Devadasi Culture in South India

ON THE ROAD Against Her Will: Devadasi Culture In South India

In her five month stay in India’s southern State of Andhra Pradesh, Erin Aibritton lived, observed and worked with a women’s organization called SAMSKAR that struggles to release local women from a system of hereditary concubinage and bondage.

By Erin Albritton the landlord upon his request. Her nis as well. Indeed, the more Joginis arvavva turned six last month. Today expected duties as a Jogini include danc patronized, the more prestige he will p she sits before an altar adorned as a ing around dead bodies as well as dancing receive in his community. Like other bride. Braided into her long, black hair and singing for the entertainment of vil Joginis in the village, she and her children are garlands of fragrant jasmine flowers. lagers during festival time. Rupees have no legal rights to the property of Dark kohl lines her frightened brown eyes tossed by spectators are considered sup their father. Parvavva, who is already and crimson henna stains her hands and plemental pay to the meagre amount of "married" to a deity, is forbidden to feet in the most intricate of patterns. Par money or grain which is provided, only marry a mortal man. vavva and her four brothers live with their on occasion, by the landlord. Parvavva dies shortly before her thir parents in a small Harijan community tieth birthday. Her son is now a field in Southeastern India. They hail from labourer. In a few years, if he so one of the lowest castes in Indian soci chooses, he may marry a girl providing ety-her mother, father and four broth she belongs to his caste. According to ers are all bonded labourers who work tradition, however, her daughter is not from dawn till dusk in the surrounding given this choice. Like her mother, she paddy fields. is destined to live a life of degradation Today, however, is a time for cele and oppression. Her future, and that of bration and the family’s cow dung hut generations of daughters to come, is has been festively decorated with clearly defined as that of a Jogini. mango leaves and branches. The altar before which Parvavva sits is made of In September of 1992, as a volun two bundles of straw. In her hands she teer for Canadian Crossroads Interna clutches a green coconut to be offered tional, I had the remarkable experience as a gift to her groom. On this occa of travelling to the South Indian state of sion, however, her "groom" is not a Andhra Pradesh. For four months I nervous young man, but rather a deity lived with and closely observed the of the village temple. She waits work of SAMSKAR, a group of people patiently with her eyes lowered while dedicated to the emancipation of the priest mutters his prayers and then [Electromap, Inc.] women like Parvavva. Although mar finally ties the leather Mangal Sutra riages like the one outlined above were around her neck. With this gesture, abolished by the Andhra Pradesh gov Parvavva’s marriage is finalized and Parvavva bears two children ernment in 1988, freedom for the Jogi her new life as a Jogini begins. by the time she is twenty. Neither one is accept nis requires much more than paperwork On the day Parvavva turns fourteen, and ed by the landlord as his own. Parvavva is stamps on legal documents. the local landlord arrives at her family’s Throughout my stay in India and par hut and requests her sexual services. one of many young women trapped in a life of concubinage. It is not unusual for ticularly during the time I spent observing From this point forth Parvavva works not the work of SAMSKAR, there were many only as a casual labourer but also pro the landlord who serves as her "master" to seek the service of several other Jogi instances in which I questioned my role vides services sexual and otherwise to as a white, upper middle class, basically

