Devadasi
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Devadasi (
Sanskrit: देवदासी,
translation:
"Servant of God") originally described a Hindu religious practice in which girls were "married" to a deity or temple but is actually a form of prostitution. In addition to taking care of the temple, they learned and practiced
Bharatanatyam and other classical Indian arts traditions, and enjoyed a high social status.
Devadasi should not be confused with
rajadasis and other types of dancers. Devadasis are also known by various other local terms. They are sometimes referred to as a
caste; however, some question the accuracy of this usage. "According to the devadasis themselves there exists a devadasi 'way of life' or 'professional ethic' (vritti, murai) but not a devadasi
jāti sub-caste. Later, the office of devadasi became hereditary but it did not confer the right to work without adequate qualification" (Amrit Srinivasan, 1985). Women who belonged to the
Isai Vellavar (also known as 'Isai Vellaalar')
caste would often become Devadasis at the age of 3. Isai Vellalar are none other than that section of Sengunthar Mudaliars or Kaikolars who were associated with the system of Devadasis
[1]. In present day, the regular Kaikolars have renamed themselves as Sengunthars and the Kaikolar Devadasis have renamed themselves as Isai Vellalar in order to evade detection and for the purpose of social upliftment in the society
[1].
Following the demise of the great Hindu kingdoms the practice degenerated. Pressure from the colonial "reform" movement led to suppression of the practice. Adherents of this movement considered devadasis immoral since they engaged in sex outside of the Christian concept of marriage, and described them as prostitutes. As a result of these social changes, devadasis were left without their traditional means of support and patronage. Colonial views on Devadasis are hotly disputed by several groups and organizations in India and by western academics.
[2][3][4][5] Santhaa Reddy, a representative for the National Commission for Women in India, writes that these claims of religious prostitution are little more than vestiges of colonial Eurocentric propaganda.
[6] Others prefer to think of Devadasis as courtesans, like the
Geisha of
Japan, rather than the Eurocentric label of "prostitute"
[7]
In modern India the tradition has become associated with commercial sexual exploitation, as described in a recent report by the National Human Rights Commission of the Government of India.
[8] According to this report, "after initiation as devadasis, women migrate either to nearby towns or other far-off cities to practise prostitution" (p200). A study from 1990 recorded that 45.9% of devadasis in one particular district were prostitutes, while most the rest relied on manual labour and agriculture for their income.
[9] The practice of dedicating devadasis was declared illegal by the Government of Karnataka in 1982
[10] and the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 1988. However the practice is still prevalent in around 10 districts of north Karnataka and 14 districts in Andhra Pradesh.
[11]
While there are many differences between the devadasi system and the Jogin/Basavi system, the term devadasi has lately been used to refer to all local variants of the system. Thus Jogins are sometimes called devadasis.
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