One of the characters in
Hermann Hesse's novel
Siddhartha. She was originally a
prostitute, and met Siddhartha when he first came to the city. She then became his lover, and taught him a lot about
earthly pleasures, as opposed to the
wanderings of the mind. She was also a mother to his child, but was separated from Siddhartha as he left in pursuit for
nirvana.
Kamala may seem as the symbol for
material pleasures and possessions that turned Siddhartha's onto the path of trying to find true
spiritual enlightment.