Many tawaifs nautch girls to the British were forced to go into prostitution due to a lack of opportunities by the time of the British Raj. A lot of them were singers and not sex workers. People think of them as prostitutes, undermining their value as great musicians. Ganikas were trained in fine arts like dance and music in order to entertain kings, princes, and other wealthy patrons on religious and social occasions.
The most beautiful woman, and most talented in various dance forms , was chosen as the Nagarvadhu. It is believed in folkloric history that Urvashi was said to have been born on earth as a devadasi and imparted the divine knowledge of dance unto humans.
The first dance of the devadasi took place in a temple in the presence of a king who honoured her with titles and gifts and she would be well versed in temple rituals and took part in temple festivals.
Devadasis were well received across North India and modern-day Pakistan and Chinese pilgrim Huein Tsang who visited India in the 7th century testified to the large number of dancing girls in the Sun Temple of Multan. Al-Biruni in his famous study of India in the 11th century recorded that about dancing girls were active in the Somnath temple.
The patronage of the Mughal court in the Doab region and the subsequent atmosphere of 16th century Awadh made arts-related careers a viable prospect. Mughal Emperor Akbar himself was enchanted by a Portuguese expert dancing girl whom he named Dilruba heart warmer. Many girls were taken at a young age and trained in both performing arts, including mujra , Kathak , and Hindustani classical music , as well as literature , poetry particularly ghazal , thumri , and dadra.