JULY rn3 . ORIGINS *39 Christian, North American woman. My soon began to engulf women of the low deprived social groups in Indian Society, lack of knowledge with regards to the est castes and a rigid type of village con they make up a large part of the forty- caste system as well as many of the reli cubinage came into being. three percent of India’s population who subsistence level. The gious beliefs which underpin the Jogini Culture in Andhra Pradesh live below the Devadasi culture left me ill-equipped to majority are landless and spend their lives In Telugu, the language spoken in the even begin to understand the lives of the as bonded labourers, trapped in an end Southeastern state of Andhra Pradesh, the Jogini women. I often felt out of place less cycle of loans and debts. term "Jogi" is a derivation of the Sanskrit and am certain that others found my pres Today, at least 10,000 Joginis live offen word "Yogi." A Yogi is a revered mem scattered throughout isolated villages in ence perplexing if not downright who against the ber of society usually a man the Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh sive. I have struggled respect. In project my experiences of accepts alms as a gesture of alone. While, initially, I had difficulty tendency to the word well as my visions of liber its vulgarized form, however, seeing a justification for such blatant oppression as is given particular group of women "Jogi" refers to a beggar who exploitation of women, I soon came to ation onto a deference, but lived realities are very different alms, not out of societal realize that a family’s decision to dedi whose Telugu word from my own. rather out of sympathy. The cate their daughter into the Jogini system "Jogini," as it has been used to label in their socioeconomic Devadasi Jogini Culture: A Tradition is deeply rooted women dedicated into the Devadasi cul with unbearable economic Now Old and Defunct status. Faced ture, is a derogatory term intended in part conditions, a family will often turn to the In ancient India, promotion and patronage to strip women of their identity and local landlord for some type of financial of the arts were considered to be a luxury undermine their sense of self-worth. assistance. In return for a loan the land the king and regional princely Unlike the "privileged" temple dancers of of the state, lord, who invariably hails from an upper regents. The practice and cultivation of an earlier era, Joginis are seen as little caste, requests that the family’s daughter these arts were relegated to the domain of more than beggars who prostitute and be dedicated as a Jogini Tangled as they the Brahmins a Hindu caste traditionally humiliate themselves for virtually no are in a complex system of power and assigned to the priesthood. Music, remuneration. hierarchy, the family often feels it has no sculpture, painting and literature dance, Although it is not known precisely other choice but to sacrifice their daugh were, therefore, incorporated into the when the Jogini custom percolated into ter in accordance with the landlord’s activities of temples and the active pursuit village societies of Andhra Pradesh, wishes. of these arts was undertaken in the name social scientists have concluded unequiv If economic vulnerability does not of gods and goddesses. ocally that this system of concubinage first succeed in prompting a family to A separate caste came into being emerged in direct correlation with the dedicate their daughter into concubinage, which took as its profession the perfor pauperization of the lowest castes. It is then, in small temple villages, religious mance of music and dance on temple particularly important to note that in mod superstition often plays a key role in the premises. These arts were considered to em day India, 95% of the women dedicat decision making process. When someone be sacred and temple dances and musical ed into Devadasi the practice come from in a village community falls ill, it is not concerts came to be highly respected cul Scheduled Caste groups-the most uncommon for a landlord to circulate the tural events. A sub-caste of this group of temple performers were called "Devada sis" or, literally, women servants of God. These women were considered to be, in a sense, property of the temple and were obliged to offer their services to God and dedicate their lives to the profes sion of temple performance. Unlike the Christian Nun, a Devadasi was permitted and even encouraged to engage in sexual activity with temple patrons. Temple prostitution was a cultivated practice, par ticularly in the South. The fascinating and highly erotic architecture of the Kha juraho and Konark temples emerged as the Devadasi culture reached its pinnacle. For centuries the culture of the Devadasis was nurtured by and confined to the temples of the rich castes. Eventu ally, however, the practice began to trick le down into the strata of the poor castes. The landed gentry in rural villages began to emulate the nobles from temple towns. The author with some Joginis and their children. Nizamabad district, India. October, 1992 A crude form of the Devadasi sub-culture [Photo courtesy of Erin Aibritton]

