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Posted by Rose on July 1, 2003 at 04:11:49:

In reply to: As Alissa dais posted by Rose on July 1, 2003 at 03:44:44:

Don't know what key I hit this time; gotta type slower.

As Alissa said, I had thought that the devadasi system once had a
different role in Indian society. At that time marriage was not such
a great option any way, seeing as women had so little rights and
child marriage was the norm. In reality marriage was a financial
transaction and might be considered a type of rape by someone else's
standards as women became sexual property of a husband they didn't
choose. The devadasis were bound by ritual duties to "God" in much
the same way other women were bound by homemaking duties to their
husbands. But in many ways Devadasis were more liberated because
they were at least able to control their own money, recieved some
standard of education when other women had none, and never suffered
the inauspiciousness of widowhood. Plus they had more freedom of
movement, and their children were theirs alone. It was my
understanding, that the system began to be disputed when women's
roles started to change and several general reforms related to women
were being enacted, such as ban on child marriage and sati. The
devadasi was part of the old system but did not fit into the new.
The devadasi system being practiced today seems to epitomize many of
the problems faced by poor, rural women in general such as child
marriage with no choice from the woman, being denied education, the
stigma of belonging to a low social class, and lack of choices due
to abject poverty.

The scholar who I best remember talking about these reforms and the
devadasis system was a certain Meduri. I should look it up in my
notes...

I'm looking forward to any other thoughts on the subject, or a
different point of view.

-Rose

 

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