Devadasi system - Religious prostitution

The Devadasi system:

Devadasi is a Sanskrit word literally meaning “maid servant of God”. The term Devadasi originally described a Hindu religious practice in which girls were "married" to a deity. 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. During the medieval period devadasis were regarded as a part of the normal establishment of temples. They occupied a rank next to priests.


The custom of dedicating young maidens to the deity in temples was prevalent in ancient times. Singing and dancing was an integral part of temple worship. This later was know by the name Devadasi. They are known by different names in different parts of the country. Maharis in Kerala, Natis an Assam, Muralis in Maharashtra, Basavis in Karnataka State, Jogins in Andra, Aradhini in Maharastra.


Historical aspect:

The fall of Buddhism marked the beginning of Devadasi system in India.This system of offering girls to deities were common in all parts of India but more so in South India. The Chola empire encouraged the Devadasi system in its pure unadulterated form. This meant that men and women were dedicated to temple service. They developed the system of music and dance played during temple festivals.The rise of Chola empire in the 6th century AD coincided with the decline of Buddhism and Jainism in South India. According to certain researchers, former Buddhist nuns were forced to perform temple service as atonement for their previous heretic views. Similary queens and princesses of defeated kings were forced to join the temple service to erase their identity.

Mythology behind the Yellamma cult in the south:

There are many stories about the origin of the Yellamma cult. The most prevalent one says that Renuka was the daughter of a Brahmin, married to sage Jamadagni and was the mother of five sons. She used to bring water from the river Malaprabha for the sage's worship and rituals. One day while she was at the river, she saw a group of youths engaged themselves in water sports and forgot to return home in time which made Jamadagni to suspect her chastity. He ordered his sons one by one to punish their mother but four of them refused on one pretext or the other. The sage cursed them to become eunuchs and got her beheaded by his fifth son, Parashuram. To everybody's astonishment, Renuka's head multiplied by tens and hundreds and moved to different regions. This miracle made her four eunuch sons and others to become her followers, and worship her head.

The dedication / intiation process in Devadasi system:

A young girl into the devadasi profession through the process of initiation which is performed in the temple by the priest. In the Brahminical tradition marriage is viewed as the only religious initiation (diksha) permissible to women. Thus the dedication is a symbolic "marriage" of the pubescent girl to the temple's deity. In the sadanku or puberty ceremonies, the devadasi-initiate consummates her marriage with an emblem of the god borrowed from the temple as a stand-in 'bridegroom'. In practice this often means that the priest will have sexual intercourse with the devadasi in addition to the other nuptial rites that are performed at a typical Brahmin wedding. For instance, auspicious wedding songs celebrating sexual union are sung before the "couple". From then onward, the devadasi is considered a nitya sumangali: a woman eternally free from the adversity of widowhood.She would then perform her ritual and artistic duties in the temple. The puberty ceremonies were an occasion not only for temple honor, but also for community feasting and celebration in which the local elites also participated. The music and dance and public display of the girl also helped to attract patrons.

As said in the beginning of the article in earlier times, the devadasis’ had no stigma and enjoyed high status. Their presence was actually considered sacred during marriage and other auspicious ceremonies because she was nithya sumangali and was dedicated to the services of God.

In modern times:

Unfortunately the system is used synonymous with prostitution.It is horrifying that these girls/women are forced into prostitution in the name of God. Though Priest has the first claim on the girl, all other men can have a claim on her later. Gradually due to the laxity of morals among the priests, they misused the systems for immoral purposes. Under the garb of religious dedication of girls to temples, clandestine prostitution developed. The study revealed that girls from poor families are married to God Krishna and are sold after puberty at private auctions to a high caste master who initially pays a sum of money to the families ranging from Indian Rupees 500/- to 5,000/-. The study, made during health camps organized by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the Devadasi populated areas, revealed that the dedicated girls formed 15 percent of the total women involved in prostitution in the country, and as much as 70 percent to 80 percent of the prostitutes in the border districts of Karnataka and Maharashtra (experts from the net)

The plight and magnitude of problem in modern India:

It is unfortunate to note that India has become the transit country for prostitution. It’s estimated that everyday nearly 200-girls/women enter prostitution out of which 80% of them enter much against their will. These girls are sold to neighboring countries and in big cities!!!
There are various causes as to why women get into / forced into prostitution.
One of the most common reasons is poverty. Many surveys reveal that these families lived below poverty line. In order to get few rupees, the parents sell their daughters for prostitution. Another reason is failure in marriages. This includes cases where husbands have forced their wives into prostitution and also cases where wives have ran away to free themselves from marriage and entered prostitution on their own will. Another cause could also be deception where girls have been deceived and forced into prostitution.

Read the horrifying tale (taken from net), which is clear case of deception, which forced a young child to prostitution.

13-year-old Mira of Nepal was offered a job as a domestic worker in Bombay, India. She arrived at a brothel on Bombay’s Falkland Road, where tens of thousands of young women are displayed in row after row of zoo-like animal cages. Her father had been duped into giving her to a trafficker. When she refused to have sex, she was dragged into a torture chamber in a dark alley used for ‘breaking in’ new girls. She was locked in a narrow, windowless room without food or water. On the fourth day, one of the madam’s thugs (goonda) wrestled her to the floor and banged her head against the concrete until she passed out. When she awoke, she was naked; a rattan cane smeared with pureed red chili peppers shoved into her vagina. Later she was raped by the goonda........ Afterwards, she complied with their demands. The madam told Mira that she had been sold to the brothel for 50,000 rupees (about US$1,700), that she had to work until she paid off her debt.

Conclusion:

Though there are several laws like SITA, which tries to protect women, caste bound prostitution, religious system that compels prostitution and trafficking are still rampant. More awareness needs to be given to women/young girls about the existing laws and their rights. Government and the NGO’s intervention play a great role here in protecting the helpless.


Facts:


1. Mumbai is the Asia’s largest sex industry center.
2. The largest red light district in India, perhaps in the world, is the Falkland Road Kamatipura area of Bombay.
3. Bangalore is one of the five major cities in India which together account for 80 percent of child prostitutes in the country.
4. The promotion of tourism in Goa and Madurai, two of India’s major beach holiday destinations, appears to be resulting in rising numbers of prostituted children.
5. In India alone, there are an estimated 2.3 million in prostitution, a quarter of whom are minors and children.