40 ORIGINS JULY 1993 independence that the illness is a result of the awareness and educate Joginis with age the women’s economic rumour paddy. village deity’s wrath. According to regards to existing progressive laws and through the cultivation of Pradesh superstition, the deity’s anger can be how these laws can help to overcome In 1988, the Andhra Dedication Act pacified through the dedication of a social and economic hurdles. In addition, Devadasi Prohibition of condemns the young girl. Hoping for appeasement, a SAMSKAR believes that people must be came into effect. The Act systems family might choose to dedicate their supplied with the instruments of literacy, existence of all Jogini/Devadasi including daughter into the Jogini system. It is not self-confidence and social consciousness in the state of Andhra Pradesh difficult to see how religion, poverty and in order for them to realize that the tradi the ritual dances connected with the cus centuries of gender inequality act together tions and forms of exploitation can be tom. To publicize the Act, thousands of to ensure the continued existence of Jogi broken. posters with captions specifically men ni culture. From the onset, the organization tioning that violations of the Act are pun that they do not wish to impose ishable, were pasted on huts and trees. In SAMSKAR: Soclai Reform and Jogini stresses alternatives on Jogini addition, meetings were conducted in the Welfare occupational women nor do they promise paradise presence of village elders to explain the Established in 1986 by Hemalata should the Joginis chose to abandon their legal content of the Act. Lavanam, the organization SAMSKAR old way of life. Rather, SAMSKAR As is the case with most legal docu dedicates itself to working with the Jogini assists women in mobilizing their own ments, the Act has its limitations when it population in the Nizamabad district of strengths and places prime importance on comes to practical application. Although Andhra Pradesh. Its early efforts were the Joginis’ own rehabilitation proposals. the Joginis themselves are not at risk of aimed primarily at studying the living For this reason, much of SAMSKAR’s being punished for involvement in their conditions and terms under which the own dedication ceremony or for Jogini culture operates. Indeed, performing their ritual dances, the Hemalata engaged in extensive Act does little to ameliorate the tours of villages, visiting Jogi dire economic situations or the nis and their families and com corrupt power hierarchy which piling numerous case studies. ACT PlO 100F1988. often place families in the posi In April of 1987, SAM tion to dedicate their daughters. SKAR opened its operating Nevertheless, it does serve as a centre known as Chelli Nilayam protective measure which has or "Sisters’ Home" in the vil worked to prevent wealthy village lage of Varni in Northwest men from taking punitive steps Andhra Pradesh. It is at this against Joginis and their families centre that women who once who want to shed the tradition. practiced the Jogini custom can Today, within the Nizamabad now come for literacy pro district of Andhra Pradesh, dedi grams, health camps, individual cations of young girls into the counselling and occasional Devadasi system no longer take assis meals. With the financial place. Although conditions for tance of groups such as HELP- EQcio. öA, ‘W the women remain far from ideal, AGE, U.K. and OXFAM, The Devadasi Prohibition Act 1988, displayed throughout Andhra SAMSKAR stands dedicated to pensions for elderly Joginis as improving their standard of liv- well as educational programs Pradesh. [SAMSKAR] - ing. To my knowledge, there are for the young now flourish. In as yet no other organizations of fact, more than six hundred Joginis, along work is aimed at re-establishing women this type in areas where the Devadasi cul parents, find with their children and aging in occupations which will allow them to ture continues to exist. During my one their way to Chelli Nilayam at least once become self-sufficient and yet remain in month field visit to Chelli Nilayam, I each week. Here, the women pledge not close contact with their family and village asked Hemalata Lavanam if she planned to engage in any Jogini practices and vow support networks. to expand the work of SAMSKAR to not to dedicate their daughters into the Jogini Practices Outlawed include Joginis throughout India. Her system of concubinage that has ensured project in Andhra Pradesh has only just their slavery for generations. In addition, Since SAMSKAR began its work in begun, she responded. She is dedicated Joginis are encouraged to break the Man- 1986 they have received surprising completely to her work with women in gal Sutra or "holy thread" around their amounts of support from government the Nizamabad district and expects to be necks which serves as a physical bodies in Andhra Pradesh. In 1987, a involved in that region for many years to National Convention on Welfare reminder of their dedication to a deity and Jogini come. servitude to a landlord. was hosted in New Delhi. Since that time The most important aspect of SAM more that five million rupees has been SKAR’s social reform philosophy is its granted by the government towards the dedication to awareness and education. purchase of goats and sheep for the Jogi The organization actively tries to raise nis and land has been donated to encour

JULY m3 ORIGINS *41