Woman dedicated to the worship of a temple's patron god
For the 1948 film, see Devadasi (1948 film).
Devadasi
Female servant of a god
A 1920s photograph of two devadasis in South India
Formation
6th century AD
Founders
Keshari Dynasty
Type
Temple priestess
Headquarters
no central authority
Region served
Indian Subcontinent
Members
44,000 to 250,000 (2006)[1]
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.[2][3] 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.[4] After becoming Devadasis, the women would spend their time learning religious rites, rituals and dances. Devadasis were expected to live a life of celibacy, however, there have been several exceptions.[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]
^"Is the Devadasi system still being followed in southern India". 8 October 2017.
^Devadasi: The Eternal Dancer | Unframed, 15 May 2013
^Umashanker, K. (7 October 2017). "Devadasi: An exploitative ritual that refuses to die". The Hindu.
^Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ abRuspini, 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)
^"India's 'prostitutes of God'". 20 September 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022.
^"BBC Four - Storyville, Sex, Death and the Gods".
^Colundalur, Nash (21 January 2011). "'Devadasis are a cursed community'". The Guardian.
^Hyaeweol Choi, Margaret Jolly (2014). Divine Domesticities: Christian Paradoxes in Asia and the Pacific. ANU Press. p. 15. ISBN 9781925021950.
^"Devadasi controversy: Celebrated to condemned: Tracing the devadasi story | Chennai News - Times of India". The Times of India. 30 January 2018.
^Crooke, W., Encyclopaedia of Religion and Ethics, Vol. X, Eds., James Hastings and Clark Edinburg, Second Impression, 1930.
^Iyer, L.A.K, Devadasis in South India: Their Traditional Origin And Development, Man in India, Vol.7, No. 47, 1927.
^V. Jayaram. "Hinduism and prostitution". Hinduwebsite.com. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
^"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.
^"Devdasi", Encyclopædia Britannica (2007). Retrieved 4 July 2007.
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. The dedication takes...
Bombay Devadasi Protection Act (1934) was passed by the Bombay High Court under British India to protect existing Devadasis and prevent the dedication...
become the Devadasi in times where the Devadasis were commonly associated with prostitution, is forced to serve men, who approach Devadasis with superstitious...
among them who was alive. At the age of 12, Sashimani was inducted into Devadasi Seva after being ceremonially married to Lord Jagannath at the age of 7...
actress Rekha. Gemini Ganesan was born in a Devadasi family as Ramasamy Ganesan in 1920 to Ramasamy and the Devadasi Gangammal. Ganesan's grandfather, Narayanaswami...
to abolish the Devadasi system, were instrumental in the passage of the Madras Devadasi (Prevention of Dedication) Act or the Devadasi Abolition Bill...
modern authors have argued that Bharatanatyam is a descendant of an ancient Devadasi (lit. 'servant girls of Devas') culture, suggesting a historical origin...
struggling against the Devadasi tradition. In a remote village at Karnataka-Maharashtra border in India, the poor residents follow Devadasi tradition according...
Her mother was Chandrammal, a Devadasi. Her father was ostracised from his family because of his marriage to a Devadasi. She developed a close relationship...
Intercultural Philosophy, Chennai. Vol 28, Oct 2015; pp. 45–54 Disrespecting the Devadasi: What the MS Subhalakshmi debate has exposed, The News Minute, Chennai...
Indian Carnatic singer, cultural activist, scholar, and devadasi. A descendant of devadasis, she was also a patron of the arts and a historian. Nagarathnamma...
character Haridas (played by Bhagavathar) for a sadir performance by a devadasi (played by T. R. Rajakumari). Haridas' wife (played by N. C. Vasanthakokilam)...
in Goa. His mother Yesubai was his father's mistress belonging to the Devadasi community of Goa, which is now known as Gomantak Maratha Samaj. Born in...
disapproves of his methods, he decides to leave but stumbles upon Maitreyi, a devadasi from Bangladesh (then known as East Pakistan) who dances in the temple...
"cultivators of music". This term was introduced after the legal abolition of the Devadasi system as a result of the reform and anti-nautch movement in 1947. The...
the temple of Lord Jagannatha at Puri by devadasi dancers called mahari. Following the abolition of the devadasi system, the dance has been discontinued...
Kshetragna or Kshetrayya (one who travels). He married to Mohanangi (who is a Devadasi). Learned his music from guru VenkaTamakhi (author of 72-melakartha scheme)...
in the classic Tamil story of Silappatikaram, written by Ilango Adigal Devadasi Deuki Ca trù, a similar profession in Vietnam Qiyan, a similar profession...
Pathsala as its home. Assam's Devadasi dance is a 1,000-year-old tradition, prevalent since the 7th century when the Devadasi system was in place. Girls...
Ezhunilappanthal. However, his most notable role came in the 1999 film Devadasi, directed by Biju Varkey. He was then pursuing his graduation. He got a...
its original 'sadhir' style prevalent amongst the temple dancers, the Devadasis, she also worked for the re-establishment of traditional Indian arts and...
and produced by K. B. Tilak. Muddu Palani was a Telugu speaking poet and devadasi attached to the court of Pratap Singh, the Maratha king of Tanjore. This...
385. ISBN 978-0-520-22821-4. Kersenboom, Saskia (1987). Nityasumangali: Devadasi Tradition in South India. Motilal Banarsidass Publ. pp. 32, 39. ISBN 978-81-208-0330-5...
Devadasis who used to perform ritual and religious dances in the Hindu temples of India. However, there is not much similarity between the Devadasis and...
have been born on earth as a devadasi and imparted the divine knowledge of dance unto humans. The first dance of the devadasi took place in a temple in the...
Melattur style of Bharatanatyam dance was developed largely out of the devadasi traditions and Melattur Bhagavata Mela by Mangudi Dorairaja Iyer (1900–1980)...
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