The Red Light Areas of Pakistan better known as Heera Mandi ! Diamond sellers

Once upon a Time during the British Raj these places were meant for  Culture-Arts-Music Dance but now after a long time these are deserted.The Tawaif concept was clearly associated with Dance as can be seen in India-Pakistan Movies.

For a Common man now a Tawaif means a woman who sell her body for money.They think of khota as brothel houses where they can meet there sexual demands.We, may accept that true to some-extent that these places were basically meant for selling beautiful skin to intentional customers. Women in the Red-Light area did see themselves but mostly in start they were engaged in dancing-singing.

The Film Industry in India-Pakistan got most of there heroines from the Red-Light area  same was true of the musicians and singers who hailed from this area.These areas were spread in almost all cities of Pakistan but the most famous still today was the Heera-Mandi of Lahore.

Multan was also a big-huge market from where the famous stars come into industry also famous was the Napier Road and Hyderabad market.Peshawar also had a sizable share.

The woman's in the Area were basically trained in Singing-Dancing-Music The most beautiful among them were trained for dances and the lesser among them were trained for singing.The best were the ones who could dance and sing like Madam Noor-Jehan.

This is true that these women's dance in there Kotha and become Popular and once they become so popular they were bid to the highest bidder who broke there virginity also known as "Nath Khulwai" and this means the woman had no sex before that.

The shrewd  people in these khota sold these woman's many time as virgins as most of the time the rich wanted to have sex with them.sometimes a rich man become obsessed with a woman so much that he keeps the woman as private  

These womans remain with there man as long as they have good money and once the money is drained these womans kick them out and look for new 

When the womans become old they become naikas and then obtain girls to sell them they become mothers from any beautiful man and when a girl is born they celebrate and when a boy is born he is made a musician and sometimes he become a "Dalla" meaning selling womans.

Now a days a new breed is coming these are "Khusras" as they also sell there bodies.

Even today, the idea of Heera Mandi remains as exotic as ever to most.Many believe that even now, they might catch a sight of some dancing girls or perhaps hear a mujra in the distance.It seems thrilling and adventurous, tinged with the secrecy of illicit excitement.