Gender Taxonomy in Select Sanskrit Texts

The ancient Indian mind freely pursued many branches of knowledge. It showed keen interest in matters of sex as proven by the vast body of literature written on the art of love.The present paper analyses three texts; Ratirahasya attributed to Kokkoka, Anangaranga of Kalyanamalla and Śṛṅgāramañjarī written by the Muslim saint Akbar Shah dealing with the subject of erotics. These texts are noted for the elaborate treatment of the subject. What is noticeable is the minute classification of the male and female types according to physical and sexual characteristics.