Who is devadasi

But this religious practice was deteriorated during medieval period due to destruction of large number of temples. Any girl child born from that union was also dedicated to temple and boy born were trained as musicians. This led to the religious prostitution in temples of India which continues till date. The devadasis were exploited by the rich, powerful and upper class people and in the other side their economic needs were not permitted them to leave this practice and ultimately they were driven to the valley prostitution.

The first Law which declares this system illegal was enacted in the year of in the name of Bombay Devadasi Protection Act. In , the devadasi system was completely outlawed all over India. Philosophy and Culture in Indian Civilization. Religious Movements and Institution in Medieval India. Oxford University Press. It is evident from two inscriptions dated C.

They state that the system received royal support in the Tiruvorriyur temple. Another inscription recorded that Kulottunga III seated in the Rajaraja mandapa hall in the temple, enjoyed the dance performance of a devadasi in the Ani festival. A record dated C. Much pleased with her performance, the king ordered that a village of sixty veli of land Uravakkinallur was the earlier name of the village. The later Pandyas also paid their keen attention for the institutionalization of the devadasi custom.

An inscription dated C. Pillai, K. The Sucindram Temple. Madras: Kalashetra Publications. After the decline of the Cholas and Pandyas the political instability overshadow the Tamil society. The devadasi system faced the struggle of existence. The interlude of non- Hindu rulers further questions the system and temple institutions of Tamilakam. Amir Khusru mentioned that the large quantities of wealth and jewels were carried away to north.

He captured Tondaimandalam around A. After the decline of the Vijayanagara kingdoms the system also started to degrade from its nature. The symptoms of the decline made their explicit appearance during the Nayaka period between C. The political instability of the state, the loss of the importance of the temple institution, frequent political interlude among devadasi, repeated transfers of the devadasis from one temple to another, the graded hierarchical order of the system, distracted from their so called sacred principles of the divine services, and poverty were the few causes for the degradation of the system.

During the colonial period they were criminalized as prostitutes. Parker, M. July, They were illustrated even outside the temple institution. They became an integral feature of the social life and every important social occasion would not be complete without the presence of devadasi. The customs of devadasi system has much connection with Hindu religious and rituals. It had a long history and prestigious status. They are integral part of the temple organization.

It is an all India phenomenon. They had much skill and ability in all the fields. According to their commitment of the work they generally categorized into two broad sections as ritualistic and non- ritualistic performers. The ritualistic performers included dancers and singers, etc… Normally devadasis were good dancers and singers.

Their songs and dance performance were became a source of attraction for the lay worshippers and pilgrims. They performed their ritual dances and singing music in the temple worship. They participated in the dramatic performances in the temples during the festival seasons and re-enacted various kinds of dance aryak- kuttu, santik- kuttu, etc… with meticulous care, devotion and dedication.

These performances were held in the specific halls like natakasalai, nirttamandapa etc… For their performance they got remuneration or manya gift or jivita grants of allowances granted to them by the kings, nobles, temples, villagers and sabhas for the recognition of their multifarious activities. Even in latter days their artistic qualities became an iconic identity of them.

Altekar pointed that some of the people began to visit shrines not so much to pay their respects to deities, as to carry on their love intrigues with the singing girls employed there. The non- ritualistic performers were attended different duties in temples as washing, sweeping, collecting flowers, sounding bells, fanning the deity.

South Indian inscription mentioned that the women who served in temple kitchen madaippalil were called as adukkalaip- pendugal. The customs of devadasi had an accumulation of girls from various castes, customs and regions.

They could dedicate to different deities. But within the system, caste played a vital role and forms a hierarchy. Based on their caste their genres of works were differed. The dedicated girls from upper caste were allowed to perform ritual roles and the others had only the secular. Due to the cultural and geographical variations in different regions, devadasis were denoted by several names such as tevataci, tevaratiyar, patiyilar, talicceri pendukal, tevanar makal, cottikal, atikalmar, manikkattar, kanikaiyar Sathyabama, K, D thesis.

Tamilaka Varalarum Panpadum. Chennai: Deepa Pathppakam. March, Kottayam: Mahatma Gandhi University. Encyclopedia of Religion. London: Routledge. During the 19th century C. Today we use the blanket term devadasis for all the girls attached to the temples. By the time we come to the British period most of these women were prostitutes or had taken up prostitution as the temples had lost the royal patronage and were no longer able to support them. July- December, The girls attain puberty when they are 11 or 12 years old, and they get their first sexual partner before they turn At such a tender age, they are usually clueless about protection measures, nor do they have any knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases.

Eventually, they also give birth to children, which makes it impossible for them to get out of the system even if they want to, with additional mouths to be fed. On the other hand, giving birth to kids and aging also makes these women less desirable as younger women enter the supply chain of the Devadasi system.

Women as young as 30 are often considered old for the profession. As they do not have anything except their bodies to sell, they end up selling them wherever they can. This also means having sex with lorry drivers and random men on the road for just a meagre amount of twenty or thirty rupees. In a never ending vicious circle where everything, including caste, class, and gender, plays against them, the Devadasi system continues to haunt us.

The video given below gives a detailed account of the struggles faced by Devadasis, not just about the women involved in the system but also about men who choose to become Devadasis and why they do so. Though the video is five years old, it is still relevant because of the questions it raises and the way it captures their lives.

Human Rights How Devadasis went from having high social status to being sex slaves and child prostitutes By Krithiha Rajam. Stay Updated. Get news and updates from the world of social entrepreneurship. Welcome Onboard! We tell your stories. Stories that inspire change. Login with Google. Login with Facebook.

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