Home / Slideshows / Tradition Of Devadasi: The Sacred Prostitute!

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1 Prostitution is one of the oldest professions of the world practiced since the birth of the organized society. It is practiced in almost all the
countries and every type of society. In India, the Vedas, the earliest of the known Indian literature, abound in references to prostitution as
an organized and established institution. In Indian mythology there are many references of high-class prostitution in the form of celestial
demigods acting as prostitutes. They are referred to as Menaka, Rambha, Urvashi, and Thilothamma.

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2 Prostitution in India can be traced back to archaeological findings of the Indus Valley. The bronze figure of dancing girl from Mohenjodaro
represents a sacred prostitute carrying out her duties within the precincts of the temple of some mother goddess and this cult was quite
well established in the Indus Valley Civilization.

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3 In the Vedic Age, texts like the Rig Veda, mentions the unmarried woman for sale. Rigveda mentions the word sadbarani, which refers to a
woman who offers sex for payment. In Vedic times, most prostitutes seem to have dressed in red, even their gold jewellery was reddened
as this hue was assumed to scare away demons and give protection to those who chose to live in a moral grey zone.

The Apsaras
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4 The celestial nymphs were described as perfect embodiments and unsurpassed beauty and feminine charms. They are highly
accomplished in music and dance. They entertained divinities and their guests in the court of Lord Indra, the Lord of Hindu Gods. They
were also sent to test the real depth of tapasya (penance) and devotion of great saints. An apsara named Menaka caused the downfall of
the great sage Vishwamithra, and became the mother of Shakuntala, the immortal heroine of, Shakuntalam written by Kalidas.

Treating Women as Commodities

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 5 Aryan rulers of India followed the system of celestial court and developed the system of guest prostitution. They presented well-
accomplished maidens in token of friendship of kings. They were also offered as ransom to the victor to part with his most beloved
prostitute. Empires fell and came up for her sake. Another class of girls from infancy were carefully selected and fed on poisonous herbs
and venomous foods. They were called Vishkanyas (Poisonous virgins). The kings to destroy their enemies utilized these prostitutes
(Biswanath, 1984).

During the times of Mahabharata

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6 Prostitutes were common during the reign of the Pandavas and Kauravas. They were an important part of the court and both dynasties
possessed harems of aristocracy in Brahmanic India. Having concubines is common among the aristocracy. In Mahabharata courtesans of
Indara Puri have been vividly depicted. Mahabharata has recorded the name of forty two apsaras in all. The stars amongst heavenly
courtesans are Urvashi, Menaka, Tilottama, Rambha and Ghritachee.

An incident from the Mahabharata

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7 In an incident, Arjuna went once to heaven to pay a visit to Indra who is said to have been his defacto father. To satisfy the suspected
salacity of his son, he requested Urvashi through Gandharva Chitrasen to entertain Arjuna for night.

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Chanakyas Arthasasthra
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8 Kautilyas famous Arthasasthra contains rules for prostitutes and their activities and gives an account of how prostitutes should behave
and how their lives are ordered. A code of conduct was prescribed, for people seeking their favor. They had certain definite prerogatives,
rights and duties.

A mention in Ramayana
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9 Valmiki in his epic Ramayana gives a legendary account of birth of Apsaras, divine prostitutes. He states that prostitutes were employed by
King Romapada. These prostitutes employed by the state were of superior ganika class, proficient in various arts. In addition to ganikas,
Valmiki also mentions rupajivas. The latter generally accompanied the royal army obviously to provide entertainment to the soldiers.
Kalidasa's Meghadhoot, describes prostitutes dancing and waving flywhisks at a Shiva temple, which dates back to the 4th century.

As per the Kamasutra!

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Vatsyayan, the noted Indian sage of the Third century B.C. devoted a number of pages on prostitutes and their amorous ways of life in

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 his monumental treatise Kamasutra. Rules of conduct for popular and successful practice of their trade have been prescribed. His

1 classification of the prostitutes indicates that the common, private, and the clandestine prostitutes of today had their prototypes in
those olden days.

Legend associated with Devadasis

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1 According to a popular story, sage Jamadagni ordered his son Parshurama to behead his mother Renuka. Parushurama obeyed his
father and got three boons in return. He used one of the boons to bring his mother back to life. Renukas decapitated head could not
be traced. Head of a lower caste woman named Yellamma was attached to Renukas body. Thus a lower caste woman achieved the
higher status of being a Brahmins wife. Following the tradition a number of young girls started dedicating themselves to the goddess.

The concept of Religious prostitutes

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1 Religious prostitutes were attached to the famous temples of Mahakala of Ujjain and the system of holy prostitutes became common.
This class consisted of girls who had been offered by the parents to the service of the God and their religion. In the south India, they
are known as Devadasi and in North India as Mukhies. These dancing girls were considered essential at the time of offering of prayers
and were given a place of honor.

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Ancient Vice in Modern Garb
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1 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. Prostitution in India can therefore be called as an Ancient Vice in
Modern Garb.

