Devadasis & The Sacred Cycle of Prostitution

Written By Max Gibson

Images gathered from Falkland Road: Prostitutes of Bombay by Mary Ellen Mark.

As told by a Devadasi:

“I was 18 when I went to Bombay. My father was very poor. I went there because my mother dedicated me. She dedicated me to earn money to feed the family. – To feed us. I did whatever they asked me to do for money. When I returned from Bombay I had made enough money to buy nice clothes. I had cash in my hands! I gave birth to my baby, left her and went back. My brothers enjoyed all the money I brought, and then they spat me out like garbage. Now I have to beg for food.”

This quote describes the life of a Devadasi. Thrust into a world dominated by the power of religion and the lure of money, once a girl becomes a Devadasi, her life is never again the same. Dedicating their lives to the Hindu goddess Yellamma, Devadasis are known as the wives of the spiritual deity. Widely practiced throughout the most impoverished communities of India, many Devadasis perform sex work as a means of earning income for their family. Daughters are devoted to Yellamma by their parents, and are then sent away to practice the traditions of the goddess, effectively becoming what many in India refer to as Prostitutes of God.

The Story of Yellamma

As the legend goes, Yellamma was the wife of Jamadagni, a powerful sage of Hindu society. The couple had four sons together, and upon the birth of their fourth, Jamadagni and Yellamma pledged a vow of chastity.

Each day Yellamma would serve her husband by gathering water from the river for his rituals. Using a pot made of sand, Yellamma would carry the water home in the coils of a live snake.

One day while gathering water Yellamma noticed a mystical being known as a gandharva making love by the banks of the river. Having not made love in years, Yellamma was drawn to the sight, yearning to copulate in the same fashion. The sudden surge of sexual desire shook Yellamma, forcing her to lose her composure. Later, when she went to gather water, to her dismay she was unable to create a pot from sand and therefore, could not fetch the water for her husband.

When Yellamma returned home that night without water, Jamadagni was enraged. Surmising what had happened to her, Jamadagni damned his wife. Instantly her appearance turned gruesome, as boils and sores began to cover her body. Yellamma was then banished from her home, and cursed to wander the roads and forced to beg for money and food.

It is Yellamma that the Devadasis of today are dedicated. Under the cloak of religion, the Devadasis perform sex work in the name of the goddess. Forced to accommodate the desires of whoever can afford their services, the Devadasis endure constant degradation and potential disease, falling into a vicious cycle that thrusts them deeper into India’s lowest caste.

The Decline of the Devadasi

Although Devadasis of today face considerable hardships, the life of a Devadasi was not always like this. Originally Devadasis worked as temple dancers. Enjoying relatively high social status within medieval India, the Devadasi performed sacred rituals in the company of royalty. The word Devadasi comes from Sanskirt, where deva means “god,” and dasi means “female servant.” In the past, the social status of a Devadasi was intertwined with wealth and prestige that correlated to the financial stability of religious temples in India. In good financial times, the Devadasi were considered fixtures of the holy temple, their status and work as dancers situating them amongst priests and royalty. However, over time the link between Devadasis and their temple slowly began to diminish.

Western influences in the form of missionaries and invaders contributed to the declining status of Devadasis. The invasion of Sultan Shah in 1360 was the first attack on Hindu temples that began to alter Indian society. The 19th century brought Christian missionaries to India whose religious influence cast a shadow over the once prestigious status of the Devadasi. The deterioration of the Hindu temples would also impact the role of the Devadasi whose illustriousness was tied to the prominence of the temple.

As prized temple dancers, Devadasis became the mistresses to the wealthy and high-ranking. Paid to tend to the desires of their possessors, the once cherished position of the Devadasi gradually devolved into a position of compensated servitude. Today, much of a Devadasi’s clientele is made up of truck drivers and low wageworkers, whom may or may not be wed, yet solicit the services of Devadasis as prostitutes.

For young girls in India, becoming a Devadasi is often times the most effective way to help support their family. “If we went and sat at school everyone at home would starve,” said one Devadasi who must support her two sisters, brother and grandmother. “Most of the family responsibility rests on my shoulders. It is my responsibility to put the children through school. And when they need to be fed, it is my responsibility to feed them.” As a result, once a girl becomes a Devadasi it becomes increasingly difficult to return to her normal life. Not only has she been affected emotionally, but often times Devadasis are ostracized for their work and are considered “damaged,” making it hard to find a husband.

Devadasis in Contemporary Society

“I was only six when my parents dedicated me,” said Rani Bai, a Devadasi who works in Saundatti, in the south Indian state of Karnataka. “I had no feelings at the time, except wondering why have they done this? Soon after I had had my first period, my father sold me to a shepherd in a neighboring village for five hundred rupees (US$38).”

Although the Bombay Devadasi Protection Act of 1934 deemed the Devadasi system illegal, the town of Saundatti remains a hotbed for many dedication ceremonies. With over 23,000 women still selling their bodies in the state of Karnataka, in many ways Saundatti has emerged as the epicenter of the Devadasi tradition.

Each year hundreds of thousands of people descend upon Saundatti to celebrate the Full Moon Festival, the most important event of the Yellamma calendar. The month long celebration centers around the Yellamma shrine, a holy temple that serves as the primary destination for those devoted to the goddess. Consequently, Yellamma’s temple is also notable for being the place where many young girls first enter the Devadasi tradition. Brothel owners from neighboring cities visit Saundatti during the festival to recruit girls. Offering generous payments to families that choose to dedicate their daughters, the Full Moon Festival functions as a holy event that also perpetuates the cycle of indentured prostitution.

The Dedication Process

Dressed in green saris with waistbands, green bangles and toe rings, the girls have their faces painted while five Devadasis place pearls around their neck. Usually performed individually, the Devadasi whisper the sacred “Rules of Being” into their ears. The moment the pearls are tied around their neck it signifies entrance into the Devadasi tradition. Following her dedication, the girl returns to her home.

Although a girl may become dedicated as young as the age of three and live a normal life for years following her dedication, once she reaches puberty her parents notify neighboring Devadasis that their daughter is ready. Once ready, the Devadasis introduce a man to the dedicated girl. Tying a traditional thali necklace around the girl’s neck, the man pays an initial fee for the girl’s virginity.

“I thought we were being dedicated to Yellamma,” said one sex worker in her 70’s when recalling her early years as a Devadasi. “I did not know that this would be our profession. They dedicate us in the name of Yellamma, but after that we have to roam like dogs to find a meal. That is our fate.”

While the goddess Yellamma still serves as the deity of the Devadasi tradition, in today’s contemporary society it seems as though money has replaced all that was once holy about the practice. But who is to blame for this transgression into degradation? Does fault lie with the parents who dedicate their daughters to Yellamma? Or, is society to blame for creating a caste system that forces families to see their daughters as liabilities to be sold rather than assets to be cherished? Perhaps it’s the plight of tradition, inhibiting culture to evolve with the times. Or perhaps we’re overreacting, placing too much blame on exterior forces, while disregarding the desires of the women that practice the tradition. As one Devadasi states, her career has been her choice and she bears no shame for it. “Nobody has brought me here,” she stated. “Nobody has kept me here. I became a Devadasi because I decided so. I wanted to become a sex worker to start the business and make money.”