Ratirahasya
The Ratirahasya (Sanskrit ) (translated in English as Secrets of Love, also known as the Koka Shastra) is an early medieval Kashmiri sex manual written by Kokkoka, a poet, who is variously described as Koka or Koka Pandit. The exact date of its writing is not known, but it is estimated the text was written in the 11th or 12th century. It is speculated that Ratirahasya was written to please a king by the name Venudutta. Kokkoka describes himself in the book as siddha patiya pandita, i.e. "an ingenious man among learned men". The manual was written in Sanskrit.
Key facts
- Book <! .italic title
- (see above) -->
- Book <! .name
- Ratirahasya
- Book <! .author
- Kokkoka
- Book <! .country
- Kashmir
- Book <! .language
- Sanskrit
- Book <! .subject
- Human sexuality
- Book <! .genre
- Sex manual
- Book <! .pub_date
- 11th or 12th century
- Book <! .english_pub_date
- 1964
- Book <! .media_type
- Printed
- Book <! .pages
- 172
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
5 sectionsContents
- Historical context
- Structure
- Analysis
- Translations
- References
The Ratirahasya (Sanskrit ) (translated in English as Secrets of Love, also known as the Koka Shastra) is an early medieval Kashmiri sex manual written by Kokkoka, a poet, who is variously described as Koka or Koka Pandit. The exact date of its writing is not known, but it is estimated the text was written in the 11th or 12th century. It is speculated that Ratirahasya was written to please a king by the name Venudutta. Kokkoka describes himself in the book as siddha patiya pandita, i.e. "an ingenious man among learned men". The manual was written in Sanskrit.
==Historical context== Unlike the Kama Sutra, which is an ancient sex manual related to Hindu literature, Ratirahasya deals with medieval Indian society. A sex manual was needed that would be suitable for the medieval cultural climate, and Ratirahasya was written, quite different from the ancient text Kama Sutra.