Devadasi

For the 1948 film, see Devadasi (1948 film).

Devadasi
Female servant of a god
Formationby Gupta period[1]
TypeTemple priestess
Headquartersno central authority
Region served
Indian Subcontinent
Members
44,000 to 250,000 (2006)[2]
Ministry
Temple services (including rituals, music, dance)

In India, a devadasi is a female artist who is dedicated to the worship and service of a deity or a temple for the rest of her life.[3][4] The dedication takes place in a ceremony that is somewhat similar to a marriage ceremony. In addition to taking care of the temple and performing rituals, these women also learn and practice classical Indian dances such as Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, and Odissi. Their status as dancers, musicians, and consorts was an essential part of temple worship.

Between the sixth and thirteenth centuries, Devadasis had a high rank and dignity in society and were exceptionally affluent as they were seen as the protectors of the arts. During this period, royal patrons provided them with gifts of land, property, and jewellery.[1] After becoming Devadasis, the women would spend their time learning religious rites, rituals and dances. Devadasis were expected to live a life of celibacy.[5]

During the period of British rule in the Indian subcontinent, kings who were the patrons of temples lost their power, thus the temple artist communities also lost their significance.[5] As a result, Devadasis were left without their traditional means of support and patronage and were now commonly associated with prostitution.[6][7][8] The practice of Devadasi was banned during British rule, starting with the Bombay Devadasi Protection Act in 1934. The colonial view of Devadasi practices remains debated as the British colonial government were unable to distinguish the Devadasis from non-religious street dancers.[9][10][11][12][13][14]

The Devadasi system is still in existence in rudimentary form, but under pressure from social activism at different times, some state governments have outlawed it, such as Andhra Pradesh with its 1988 Devdasis (Prohibition of Dedication) Act and Madras with its 1947 Devdasis Act.[15]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Is the Devadasi system still being followed in southern India". 8 October 2017.
  3. ^ Devadasi: The Eternal Dancer | Unframed, 15 May 2013
  4. ^ Umashanker, K. (7 October 2017). "Devadasi: An exploitative ritual that refuses to die". The Hindu.
  5. ^ a b Ruspini, Elisabetta, Bonifacio, Glenda Tibe (11 July 2018). Women and Religion: Contemporary and Future Challenges in the Global Era. Policy Press. p. 108. ISBN 9781447336372.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "India's 'prostitutes of God'". 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.
  7. ^ "BBC Four - Storyville, Sex, Death and the Gods".
  8. ^ Colundalur, Nash (21 January 2011). "'Devadasis are a cursed community'". The Guardian.
  9. ^ Hyaeweol Choi, Margaret Jolly (2014). Divine Domesticities: Christian Paradoxes in Asia and the Pacific. ANU Press. p. 15. ISBN 9781925021950.
  10. ^ "Devadasi controversy: Celebrated to condemned: Tracing the devadasi story | Chennai News - Times of India". The Times of India. 30 January 2018.
  11. ^ Crooke, W., Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. X, Eds., James Hastings and Clark Edinburg, Second Impression, 1930.
  12. ^ Iyer, L.A.K, Devadasis in South India: Their Traditional Origin And Development, Man in India, Vol.7, No. 47, 1927.
  13. ^ V. Jayaram. "Hinduism and prostitution". Hinduwebsite.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  14. ^ "Donors, Devotees, and Daughters of God: Temple Women in Medieval Tamilnadu - Reviews in History". History.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Devdasi", Encyclopædia Britannica (2007). Retrieved 4 July 2007.