“Prostitutes of God” - a Report

In 2008, Sarah Harris quit her job at the ‘The Independent on Sunday’ and came to India to work on a documentary showcasing religious prostitution in India. The documentary also covered the issue of child and sex trafficking. “One day, I walked into a meeting at an NGO,” she recalls, “and there were a group of women sitting there, who I assumed were prostitutes. But later, someone told me that they were actually devadasi or “servants of god”; religious prostitutes, and part of an ancient Hindu tradition. It was at that point my interest was piqued.”

In South India, a devadasi (Sanskrit: servant of deva (god) or Devi (goddess)) is a girl "dedicated" to worship and service of a deity or a temple for the rest of her life. Traditionally devadasis had a high status in society. After marrying wealthy patrons, they spent their time honing their skills instead of becoming a housewife. They had children from their husbands who were also taught their skills of music or dance. Often their patrons had another wife who served them as housewife. After going through a dedication ceremony which "married" them to the fertility goddess Yellamma, they would act as temple care-takers: performing rituals in honour of their goddess, as well as dancing and playing music for the entertainment of wealthy locals. Over time, however, the tradition began to change, and the devadasi became less respected. “Many ended up becoming the mistress of a particular ‘patron’ - often a royal, or nobleman - as well as serving in the temple," says Harris, "and eventually, the connection with the temple became severed altogether. Today, although there are still many women called devadasi, and who have been dedicated to the goddess, a lot of them are essentially prostitutes.” During British rule in the Indian subcontinent, kings who were the patrons of temples and temple arts became powerless. As a result, devadasis were left without their traditional means of support and patronage. During colonial times, reformists worked towards outlawing the devadasi tradition on grounds that it supported prostitution. Colonial views on devadasis are hotly disputed by several groups and organizations in India and by western academics as the inability of the British to distinguish them from the petty girls who danced in the streets.

Recently the devadasi system has started to disappear, having been outlawed in all of India in 1988. However, it still exists in a robust form in some remote parts of South India. This is exactly what the documentary is trying to showcase.

In the documentary, various devadasis and prostitutes are shown. Sex workers also share their life stories and explain the circumstances that forced them to take up the particular profession. While we saw some sex workers who were very open and cool about the whole thing, we saw some who were not. There were a few women who believed they were doing nothing wrong by selling their body in order to earn a living. After all they were not educated, were from an uneducated background and had no means of earning a decent amount of money. There was this gay sex worker who was also very open about the fact.

Sarah also spoke to a cross-dressing man who loved to wear saris because he felt beautiful in them. He clearly stated that he was not ashamed at all and was quite happy with life except for 1 thing- he wanted a family. He wanted to be born a girl so that he could give birth and be a mother. He had adopted a kid and said he was very unlucky that God did not give him the fortune of being a female. He promised to educate his daughter and allow her the freedom to pursue a career of her choice.

At the end, we saw some old women who told Sarah that they were initially told that they would be servants of God and hence they obliged. Little did they know that that was an excuse for them to be trafficked and exploited. They however said that it earned them good money and they were able to feed their families, buy clothes and get a TV. In the end though, they regret their decision in life and are seen crying.

In the documentary, we clearly see how in rural areas of some parts of our country, certain practices are still followed even though they are against the law. It also shows all the challenges and difficulties these people have to face in day-to-day life. It shows how the caste system can lead to total oppression of some classes and how these people are forced to stick to performing only certain jobs that are considered menial. It shows how poverty and desperation can lead people to do things they never imagined. Finally, it shows how everyone exploits and uses the services of these people but when it comes to giving them basic human rights, respect and dignity, society shuns them. Education and awareness are essential components to bring about the end of the devadasi and sex-trafficking system.