ABSTRACT
Today’s devadasis are Hindu Dalit women in North Karnataka, India. In Sanskrit, deva means god, and dasi means servant, but the term devadasi is also often translated as slave of god. As servants of god, devadasis result from a matrilineal practice of dedicating daughters to the goddess Yellamma. This often occurs when there are no sons in the family; devadasis carry the familial role of eldest son, and are subsequently financially responsible for their natal family. Devadasis come from poor families, and live in dry rural areas where most people are agricultural labourers. Therefore, in order to take care of their parents and siblings, many devadasis practise sex work. Girls are dedicated when they are very young, usually babies, and begin practising sex work once they reach puberty.1 This practice of dedicated daughters becoming sex workers is seen as problematic by outsiders. There is a shared belief amongst most development practitioners and lay people that the devadasi practice is bad and devadasis are ‘dirty’. The Karnataka government officially criminalised the practice in 1982 through the Karnataka Devadasi (Prohibition of Dedication) Act, making it a criminal offence to dedicate girls to the goddess, with anyone who is caught facing fines up to Rs5,000 (approximately AUD$100) and five years’ imprisonment. The goddess Yellamma is an important part of the devadasi practice. In fact, it is she who brings devadasis together as a religious community. As the quote below by one devadasi, Shaila, emphasises, they exist because of her, and many devadasis say they have a more respected status in society because of their connection to her.