During the Mughal Era

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1 The Mughal Empire (1526 -1857) also witnessed prostitution. The word tawaif and mujra became common during this era. During the
Mughal era, prostitution had a strong nexus with performing arts. Mughals patronized prostitution which raised the status of dancers
and singers to higher levels of prostitution. Jahangirs harem had 6,000 mistresses which denoted authority, wealth and power.

The Devadasi system

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1 The Devadasi system of attaching prostitutes to a place of worship is of ancient origin. Devadasi literally means Gods (Dev) female
servant (Dasi). According to ancient Indian practice, young pre-pubertal girls are married off, given away in matrimony to God or

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 Local religious deity of the temple. The marriage usually occurs before the girl reaches puberty and requires the girl to become a
prostitute for upper-caste community members. They are forbidden from entering into a real marriage.

Definition of Devadasi as per the Law

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1 As many laws had to be passed from time to time, for its abolition, it had to be defined by law. One such example is the Bombay
Devadasi Act, 1934, which states that "the performance of any ceremony intended to dedicate or having the effect of dedicating of
women as a devadasi where such women has or has not consented to performance of such ceremony, is hereby declared unlawful
and to be an effect to any custom or rule to the contrary notwithstanding".

Devadasi System in India (Religious Prostitution)

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1 The Devadasi system has a significant place in the history of prostitution in India. The term Devadasi literally means servants (slaves)
of God and perhaps originally denoted a class of women who gave themselves to a life of religious service and austerities. These
devadasis who were not supposed enter the bond of matrimony often functioned as temple singers, dancers, concubines and
prostitutes. The term Devadasi became a euphemistic way of referring to women prostituting in the name of religion (Lall, 1968).

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Devadasi System in India (Religious Prostitution)
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1 A review of Prostitution in India would be incomplete if it not refers to the special class of women known as Devadasis. For centuries
the devadasis or dancing girls serving in temples were taught music and dancing with all wealth of detailed technique. As they were
hereditary employees of the temples, they enjoyed economic security. Further, they had an advantage of receiving training under
technically competent traditional teachers. Unfortunately the system deteriorated and Devadasis came to be increasingly identified with
prostitution.

The reason behind the Devadasi system

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1 The Devadasi system was set up, according to a newspaper report, as a result of a conspiracy between the feudal class and the
priests. The latter, with their ideological and religious hold over the peasants and craftsmen, devised a means that gave prostitution
their religious sanction. Poor, low-caste girls, initially sold at private auctions, were later dedicated to the temples. They were then
initiated into prostitution. This practice still continues to thrive in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and some other parts of South India.

The reason behind the Devadasi system

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 2 This is largely due to social backwardness, poverty and illiteracy, according to a study by two doctors of the India health Organization.
They noted in their study on -"Devadasis - the link between religious culture and child prostitution. 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.

The origin and status of the Devadasi

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2 A devadasi was popularly known as devoted temple dancer. She uses to perform her dances with a view to entertaining the Lords or
Gods, but certainly not to the human beings. But because the people use to witness such dances, Devadasi became a source of
entertainment for the folk. In the ancient times the Devadasis were divided into seven categories. They are known as Dutta, Hruta,
Bikrita, Bhrutya, Alankara and Gopika or Rudraganika. Such categories reveal the origin and status of the devadasis.

The origin and status of the Devadasi

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2 When a sacred man offered his daughter to a temple as a devadasi, she is known as Dutta devadasi. But when a lady was kidnapped
and subsequently employed in a temple, she is known as Hruta devadasi. Sometimes when a lady was sold to the administrator or the
priest of a temple, she is known as Bikrita devadasi. If a lady voluntarily worked in a temple as a devadasi, she is known as Bhrutya
devadasi.

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The origin and status of the Devadasi
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2 Some women who devotionally offered themselves to serve the temple are known as Bhakta devadasi. When a woman after attaining
a certain degree of competence, is offered to the temple with ornaments, she is known as Alankara devadasi. The devadasis who
were getting remunerations for offering dance and music in the temple in a particular time became identified as Gopika or
Rudraganika. These classes of the devadasi were receiving fixed remunerations and some landed property for their personal use.

The dedication process: How a girl becomes a Devadasi

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2 The dedication ceremony involves an elaborate preparation on the part of parents who wish to dedicate their daughter. This dedication
ceremony is more or less similar to a marriage ceremony. It is called as Muttu Kattuvadu (tying the beads) or Devarige Biduvadu
(dedicating to the deity). The place of dedication and cost depend upon the economic status of the parents or sponsors. In many
cases the would be companion or paramour will take care of all expenses.

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2 The golden era of the Indian courtesans is now gone and the life of the new age Devadasis is pretty tough. But what I am more
concerned about is the lives of their children. Shouldn't we help them settle down in society? They have the right to be able to bring up
their children properly, give them good education, so that this vicious circle ends. Let's start with eradicating the superstition, and then
help the Devadasis come in the mainstream of society. (Please note that all the pictures used in this Blog are for demonstration and
aesthetic purpose only and are procured via Google Image Search. They may not be related to the corresponding text)

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