devadasi - The Skeptic's Dictionary

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<div class="logo"> <img src="_images/logo_01.png" alt="The Skeptic's Dictionary" width="270" height="60" border="0" />           <br /> by <a href="http://skepdic.com/refuge/bio.html">Robert Todd Carroll</a> * est. 1994 </div> <div class="slogan"> <img src="_images/slogan_01.gif" alt="A Collection of Strange Beliefs, Amusing Deceptions, and Dangerous Delusions" width="362" height="30" /> </div> </div> <div class="menu"> <ul> <li></li><li><a href="http://skepdic.com/">Home</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/news/">Newsletter</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/feedback.html">Feedback</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/faq.html">FAQ & Interviews</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/tour.html">Site Map</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="middle"> <div class="left"> <h2>Topical Indexes</h2> <ul class="nav_1"> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/tialtmed.html">Alternatives to Medicine</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/ticriticalthinking.html">Critical Thinking</a></li> 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href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#Y">y</a></li> <li><a href="http://skepdic.com/contents.html#Z">z</a></li> </ul> <webContent><h1>devadasi</h1> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">Devadasi is a religious practice in parts of southern India, including Andhra Pradesh, whereby parents marry a daughter to a deity or a temple.The marriage usually occurs before the girl reaches puberty and requires the girl to become a prostitute for upper-caste community members. Such girls are known as <i><a href="jogini.html">jogini</a></i>. They are forbidden to enter into a real marriage.</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font face="Arial" size="3">Joginis are recognised by their copper bangles, the band they wear round their necks with a leather pendant and a long necklace with several pendants which have the image of Goddess Yellamma.</font></p> </blockquote> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">The practice was legal in India until1988, yet it still continues as is evidenced by the testimony of a 35-year-old former jogini named Ashama. She ran away from her village and returned to lead the fight to abolish the illegal practice. The local police do not enforce the law and the villagers themselves make no effort to abolish the heinous practice.</font></p> <blockquote> <p><font face="Arial" size="3">Since the day of the initiation, I have not lived with dignity. I became available for all the men who inhabited Karni. They would ask me for sexual favours and I, as a jogini, was expected to please them. My trauma began even when I had not attained puberty.</font><font color="#800000" face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010505/windows/main1.htm">*</a></font></p> </blockquote> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">Ashama was seven when her parents married her to the local god. She was recently awarded the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neerja_Bhanot_Award">Neerja Bhanot award</a> for courage.</font></p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">The practice of religious prostitution is known as <i>basivi</i> in Karnataka and <i>matangi</i> in Maharastra. It is also known as <i>venkatasani, nailis, muralis </i>and <i>theradiyan.</i></font></p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">It has been the <a href="http://www.positiveatheism.org/tocindia.htm">Atheist Centre of Vijayawada, India</a>, that has been most instrumental in the movement to eradicate this pernicious religious custom.</font></p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><b>further reading</b></font></p> <p style="text-align: left"><b><font face="Arial" size="3">book</font></b></p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=8170248213/roberttoddcarrolA/">Singh, Nagendra Kumar. <i>Divine Prostitution</i> (New Delhi: A. P. H. Publishing Corporation, 1997).</a> </font> </p> <p style="text-align: left"><b><font face="Arial" size="3">websites</font></b></p> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.positiveatheism.org/india/lavintro.htm">Eradication of the Jogini System</a></font><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3">Human Rights Watch, <i><a href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/india/">Broken People: Caste Violence Against India's "Untouchables"</a></i> (New York: Human Rights Watch, 1999), <a href="http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/india/India994-09.htm#P1695_354939">Chapter VII</a>.)</font><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/07/22/stories/0422201g.htm">200 "Potharajus" quit age-old profession</a></font><p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.kamat.com/kalranga/people/yellamma/4695.htm">A Devadasi (Jogathi) carrying a copper vessel on her head </a></font> <p style="text-align: left"><font face="Arial" size="3"><a href="http://www.hindunet.org/srh_home/1997_1/0104.html">Devadasis' life leads from India temple to brothel</a></font> <p></webContent> Last updated 05-Dec-2013 </p> </div> </div> <div class="right"> <div class="right_it"> <div class="search"> <form method="get" action="http://www.google.com/custom" target="_top"> <input type="hidden" name="domains" value="skepdic.com" /> <input type="text" name="q" maxlength="255" value="" size="20" /> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" /> <br /> <div class="search_2"> <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="" /> Web     <input type="radio" name="sitesearch" value="skepdic.com" checked="checked" /> Skepdic.com <br /> <img src="_images/logo_google.gif" alt="Google" width="48" height="19" /> </div> <input type="hidden" name="client" value="pub-3542920166946725" /> <input type="hidden" name="forid" value="1" /> <input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="hidden" name="oe" value="ISO-8859-1" /> <input type="hidden" name="cof" value="GALT:#008000;GL:1;DIV:#336699;VLC:663399;AH:center;BGC:FFFFFF;LBGC:336699;ALC:0000FF;LC:0000FF;T:000000;GFNT:0000FF;GIMP:0000FF;FORID:1;" /> <input type="hidden" name="hl" value="en" /> </form> </div> <div class="center"> <p align="right"><a href="http://skepdic.com/authorpage.html"><strong>Books by R. 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