In the intimacy of the jagha room at Sumithra’s house, devadasi women shared their stories with us.
“Landlords give jobs in the fields and loans in times of drought to the families of the devadasis they are involved with. In hard times, having a devadasi in the family is essential. We depend on the upper castes for our survival.” -- Chandra, devadasi and mother of five.
“If my child had been a girl, I would have killed her. Really, I would have strangled her at birth. She would have become a devadasi, like me. Her life would have been full of pain and sorrow, like mine; I wouldn’t have been able to see that happen.” -- Rukmini, a devadasi and mother, aged fifteen.
Servants of the Goddess
Over the past hundred and fifty years, devadasis have gradually been pushed out of temples across south India; however, economic pressures and ancient traditions conspire to perpetuate the system. Thousands of girls are dedicated to the goddess every year and end up leading a life of sexual slavery.
Devadasis are women dedicated as young girls to serve the gods. While their ritual duties include bathing and dressing images of the gods, preparing garlands and sweeping the temple floor, they are most famous for the songs and dances they perform to please the gods. Marriage is forbidden to devadasis and they are taught that it is their “dharma,” their sacred duty, to provide sexual services to male visitors to the temple. In medieval times, devadasis were among the few women permitted to learn to read and write, and some reached high levels of sophistication. The most talented and beautiful devadasis were transferred from rural to urban temples, and became the mistresses of generals and kings. A devadasi’s first public performance served to advertise her availability for a sexual liaison and men were known to ruin themselves vying for the honor of receiving her favors. While some devadasis may have gained a measure of independence, the great majority lived at subsistence level poverty. After hereditary service, poverty was the most common reason for dedication and devadasis were drawn from the lowest castes. Today devadasis are no longer attached to temples, but ancient traditions and economic necessity keep the system alive. While the lives of modern devadasis often resemble those of commercial sex workers, they continue to play a spiritual role in their villages.
An estimated quarter million devadasis are currently living in south India’s poverty belt.
Sumithra earns enough performing her ritual duties so that she does not have to resort to sex work to support her family. The father of her children works as a bonded laborer for a local landlord. Sumithra’s daughter, Renuka, is eleven in this photograph.
In Servants of the Goddess, Catherine Rubin Kermorgant brings to life the world of modern devadasis. By interweaving an account of the lives of five devadasi women and her experiences traveling and researching the subject for a documentary film, the reader comes to understand the complicated society in which the system is embedded. Over the course of her research, Kermorgant finds herself unwittingly enmeshed in a world of caste and gender bias to the point where the relationships she so carefully developed with the devadasis and their families are compromised. This book is a testament to the strength and vitality of women.