Devadasi: A tradition practiced and followed under Hindu Deity.

‘He will come, explore my body but would never marry. Then later my kid will ask ‘who is my father?’ and I will have no answer. If he would be a guy, he would be ashamed of me and if she would be a girl she would have been already dedicated to the Hindu deity.’

 

This was the tradition followed in southern part of India. The Devadasi tradition. The tradition of selling the daughters into a life of prostitution, often around the age of 10 or when they reach puberty. Devadasis are the sex workers selling their bodies in the name of the Hindu Goddess Yellamma, following the murky world of temple prostitution. The  devadasi system, which 'dedicates' girls to a life of sex work in the name of religion, continues despite being made illegal in 1988. The only change that occurred is that it went underground.

Rich brothel madams of Delhi or Mumbai would be okay to tell what they are doing but these south devadasis are ostracised and exploited and they’re ashamed of what they do. They belong from the “Madiga caste”, say “untouchable cast”.

India being a democratic world makes me go in doubt on its democracy when this caste discrimination is still in its power. Girls of farmers or poor houses are dedicated to men when they reach puberty and they earn money. It’s like an inherited business for girls. This atrocity of poverty has made them go okay with this devadasi system, as at least they can able to earn two time meal for a day.

India is a country where sons are treated as liberators because they will free the soul of their parents and girl are treated as a liability but this is accused by devadasi system as here females are the bread winners.

These girls practice the sex work under aHindu Goddess Yellamma. Devadasis who were when formed held a respectful designation of dancers and living jus as nuns made them become brothel madams. “Saundatti”, the small town with the temple of Yellemma, calls all new girls to inherit the status of devadasi.The shops near the temple are all colorful, green bangles, saree and the colors of Yellemma i.e. red and yellow. The annual full moon festival in Saundatti, the most prestigious event in the Devadasi calendar. The color, dancing and celebrations of the festival disguise the darkness of its underlying purpose: child sex trafficking. Here traffickers, pimps and brothel madams come from all over India to recruit young girls and boys into the sex trade in the name of the Goddess Yellamma.

 These girls who are being traded must not even know the resemblance of ‘first night’ is sold for the highest bid of being virgin. Chastity and morality will lose the meaning from their life without even getting it properly.

Running a lucrative business or calling themselves women who do business of chastity under the name of a deity is the most shameful thing our culture can hold. No metaphor can ever be bigger than this. It has to be eliminated from the deep down roots. We have a culture where marriage is everything and if a girl had sex before marriage then she's ostracised from society. They are even stoned to death at some villages for committing this act. And on the other hand it’s a culture where trade of bodies is being done under the name of religion.

We live in a country where everyday there is a battle raged between the traditional forces of religion on the cost of superstition. Religion and devotion are being exploited in terms of commerce. We have to open our wide eyes and need to finish this system of prostitution by doing whatever it takes to. At least they can be saved who see life the other way and the rest of them can be worked upon.