mujra

English

Noun

mujra (uncountable)

1. A form of exotic dance in India, traditionally performed by courtesans under the Mughal Empire as well as in modern forms.
   • 2004, Khushwant Singh, Burial at Sea, Penguin 2014, p. 7:

     Princes of royal blood and English Governors of provinces were eager to be invited by him, for he served the best of food and wine and sometimes, as a bonus and with admirable discretion, arranged for the most cultured whores from the city's old quarter to perform mujra songs and dances for them.

   • 2006, Martha Feldman,Bonnie Gordon (Eds.), The Courtesan's Arts, Oxford, p. 322:

     Mujra is symbolic of total submission before a royal patron.

Anagrams

• Majur, jumar