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Vishakanya

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The Vish kanya (Sanskrit विष -कन्या) (Template:Lang-en) were young women reportedly used as assassins, often against powerful enemies, during the Mauryan Empire (321–185 BCE). Their blood was purportedly poisonous to other humans, and was mentioned in the ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, Arthashastra, written by Chanakya (Kautilya), an adviser and a prime minister to the first Maurya Emperor Chandragupta (c. 340–293 BCE).[1] A Hindu mythology text, the Kalki Purana, mentions that they can kill a person just by looking at them, and talks about a Vish Kanya named Sulochana, the wife of a Gandharva, Chitragreeva.[2]

However, in time, 'Poison Damsel' passed into folklore, became an archetype explored by many writers, resulting in a popular literary character that appears in many works, including classical Sanskrit texts, like Sukasaptati.[3]

Mythology

The myth states that girls were made poisonous by exposing them to low intensity poison at a very young age (known as mithridatism). Many of them used to die but the ones who had developed the immunity to poison would survive. Body fluids of these girls would be "poisoned" and sexual contact was lethal to other humans.

They were used by kings to destroy enemies. This is believed to be started by Chanakya. It is believed that Vish kanya was sent by Nanda's minister Rakshasas to kill Chandragupta Maurya and Chanakya diverted them to kill Parvatak.[4][5]

Vishkanya has been a popular theme in Indian literature and folklore, and apart from appearing in classical Sanskrit texts, it has appeared repeatedly in various works like Vishkanya by Shivani and Ek Aur Vish Kanya‎ by Om Prakash Sharma, who use Vishkanya as an archetype in their stories -- a beautiful girl who kills when she comes too close. More recently, the archetype has taken a new hue in the HIV/AIDS era, for example in Vishkanya, a 2007 novel, based on the AIDS epidemic in society.

Over the years, many Hindi films have been made on the subject. The first film, Vish Kanya, was made in 1943, starring Leela Misra,[6] and more recently, Vish Kanya (1991), starring Pooja Bedi as the lead role.[7]

References

  1. ^ Radhey Shyam Chaurasia (1 January 2002). History of ancient India: earliest times to 1000 A.D. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. p. 100. ISBN 9788126900275. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  2. ^ B.K. Chaturvedi (2004). Kalki Purana. Diamond Pocket Books (P) Ltd. p. 74. ISBN 9788128805882. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  3. ^ Erotic Indian tales from the Sanskrit classic Suksaptati, by G.L. Mathur. Hind Pocket Books, 1971. Page 26–27
  4. ^ Norman Mosley Penzer; Somadeva Bhaṭṭa (November 1980). Poison-damsels: Folklore of the World. Ayer Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 9780405133367. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  5. ^ Molu Ram Thakur (1997). Myths, rituals, and beliefs in Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing. p. 17. ISBN 9788173870712. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  6. ^ Vish Kanya (1943) IMDB.
  7. ^ Vishkanya (1991) IMDB.

Further reading

  • The Vish-Kanya or Poison Damsel of Ancient India, Illustrated by the story of Susan Ramashgar. Folklore Society, Britain, 1927.
  • Poison-damsels: Folklore of the world, by Norman Mosley Penzer, Somadeva Bhatt. Ayer Publishing, 1980. ISBN 0405133367. Excerpts
  • Vishkanya: True stories of famous women spies of the world in story form. by Yashvant Mehta. Publisher: Gurjar, 1996.
  • Vishkanya, by Esa Mehta. Rajasthani Granthagar, 2007.