Shravasti lay on the southern bank of the Rapti, guarded in the north by the pink and blue Himavat range. It was a large city divided into separate localities, where people of different castes lived and followed their ancestral occupations. Thieves, thugs and harlots had their own guilds and canons. The populace enjoyed life. Jugglers and harlequins performed in the marketplace and colourful festivals were celebrated with much merriment. Courtesans played ornate lutes at their windows. Flower girls sold jasmine garlands from door to door. Gambling was everybody’s favourite pastime.

— River of fire = by Qurratulʻain Ḥaidar