Devdasis: From the Temple to the Street

[Guest guest]

Speaking of Yellamma, this article by Radheshyam Jadhav appeared in

yesterday's ExpressIndia.com, Pune Newsline (link below):

 

SANGLI, INDIA: February 24 - ONCE, it was a time-honoured tradition

dedicated to the gods. Today, it is a path that, more often than

not, leads to brothels and the seamier side of the streets.

 

Despite being officially illegal, the ancient practice of dedicating

young girls to Hindu temples and 'marrying' them to gods and

goddesses to serve as temple performers (devdasis) persists in

southern regions of Maharashtra and Karnataka. And with good reason,

if one asks the locals.

 

"The wrath of the goddess Yellamma is the reason for the drought

prevailing since the last five years," says Vatsala, a devdasi. She

attributes the drought in Sangli district to interference in the

devdasi tradition. Despite many devdasis engaging in commercial sex

work outside the temple and using temples as a base for exchanging

sex for money or essential goods such as food or clothing, she feels

that the tradition should not end.

 

Although it was once a respectable option for families — they would

donate their younger girl child to the temple — today it is an

escape route for the poor who can no longer afford to rear a girl.

 

According to the National Commission for Women, an estimated

2,50,000 girls have been dedicated as devdasis to Yellamma and

Khondoba temples along the Maharashtra-Karnataka border. Of these,

50 per cent go into prostitution while 40 per cent join the flesh

trade in cities. An overwhelming majority earn less than Rs 1,000

[uS $22] per month.

 

The devdasi tradition has contributed to the proliferation of AIDS,

say women activists who point out that Sangli district is one of the

largest HIV hotspots. Along with Mumbai and Pune, is now on the list

of places having the largest red light areas.

 

The interplay of poverty and human trafficking have thus combined to

bring low a system. And with young girls being married off to the

goddess Yellama because of the drought haunting the district, the

situation is not likely to get any better.

 

URL: http://cities.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=77039