Āmrapālī, also known as "Ambapālika", "Ambapali", or "Amra" was a celebrated nagarvadhu (royal courtesan) of the Republic of Vaishali (located in present-day Bihar) in ancient India around 500 BC.

It is said that a feudal lord by the name of Mahanaman was so enchanted by the young Amrapali's beauty that he abandoned his kingdom and moved to Ambara village, a small hamlet in Vaishali presently in Muzaffarpur.

[11] Vaishali was the capital city of the Licchavi tribe, one of the eight Khattiya (Sanskrit Kshatriya) clans that had united to form the Vajjian confederacy.

She was also bestowed with the title of Vaishali Janpad Kalayani, given to the most beautiful and talented girl of the kingdom for a period of seven years.

[14] Her talent and beauty attracted so many men that the glory of Vaishali during this period is often attributed to Amrapali's fame.

[13] It is said that Amrapali was declared the "most beautiful" girl at the age of 11 and was later made nagarvadhu.She also is a celebrated rajnartaki (court dancer) in the ancient Vaishali.Amrapali was also proficient in music, dance, hunting, archery, horse handling etc.

In Buddhist records, Amrapali is noted as having had the opportunity to serve food to the Buddha during his last visit to Vaishali, shortly before his death.

[17] In other accounts, it is stated that the Buddha himself took shelter in her mango groves and was visited by Amrapali who paid her obeisance to him and then extended the invitation.

[17] On her way back, her chariot collided with that of the princely nobles of Vaishali who were also heading to invite the Buddha to dine with them.

At the conclusion of the meal, she offered to the Buddha and his order her entire property including her groves which became the venue for several sermons on mindfulness.

Though she received much fame as a talented artist,[13] she was also berated by the noble princes of Vaishali by calling her 'Gaṇikā' which carried derogatory connotations.

This is because Bimbisara was a great royal patron of Buddhism and his links with Amrapali may throw a negative light on him.

[18] However, records of Chinese travellers who came to India in search of Buddhist texts have made note of Amrapali's early life and her relationship with Bimbisara.