In Bhavabhūti's play, the Mālatīmādhava, we find the characters of three Buddhist nuns. Though by no means negative or disreputable characters, these nuns nevertheless display a behaviour that contravenes some explicitly stated precepts of the Buddhist dharma, such as lying, acting as go-betweens and encouraging others to commit suicide. This paper examines in detail the nuns' behaviour, trying to assess what merely belongs to the realm of dramatic fiction, and what might correspond - at least to some extent - to reality.