Ambapali ( about 500 BC), also called Amrapali, was a royal courtesan of the republic state of Vaishali, ancient India. She finds mention in the old Pali texts and Buddhist traditions. Etymologically, Ambapali or Amrapali is derived from two Sanskrit words, “amra” meaning mango and “pali”, which means leaves – thus, the literally meaning of her name is “(a child) of the mango grove”. She was so named, as she was of unknown parentage, and was found at the foot of a mango tree, at one of the royal gardens of the republic state of Vaishali . Centuries: 7th century BC - 6th century BC - 5th century BC Decades: 550s BC - 540s BC - 530s BC - 520s BC - 510s BC - 500s BC - 490s BC - 480s BC - 470s BC - 460s BC - 450s BC Events and Trends 509 BC - Foundation of the Roman Republic 508 BC - Office of pontifex maximus created... A courtesan is a person paid and/or supported for the giving of social companionship and intimate liaisons to one or more partners. ... In a broad definition a republic is a state or country that is led by people that dont found their political power on any principle beyond the control of the people living in that state or country. ... Vaishali is one of the districts of Bihar state, India. ... . Pāli (ISO 639-1: pi; ISO 639-2: pli) is a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect or prakrit. ... Statues of Buddha such as this, the Tian Tan Buddha statue in Hong Kong, remind followers to practice right living. ... Etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ... This article is about the fruit. ...

Ambapali grew to be a lady of unsurpassed beauty, charm and grace and many young princes of that time wished for her company. Ultimately, to avoid confrontation, she was accorded the status of the state (royal) courtesan of the then metropolis of Vaishali, the capital city of the republic of Vaishali . Stories of her beauty traveled to the Magadha empire, a hostile neighbour of the republic state of Vaishali, and Ajatshatru, the Magadha emperor became infatuated with her and she also bore a son to him, named Abhaya. To combat her raving beauty , king Bimbisara was constrained to appoint a parallel courtesan for his capital city of Rajgir. A metropolis (in Greek metera = mother and polis = city/town) is a major city, which is an economical and cultural center for some country, and usually a hub for its international connections. ... Magadha was an ancient kingdom of India, mentioned in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. ... Bimbisara (ruled 544-491 BCE) was a king of the Magadha empire. ...

Ambapali, the royal courtesan, once desired to have the privilege to serve food to the Buddha. The Buddhist traditions state that the invitation was accepted by the Buddha, much against the wishes of the ruling aristocracy of Vaishali state. Ambapali received Buddha with her retinue, which was comparable to royal paraphernalia. The Buddha accepted the meals. Soon thereafter, Ambapali renounced her position of royal courtesan and accepted Buddhist faith, and remained an active supporter of the Buddhist order. A stone image of the Buddha. ...