The Devadasi System
Updated: Sep 24, 2021
By Riddhi Mohan (Editor)
Religious service or Sex slavery?
At first glance, these two concepts seem to have nothing in common, but when we look further, we find the Devadasis of India.
Devadasi or Devaradiyar, literally meaning ‘servant of God’, can be traced back to the 6th Century AD and are called by different names in various concentrated parts of India. Mathangi in Maharashtra, Jogini or Mathamma in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, and Devadasi in Karnataka.
The Devadasi system began with the Chola Empire and was considered a status higher than that of the king’s wives. From the time young girls hit puberty, they were married to the Goddess Yellama, who, according to legend, had fled to the villages of modern-day Karnataka when her husband found her spying on people engaging in acts of intimacy by a lake. She then became a symbol of worship for the lower Hindu castes. The Devadasis (initially comprising of all castes) were expected to remain in service of the Goddess in the form of singing and dancing. For which they were rewarded by royalty in gold and kind.
Although today's ritual still involves honoring a deity, the parallels between the ancient and current institutions practically end there.
In its current form, the activity is almost entirely associated with the sex trade, prostitution, and exploitation of the lower caste; instead of temple worship or dance. The Devadasis nowadays are primarily drawn from the lowest castes—usually, the Dalit Madiga and Valmiki castes—and are mostly unprivileged and illiterate.
Wonder why does this institution continue to thrive even after several acts and nationwide outlaw in 1988?
Religious, economic, and social factors all play a role in this. Many adherents of the Devadasi system believe that the younger a girl is committed, the greater the Goddess's blessings will be for her and her family. Second, many females who want to join the Devadasi system or are compelled to join it see it as their only option to climb in India's strict caste structure. They attach a sense of respect to the title of ‘Devadasi’. Whether or not this respect is given is another question entirely.
As economic factors, joining the Devadasi system is preferable to either entering the practice or engaging in a variety of menial labor or "unclean work" as a lower-caste people. Given that most of these professions do not pay enough to support an individual, much alone an extended family, many families pressurize their children to join the Devadasi community. Presently, the institution has expanded to accommodate not only girls but other genders as well.
This is definitely not what we meant by gender inclusivity.
Furthermore, the impact of custom cannot be overstated. According to a study conducted by the Joint Women's Programme in Bangalore, more than 63.6% of "young girls were pushed into the Devadasi system owing to custom, while 38% claimed that their family had a history of Devadasi's."
After becoming a Devadasi, custom dictates that they cannot work in other places/ acquire jobs leaving prostitution and being subjected to exploitation their only option. Living kilometres away from the main village because they are “untouchable”, people feel nauseated just by looking at them further adds to their hardships. Shopkeepers refuse to look them in the eye, women look at them with disgust for selling their bodies, but in their opinion, they are gods and gods to the families who depend on them to provide food. In later years, having reached old age and given birth to multiple children, they are not deemed desirable as younger women enter the supply chain of the Devadasi system.
Consequently, the system has been destroying families and communities generation after generation. And with the advent of AIDS/HIV, the system has a severe effect on the workers’ health from a young age.
In a society where a girl child is often viewed as a liability, patriarchy seeks to transform them into assets; Devadasis. Worshipped by day and assaulted by night is the kind of life the Devadasis lead or are instead forced to lead under misconceptions of faith. On the one hand, the hypocrisy is to be noted where Devadasis dream of a life of respect and sustaining their families, and on the other, they are subjected to religious ceremonies condoning child prostitution. Therefore, the Devadasi system calls into question the core of the purity of India's varied traditions, customs, and rituals.
References
How Devadasis went from having high social status to being sex slaves and child prostitutes by Krithiha Rajam https://yourstory.com/2017/04/devadasis-india/amp
The Devadasi System– A Tradition India Regrets by Tanya Kumar https://www.indianfolk.com/devadasi-system-tradition-india-regrets/
Tackling India’s Devadasi System – A Matter of Policing and Public Order? By Srujana Bej https://ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk/tackling-indias-devadasi-system-a-matter-of-policing-and-public-order/
Indian Institute of Legal Studies https://www.iilsindia.com/blogs/devadasi-system-india/
Deccan Chronicle https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/270917/worship-of-virtually-naked-girls-in-south-indian-temples-abuse-slavery-nhrc.html
UCLA Women’s Law Journal, Ankur Shingal https://escholarship.org/uc/item/37z853br
Picture credits: The Representation of the Figure of the Devadasi in European Travel Writing and Art from 1770 to 1820 with specific reference to Dutch writer Jacob Haafner an exegesis & The*Pagoda*Tree a novel, Claire Scobie
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