | Indian society